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9 - High Delicate Outline

The Poetry of Judith Wright

from Part III - Authors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2024

By
Nicholas Birns
Edited by
Ann Vickery
Ann Vickery
Affiliation:
Deakin University, Victoria
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Summary

This chapter traces the development of Judith Wright’s poetics, outlining her early focus on specific places and their legacies rather than on ideas of nation. It offers close readings of poems like “South of My Days,” “Bullocky,” and “Bora Ring.” The chapter then identifies mid-career attention to interpersonal relations before considering Wright’s growing awareness of settler-colonial privilege, Aboriginal sovereignty, different orders of temporality, and a continued expression of love for the land. The chapter reflects on the impact of Wright’s friendship with Aboriginal poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal and analyses “Two Dreamtimes.” It also examines Wright’s decision in 1990 to forego writing poetry in order to embrace environmental activism.

Keywords

pastoralsettler colonialismfriendshipenvironmentAboriginal sovereigntyactivism
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Australian Poetry , pp. 153 - 166
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

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