Charles University in Prague Faculty of Education Department of English Language and Literature Master Thesis The Fictional Man: Ned Kelly in Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang in Comparison with !lder Portrayals Author: Adam Prentis Supervisor: PhDr. Petr Chalupský, Ph.D. Praha !"#! DEC#$%$T&ON $ here%& de'lare that this diploma thesis titled “The )ictional Man: Ned +ell& in Peter Care&,s True History of the Kelly Gang in Comparison -ith .lder Portra&als/ is the result of m& o-n -ork and that $ used onl& the sources 'ited. The text of the thesis 1e0'luding the preliminary pages footnotes and the References se'tion) fulfils the minimum length requirement of #"5,""" 'hara'ters %eing in the e0'ess of #66,""" 'hara'ters. $ also de'lare that $ have not previousl& used this -ork to gain any other a'ademic title than the one applied for. Prague 30 Novem%er !"#! 8888888888888888888888888888 Adam Prentis $CKNOW#ED(EMENT) $ -ould here%& like to pa& m& respe'ts to the memory of the re'entl& de'eased do'. PhDr. Anna 9rmelov: CSc. -ho inspired me to take a deeper interest in postcolonial literatures and -ho offered me valua%le insight during m& pre;research preparations. $ -ould like to thank PhDr. Petr Chalupský Ph.D. for lending me his time experience expertise and encouragement as supervisor for this diploma thesis. )inall& $ -ould like to thank m& -ife Radka for her understanding and her mu'h needed support. T&T#E: The )ictional Man: Ned +ell& in Peter Care&,s True History of the Kelly Gang in Comparison -ith .lder Portra&als $UT*!%: Adam Prentis DEP$%TMENT: Department of English Language and Literature )UPER+&)!%: PhDr. Petr Chalupský Ph.D. $,)T%$CT: The thesis 'oncerns itself -ith the anal&sis of various personality aspe'ts of the protagonist of Peter Care&,s True History of the Kelly Gang 1!"""3 < Ned +ell&. Al%eit a historical figure Ned +ell& is approa'hed as a fictional 'hara'ter -ith fo'us pla'ed on his s&m%olic status of Australian nationality m&th and manhood and on the literary means that point to this. The separate aspe'ts are pla'ed in an evolutionary 'ontext through 'omparisons -ith older portra&als of the same 'hara'ter < in Ma0 Bro-n’s Australian Son 1#>653 and ?. ?. +enneall&,s The Complete Inner History of the Kelly Gang and their Pursuers 1#>!>3 all of -hich use a heroising approa'h to the man. The -ork sho-s that Ned +ell& ma& %e perceived in many 'omple0 -a&s -ith further possibilities for anal&sis suggested. Comparing the three %ooks it is found that although 'onsidera%le unif&ing tendencies and moments exist, some aspe'ts have a significant difference in fo'us or emphasis. A shift is noted from a 'onfrontational idealising defence of -hat is perceived as a historical person to a more m&thical glorif&ing of imperfe'tion. *o other 'lear developmental tendenc& -as found though a more %roader 'omparison -ith further %ooks on the su%@e't 'ould offer a %etter picture. KEY'!%"): Australian literature manhood national m&th outla- hero Ned +ell& Peter Care& NÁZEV: Reflexe postav& Neda +ell&ho v umAle'ké a memo:rovB literatuře $UT!%: Adam Prentis KATEDR$: +atedra anglického @aD&ka a literatury VEDOUC0 P%.CE: PhDr. Petr Chalupský Ph.D. $,)T%$KT: Prá'e se za%ýv: analýzou různý'h oso%nostních aspektů Neda +ell&ho hlavní postav& knih& Petera Care&ho True History of the Kelly Gang 1Pravdivý pCF%Ah +ell&ho partyG !"""3. $ kd&H @e Ned +ell& historickou postavou @e k němu přistupov:no @ako k fiktivní postavA se zamAřením na @eho australskou národnostní, mýtickou a mužskou s&m%oličnost a na literární DpEso%& kterými @e tě'hto o%raDE do'Fleno. ?ednotlivB aspekty @sou vztaženy do vývo@ovBho kontextu skrze porovnání se staršími v&o%razeními této postav& < v knize Australian Son 1#>653 od Maxe Bro-na a The Complete Inner History of the Kelly Gang and their Pursuers 1#>!>3 od ?. ?. +enneall&ho – vJe'hny tři texty zau@íma@F kladné stanovisko k Nedu +ell&m. Prá'e ukazu@e že Ned +ell& mEže %ýt vním:n mnoha komplexními DpEso%&. DalJF možnosti pro analýzu @sou naznaIeny v D:vAru. K porovnání výJe zmíněný'h knih %&lo D@ištěno že i kd&H zde existu@F znaIně s@edno'u@F'F prvky tendence v některý'h aspekte'h se pro@evu@e výrazně odlišný dEraD Ii zamACení. ?e v&sledov:n posun D konfrontaIní a idealisu@F'F o%ha@o%& historické oso%& k spFJe mýtickému oslavov:ní nedokonalBho IlovAka. L:dná dalJF @ednoznaIné vývo@ovB tendence ne%&l& průkazně D@ištěny ale roDJířená kompara'e zahrnu@F'F dalJF knih& na toto téma %& mohlo d:t lepJí představu. KL01!+. )#!+$: australská literatura mužstvF národní mýtus loupežník, hrdina Ned +ell& Peter Care& Table of Contents Introdu'tion M 1 THEORETICAL PART 5 1.1 Australian Colonial and Postcolonial Literature.............................................5 #.#.