Karl H Cameron-Jackson
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Y OF z o n by Karl H Cameron-Jackson Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Discipline of Englistr, School of Humanities University of Adelaide December 2003 An exegetical essay concerning the novel, Thuyet Karl H Cameron-Jackson (Creative B.A.@ehavioural science) M.A. (Clinical Psychology) M.A. writing) An Exegetical Essay Karl H Cameron-Jackson submits his novel Thuyet, and its exegesis, degree of Doctor concerning the novel, Thuyet, as fulfillment of the requirements for the university, has of Philosophy. His supervisor, Professor Tom Shapcott of Adelaide assisted in its process. Facutty of Arts - English December' 2003 Acknowledgements to my deceased father' Private George I wish to publicly acknowledge the debt I owe Service. Since starting at the Diploma Henry Jackson of the ls Australian Special Air by my supervisor Tom shapcott level five years ago I have been academically sustained journey. regard him as both mentor and friend' Many throughout my creative writing I in the form and representation of Thuyet' one of others have helped directly and indirectly vietnam war. Present at the conception of the whom is Thuyet, warrior and victim of the novelsometwentyyearsagoandmyemotionalsupportforthewholeoftheprocessof of Thuyet' She has watched it ferment writing, my wife Frances understands the meaning a fully supportive role during the agony of then grow into reality. The life of a person in ecstasy of its completion' Frances' my father' producing a PtiD can only be justified by the 'there' for me. Thuyet represents my personal Tom, and other special friends have been epitaph to the many warriors I love and respect odyssey in war and in peace. It is also my enemy' became firm friends' who are featured in it, many of whom, as my lv Abstract number of real persons' It is a In the exegetical essay, Thuyet explores the odyssey of a Thuyet' her brother Vinh journey towards existential completeness of the main character and Dat, were my 'firm friends' acting and her Australian lover Gary. In my novel, Troy .Threshold others in vietnam' as Guardians' and mentors to me and to the narrative juxtaposes the rival As a metaphor of and a commentary on this pilgrimage, provides motivation to engage on mythologies of America, Australia and vietnam. This on both sides of the the battlefield then a growing understanding between combatants to discover a sense of vietnam conflict. Its main focus is on Gary and Thuyet's efforts war. peace and self-fulfillment in the midst of the chaos of that the formation of each character The exegetical essay examines writing issues in my novel, its thematic concerns Thuyet analyses and their historical reality and plot and structure. In war novel and the notion of cultural mythology, the development of the modern on soldiers, that of Existential Authenticity, with a specific focus on one outcome of war with the role of myth' .loneliness' and 'alienation'. The exegetical essay is also concerned of heroes, the Heroic warrior'' the genre of Thuyet and the evolution of a'special breed the novel Thuyet' Its concern The final part of this four-part process is a 'Reflection' upon and to identify some of the is to introduce the reader to a synopsis of each Chapter and research in the writing' complex issues that arose between the demands of creativity v An Exegetical EssaY concernmga the novel... Table of Contents Introduction Page . Thuyet and its Exegesis I Part One - \ilriting Issues in Thuyet o The exegetical essay 3 . "Writing Lives" 7 o The development of Character l6 o Architecture, Stn¡cture and Plot 23 Part Two - Thematic Issues inThuyet and its Genre o The modern war novel prior to Vietnam 26 o Novels of the Vietnam War 1963 - 1975 30 o Authenticity as a central issue 39 o Existentialism as a key to understanding 44 Part Three - The Heroic Warrior's Journey in Thuyet o Introduction to the role of myth and its genre 5l o Vietnam's Ancient Heroic Warriors 53 o Australia's Ancient Heroic Warriors 59 o Modern Vietnamese Heroic Warriors 6r o Modern Australian Heroic Warriors 7l Part Four -Conclusion o Reflections on the Novel, Thuyet 80 End Notes 86 Bibliography 92 vl lntroduction Thuyet and its Exegesis Thuyet is a 'naturalistic' modern war novel and remains true to the real history of the First and Second Indochina Wars. Its main characters are drawn from real people and from both sides of the historic and ethnic divide between North and South Vietnam. Its time-frame spans lives from 1939 to 1967.In this Exegetical Essay, I explore and define my terms and justify its genre and philosophy in the following four Parts of my thesis. I use an academic research orientation and therefore my thesis is grounded, not in subjectivity alone but is cross-referenced to other literatures. All is then related in detail to