Islands, Identity and the Literary Imagination (Anthem Studies in Australian Literature and Culture) - Softcover

McMahon, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 178527189X ISBN 13: 9781785271892

Publisher: Anthem Press, 2019

Synopsis

Australia is the planet’s sole island continent. This book argues that the uniqueness of this geography has shaped Australian history and culture, including its literature. Further, it shows how the fluctuating definition of the island continent throws new light on the relationship between islands and continents in the mapping of modernity. The book links the historical and geographical conditions of islands with their potent role in the imaginary of European colonisation. It prises apart the tangled web of geography, fantasy, desire and writing that has framed the Western understanding of islands: their real and material conditions and their symbolic resonance from antiquity into globalised modernity. The book also traces how this spatial imaginary has shaped the modern 'man' who is imagined as being the island's natural inhabitant or mirror. Importantly, the book challenges these habits of thought by their relocation within larger topological and imaginary visions from islanders themsleves.

About this title

Review:

‘In this magisterial work are the stories and imaginaries, along with their gripping critical analyses, that prove how “utterly compelling, beautiful and devastating” island experiences are.’ ―Godfrey Baldacchino, Pro-Rector, University of Malta and President, International Small Islands Studies Association.

‘This elegant and inspiring book transforms our understanding of Australian literature in light of the shifting cartographies of global modernity.’ ―Robert Dixon, Professor of Australian Literature, University of Sydney.

"This is a ravishing book, exciting, enervating, from one of the leading voices in Australian criticism. Attractive and accessible in its language, it revels in the intellectual demands occasioned by deep awareness of the island continent, and provides access for our own revelations about the interplay of topography, lived experience, and the imagination. [It] beautifully illustrates the exceptionalism of Australia as a space. ―Dr. Ian Henderson, King’s College London

Review:

Australian University Heads of English (AUHE)

Island Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Anthem Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 178527189X
• ISBN 13: 9781785271892
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 312