# Defining colonialism.........................................................................................................5 #.#.! Defining post'olonialism..................................................................................................> #.#.7 S&mbols of nation and resistan'e...................................................................................#" #.#.6 The power of language....................................................................................................## #.#.O A note on Commonwealth literature..............................................................................#! 1.2 Mas'ulinity in Pestern Culture.....................................................................#! #.!.# Criteria of manhood........................................................................................................#O #.!.! Mas'ulinit& and modern civilisation..............................................................................#M 1.3 The Ned +ell& M&th........................................................................................#> #.7.# The Ned Kell& m&th in a post'olonial conte0t................................................................!" #.7.! The Ned Kell& m&th in the conte0t of colonial Australia...............................................!! 2 PRACTICAL PART: Overvie- !6 2.1 Ned +ell& in Peter Care&Qs True Nistory of the +ell& 9ang..........................!6 2.2 Ned +ell& in Max Bro-nQs Australian Son.....................................................!M 2.3 Ned +ell& in ?ames ?erome +enneall&Qs The Complete Inner Nistory of the +ell& 9ang and their Pursuers..........................................................................!5 3 PRACTICAL PART: Analyses & Comparisons 7" 3.1 Ned +ell& the %o&...........................................................................................7" 3.2 Ned +ell& the &outh........................................................................................7! 3.3 Ned +ell& the famil& mem%er and the son...................................................7S 3.4 Ned +ell& the lover and the father................................................................6# 3.5 Ned +ell& the 'riminal and the victim..........................................................66 3.6 Ned +ell& the Christian..................................................................................65 3.7 Ned +ell& the 'ommoner...............................................................................O# 3.8 Ned +ell& the hero 1the manhood ideal3.......................................................O6 3.9 Ned +ell& the Australian 1the national s&m%ol3...........................................O5 3.10 Ned +ell& the supernatural figure...............................................................M! Con'lusion MM Referen'es S" Introdu'tion Alread& during his lifetime the Australian outla- Ned +ell&,s various pu%lic images differed to su'h an extent that it -ould %e hard to guess the man’s true 'hara'ter. 1'f. Innes 57;6 and others3 Even the people in dire't 'onta't -ith him -ould have interpreted his -ords and a'tions in different -a&s < in the light of -hich point of vie- the& a''epted as their o-n. Although their 'ertainl& -as a one true and real Ned +ell& that man is not onl& long dead %ut is %e'oming more and more deta'hed from the 'hara'ter he gave %irth to: the starkl& 'ontrasting and ever-'hanging Ned +ell& of hearsa& and popular legend of ne-spaper articles and police reports of (+ell& 9ang %ooks/ and popular %iographies of films and 'omic %ooks of 'ultural memory and postcolonial fiction. 1'f. M')arlane !M and others3 Thus it ma& %e understood that although Ned +ell& is a real historical person# in the %ooks that purport to tell his life story he is first and foremost a literary figure in the hands of -riters -ho must themselves de'ide -hat image to give the man and ho- the& -ill a'hieve this portra&al. And so as time moves on and history slips inevita%l& further and further, -ith the man himself and the testimonies of -itnesses forgotten or la&ered -ith the dust of a distant past, a reader interested in his story is more and more likel& to find themself 'onfronted -ith Ned +ell& the fictional man. This paper undertakes to make a 'omple0 anal&sis of the fictional Ned +ell& as he is set out in Peter Care&,s highl&;a''laimed and influential novel True History of the Kelly Gang 1first pu%lished in !"""3 and through a 'omparison -ith two older portra&als of the 'hara'ter in Ma0 Bro-n’s Australian Son 1#>653 and ?. ?. +enneall&,s The Complete Inner History of the Kelly Gang and Their Pursuers 1#>!>3 to give a glimpse of the d&namics of the 'hara'ter’s evolution in the -ritten -ord. The paper is divided into three parts. The first aims to give the reader a minimalist