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Antarctica in the Australian imagination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

Elizabeth Leane  and
Stephanie Pfennigwerth
Elizabeth Leane
Affiliation:
Department of English, Journalism, and European Languages, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-82, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
Stephanie Pfennigwerth
Affiliation:
Department of English, Journalism, and European Languages, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-82, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
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Abstract

Antarctica and Australia share a geographical marginality, a commonality that has produced and continues to reinforce historical and political ties between the two continents. Given this close relationship, surprisingly few fulllength novels set in or concerned with the Antarctic have been produced by Australian authors. Until 1990, two latenineteenth- century Utopias, and two novels by Thomas Keneally, were (to our knowledge) the sole representatives of this category. The last decade, however, has seen an upsurge of interest in Antarctica, and a corresponding increase in fictional response. Keneally's novels are ‘literary,’ but these more recent novels cover the gamut of popular genres: science fiction, action-thriller, and romance. Furthermore, they indicate a change in the perception of Antarctica and its place within international relations. Whereas Keneally is primarily concerned with the psychology of the explorer from the ‘Heroic Age,’ these younger Australian writers are interested in contemporary political, social, and environmental issues surrounding the continent. Literary critics have hitherto said little about textual representations of Antarctica; this paper opens a space for analysis of ‘Antarctic fiction,’ and explores the changing nature of Australian-Antarctic relations as represented by Australian writers.

Type
Articles
Information
Polar Record , Volume 38 , Issue 207 , October 2002 , pp. 309 - 312
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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