what I have written within Thuyet. part One examines writing issues intrinsic to my novel. Traditional biblical exegesis emphasizes the meaning and substance inherent in a word or in a specific Biblical text. This is not my aim. Rather, it is to use the exegetical 'Method' to show how Ihuyet complies or c¡ntrasts with each issue reviewed. I review 'Writing Lives' as a representative process for the development of the Characters chosen for Thuyet. The novel's Architecture highlights the strategic conflict of the Vietnam War. part Two vindicates 'Thuyet's genre. The modern war novel's genesis is to be found in Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, first published in 1895 and established a tradition of war literature markedly different from any prior form.. Remarque (1929) and Downing (1920) continued Crane's form in WWI Authenticity injects 'meaning and realism' into the writing of 'men and women in war'. Existentialism is the effect of war's overarching canvas on each individual and their existential experience of it. I Part Three defines the Heroic Warrior. Since the beginning of recorded history they have been cultural icons fashioned within the crucible of war, 'Ordinary People' who emerge at intervals like comets to streak across the firmament of history. I discuss their literary forms, largely conferred on them by Myth. I trace heroes from ancient to 'Western modern myth in war literature and the development of Eastern and Heroic Warriors and the uniqueness of the Vietnamese Woman Warrior. 'The Mystical Domain' has been a central motif to my life since my first heart attack in l97L In Vietnam I experienced the existential conflict of living in the moment and the intense pressure felt by the will's need to survive. Many things happened for which there can be no understanding. Afterward I went to India for two years on a spiritual quest and returned to Australia in 1975 to put my life together. The Indian experience changed me, giving me an appreciation of different 'realities'. Authors don't just place facts and descriptions on paper. A novel is an exquisite view of reality. War novels, in particular, explore disturbing, ambiguous and complex behavioural effects on the human psyche. Thuyet is intended to convey the impact of the Vietnam War on each individual's psyche. Each character is a construction of MY reality. Their story would be a changed one. All aspects of this Exegesis relate to the writing process: to the 'Journey of the Writer'; tothe research and writing of Thuyet; all of which was engendered in me in order to gr¡ide you, my reader, into the experience of the novel. 2 Part One - Writing lssues 'Take care lo express yourself in a plain, easy manner, in well chosen, significant and decent terms, and to give a harmonious and pleasing turn to your Periods; sludy to explain your thoughts, and set them in lhe truest light, Iabouring as much as possible, not to leave them dark nor intricale, but clear and intelligible.' Cervantes, preface to Don Quixote The Exegetical Essay Defined as "a literary composition shorter than a trealise" (Webster's Dictionary 1989, 131) an Essay is also a "dissertation on a particular theme" (396). Initially an exegesis referred to a critical and scholarly analysis of the Holy Bible (134). Biblical exegesis, or "literary commentary", was non-existent until the Reformation. Religious scholars confined themselves to 'authenticated' dogma. No freedom of interpretation was allowed. The Reformation introduced the concept of personal liberty, which eventually permeated every sphere of human activity. This allowed scope for scholars to 'freely' interpret the textual content of the Holy Bible. Theological scholars, from the post-Reformation period to the dawn of rationalism, believed that to advocate a particular doctrinal viewpoint an exegesis had to be referenced by a plethora of 'authentic' text. In Psychology I had to 'meticulously' support any assertion made in theses or assignments with multiple 'references'. An illusion of objectivity was assured by a heavy reliance on previous studies. In contrast, George Orwell in Collected Essays 1940-1943, (1972) held that "Modern literature is either the truthful expression of what one man thinks or feels or it is nothing" (162). J 'An exegesis concerning the novel', was Brady's justification of her exegesis for her Creative Writing novel Fragments of a Møp (1998). She stated that each exegesis needs to vary with individual novels and "...needs to be particular rather than general, selective rather than all embracing" (4). I agree. Also that:- "Some works will require a literature review of the theoretical concerns underpinning the work; others will seek to place the work within a cultural or historical frantework. Still others will eke out a genre or concentrale upon the details of techniques explored and developed" (5).