The Margin John Snowdon B.Mus, B.A., M.Ed. A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Communication, Arts, and Critical Enquiry Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences La Trobe University Bundoora, Victoria, 3086 Australia March, 2013 ii Table of Contents Summary .......................................................................................................iii Statement of Authorship .....................................................................................................iv Declaration of Consent ....................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Preface ......................................................................................................vii The Margin Prologue .......................................................................................................... Part One ........................................................................................................1 Part Two ......................................................................................................45 Part Three ....................................................................................................144 Exegesis to The Margin.................................................................................................. 218 Chapter 1 – Art, Sexuality, and Society .......................................................................219 Chapter 2 – The Context of Literature........................................................................ 261 Chapter 3 – The Margin................................................................................................ 278 Chapter 4 – Conclusion .................................................................................................303 Bibliography and References........................................................................................ 309 iii Summary The Margin is my creative PhD. It comprises a novel, which is supported by a theoretical section. Together they explore the complex relationship between art, the artist, and society. The narrative refers to historical events surrounding the liaison between the esteemed musician Eugene Goossens, and the bohemian artist Rosaleen Norton, who shared an interest in erotica, and the occult that was not tolerated in 1950s Australia. Their affair attracted sensational press coverage, but my thesis is not concerned with scandal, so much as with the artistic imperative to create. My novel begins in the 1950s, but the storyline jumps between decades as it follows the story of Caroline, who is a fictional student of Goossens. The narration describes events as they were happening in Caroline’s youth from an omniscient perspective. Her son David takes up the narration, as Caroline’s life history also forms part of his own, developing the narrative from a third person limited perspective. As an adult, he collaborates with a dancer named Lucy, to reanimate the Goossens and Norton story through a stage show, which involves music, dance, and projected images. His motivation comes from a lifelong interest in the Goossens story, which he passes on intimately to Lucy. This intense focus does not only manifest through Goossens and Norton as characters, it transfers into the portrayal of intimacy between David and Lucy, compelling them to present their homage production. Whilst Goossens and Norton were ostracized by conservative forces in society, due to their dedication to deviant creative instincts, David and Lucy’s antagonist is an individual who is driven by personal motives. Nonetheless, both artistic couples face obstacles, and the exegesis to The Margin questions who, and what, has fashioned the hurdles that each of the artist-couples face. My exegesis also addresses a positive question: how can I dramatize, represent, and evoke an aesthetic experience of territory shared between artists? I refer to this territory as the margin – a creative, artistic arena that is separate from, and not able to be assimilated by, a consumerist and commodifying approach to art. I have drawn upon research into the years Goossens spent in Australia in order to epistemologically inform artistic connections between Goossens and my character David. The process of combining historical research with fiction, and to an extent memoir, has enabled me to assemble the component parts of The Margin. Fiction allows me to tell a story that crosses over social boundaries, and encompasses the aesthetics of music, art, and literature. This places the historical events themselves in a broader context than they would otherwise occupy, and, in turn, permits me to subject the well-known, yet elusive subject of the marginalized artist genius to greater intellectual scrutiny. John Snowdon October 2012 iv Statement of Authorship Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the main text of the thesis. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution. v Declaration of Consent 1. I agree that this paper may be made available for consultation within the Latrobe University library. 2. I agree that this paper may be made available for copying. 3. I note that, in any case, my consent is required only for the three years following the acceptance of this paper. vi Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge support from Susan Gillett as principal supervisor for the project, and my co-supervisor Sofia Ahlberg. I would also like to acknowledge the generous support and assistance given to me by Ian Irvine, Rod Blackhurst, Marguerite Johnson, Neville Drury, my readers Laurelle Morris, Megan Beckwith, Rhonda McGuire, Deryck Reaburn-Jenkin, and the Venue and Event Sales department of the Sydney Opera House. Most importantly, I would like to thank the musicians who have generously shared their memories of the Goossens’ years with me, particularly Enid Thew, John K. Snowdon, Moya Everingham, and Rachel Valla. vii Preface When my parents met they were students at The NSW State Conservatorium of Music. This was during ‘the Goossens years’ (1946 – 1956). With this background to my upbringing, I have a lifelong awareness of Sir Eugene Goossens’ impact on Australian music and culture. I have also been aware of the scandal surrounding his relationship with the occult, bohemian artist Rosaleen Norton. Their affair attracted sensational press coverage, but my thesis is not concerned with scandal so much as with the evocation of a shared aesthetic space and the artistic imperative to create. Because the events took place a generation ago, I did not know Goossens or Norton personally, yet I have a proximity to the topic. This has placed me in a good position to write The Margin as an 80,000-word novel that reanimates their story in contemporary Australia. I have approached this through the story of David and Lucy who are a contemporary artistic couple who produce a stage show involving music, dance and projected images. The Margin consists of 18 Chapters and it is divided into three sections. Chapters 1 – 4 make up Section One, which is mainly concerned with introducing my characters, the time and place that they occupy, and their relationship to one another. Section Two provides further background and develops interpersonal relationships between characters from the past and the present. It comprises 8 chapters, from Chapters 5 – 12, and during this section David and Lucy’s production begins to take shape. The final section comprises Chapters 13 – 18. This is largely concerned with the production and the efforts of David and Lucy’s antagonist, Garry, to thwart their endeavours. The narrative is accompanied by a 20,000-word exegesis, which combines with the novel to explore the complex relationship between art, the artist, and society. 8 Part One Music finds the absolute immediately, but at the moment of discovery it becomes obscured, just too powerful a light dazzles the eyes, preventing them from seeing things which are perfectly visible. Theodore Adorno Music and Language: A Fragment 1 Chapter 1 ‘Do you like music?’ That was all he said – straight to the point. Had he said ‘I have a dream,’ she would have replied, ‘so do I’. The effect of his smile and the slight inclination of his head resonated within her, like the vibration that came from the cello’s deeper register. ‘I love it!’ she said, her answer cutting straight through layers of insecurity that usually prevented her from expressing thoughts in public. Except when she was at the piano. She loved it – from the noble Romantics, to the ethereal translucence behind Claire de Lune. Each piece reverberated with a subjective nostalgia that she first recognized at the convent in Scone and then at high school in Gunnadah. Just how she came to know the workings of harmony so intimately or could point out that the magpies were singing in A-flat was her secret. It was too difficult to describe and it seemed unnecessary to explain anything to others; she’d let the piano do that. Caroline devised anecdotes to conceal the faculty that singled her out as different: I had to work