Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Markéta Rozmarová Ned Kelly in Art: Criminal versus Hero Bachelor ’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: PhDr. Jitka Vlčková, Ph. D. 2010 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Markéta Rozmarová Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor PhDr. Jitka Vlčková, Ph.D. for her valuable advice, support and guidence. Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Brief History of Ned Kelly’s Life and Actions ................................................................................................ 7 1.1. Childhood .................................................................................................................... 7 1.2. First Conflicts with the Law ......................................................................................... 8 1.3. The Kelly Gang ............................................................................................................ 9 1.4. The Trial .................................................................................................................... 11 2. Ned Kelly’s Significance .................................................................................................................................... 12 2.1. Outlawry and the Robin Hood Principle .................................................................... 12 2.2. Criminal versus Hero ................................................................................................. 15 2.3. Ned Kelly’s Persisting Exceptionality ......................................................................... 20 3. Ned Kelly in Art.................................................................................................................................................. 22 3.1. Ned Kelly in Literature ............................................................................................... 23 3.1.1. Literary Representations ...................................................................................... 23 3.1.2. Other Writings .................................................................................................... 31 3.2. Ned Kelly in Drama ................................................................................................... 33 3.3. Ned Kelly in Film ....................................................................................................... 36 3.4. Ned Kelly in Music ..................................................................................................... 40 3.4.1. Folk Music .......................................................................................................... 40 3.4.2. Popular Music ..................................................................................................... 45 3.5. Ned Kelly in Fine art .................................................................................................. 48 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................................ 51 Appendices............................................................................................................................................................... 53 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................. 58 List of Works Cited and Consulted ................................................................................... 58 List of Reference Sources ................................................................................................. 61 Resume...................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Resumé...................................................................................................................................................................... 63 Introduction In 1878, a huge part of Australian public started paying attention to a controversial man, a bushranger, who was about to enrich the Australian history. His name was Ned Kelly, and his extraordinary courage and daring rebellion would be forever remembered, although police and many other people considered him a criminal. He killed, he robbed, he fought for justice. Ned Kelly became a subject of various disagreements, conflicts, and exchanges of views. He became an anti-hero, a folk hero, a criminal hero, a social bandit, or whatever else he might be called. He was executed for things he had done, yet he was supported by thousands of people who gathered one day before his execution. And this support continues till today. He became a part of Australian identity, history, and folklore. Probably every Australian knows who Ned Kelly was, and the idiom “as game as Ned Kelly”1 is an ordinary part of Australian vocabulary. Throughout the whole twentieth century, he was a great inspiration to many kinds of artists, and this phenomenon still continues. The aim of this thesis is to deal with several points. It examines what makes Ned Kelly such an interesting, unique, and never-dying subject; what kinds of artistic fields he affected; and, above all, how he is portrayed in art – whether he is percieved as a criminal, or a hero. The thesis is devided into three parts. The first part provides a brief summary of Ned’s life, and the second part deals with Ned’s significance and exceptionality. It explains what makes him a persisting phenomenon, and such an outstanding person to be reflected in art. This part looks back into history, draws out the principle of a life of an outlaw, and what the fate of a social bandit is. Furthermore, it examines the contrast between both sides of Ned’s personality – his heroic and criminal tendencies. These two parts of the thesis serve as an illustration of the legend that surrounds Ned Kelly, and they provide facts and important information. They are based on facts, essays, and scholarly works. They 1 See <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Kelly> 5 are considerably shorter than the third part because they serve as an introduction to the matter concerning Ned Kelly in art. The third part is the main part of the thesis, and it deals with Ned Kelly as reflected in art. The chapter is divided into several subchapters, each of which deals with a different field of art – literature, drama, film, music, and fine art. It provides an overview of the most well-known works of art, and pays a close attention to the way Ned Kelly is portrayed, whether as a positive (hero) or a negative (criminal) character. Since the art (especially folk music) is also a part of folklore, it partly represents the view of ordinary people. In brief, whereas the first two factual parts indicate that Ned Kelly was (and still is) perceived as an Australian folk hero, the third (and main) part examines to what extent this common knowledge corresponds to thoughts and opinions of artists and ordinary people. 6 1. Brief History of Ned Kelly’s Life and Actions “I am not a murderer, but if there is an innocent life at stake, then I say I must take some action.” Ned Kelly Ned Kelly’s life is a matter of deep study, and many biographies and books about his life were written in the past to discover who he really was. His life and the ways he decided to go were influenced by various people, whether they were from his family, from the same social class, or from some of the authorities such as the police and wealthy landowners. Moreover, there were aspects having a great impact on his life which he could not change, such as his origin, the world he grew up in, the life conditions of his immigrant family, and many others. Since this thesis deals with his personality portrayed in art, it is important to bring in at least a brief biography of Ned Kelly to understand the whole context. However, since his life was a complex interplay of many factors, as has been already mentioned, many details, moments, and people must be omitted. 1.1. Childhood The exact date of Ned Kelly’s birth is unknown. Some sources, such as Ned Kelly by Charles Osborne, say it was in June 1855, some say he was born in late 1854 or early 1855, and others claim he was born in December 1854, such as Ned Kelly by Ian Jones. Apparently, he came to this world around the year 1855. His full name was Edward Kelly, and he was the eldest son of John “Red” Kelly, an Irish convict, and Ellen Quinn, the daughter of an Irish immigrant family (Innes 15). The Quinn and Kelly families became part of a quite large Irish community which settled in Australia in the nineteenth century. The Kellys wanted to make a living on a land near Beveridge in Victoria which was located north of Melbourne. However, the situation was very unpropitious for poor landowners. Making a living from the land was impossible, and labouring jobs provided by rich landowners were poorly paid. Therefore, in 1863, 7 the family moved north to a rented farm near Avenel. Here the children of the Kellys could attend the local school. In spite of this, their situation was not much better (Innes 15). From Ned Kelly’s early age, his relatives