The lonely and the alone : the poetics of isolation in New Zealand fiction / Doreen D'Cruz and John C. Ross.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

D'Cruz, Doreen, 1950-

Contributor:

Ross, J. C., 1938-

Series:

Cross/cultures ; 147.

Cross/Cultures - Readings in the Post/Colonial Literatures in English ; 147

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

New Zealand fiction--History and criticism.

New Zealand fiction.

Isolation (Philosophy) in literature.

Social isolation in literature.

Physical Description:

xx, 407 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; New York : Rodopi, 2011.

Summary:

Aloneness, loneliness, isolation, the isolated consciousness, the many possible guises of outsider-status, alienation, and exclusion - these have especial potency in New Zealand life and literature. The prominence of the motif or topos of the man or woman alone has been widely recognized by literary historians and critics, but this work is the first book-length exploration of it, extended to encompass the broader theme of isolation. This study treats selected novels and short stories from the late-nineteenth century through to the early-twenty-first. Close readings of works by George Chamier, G.B. Lancaster, Katherine Mansfield, John Mulgan, Graham Billing, William Satchell, John A. Lee, Robin Hyde, Frank Sargeson, Fiona Kidman, Noel Hilliard, Patricia Grace, Witi Ihimaera, Keri Hulme, and Alan Duff take their place alongside more comprehensive chapters devoted to selected works by two major novelists, Janet Frame and Maurice Gee. Other literary works receive brief mention.

Contents:

Isolation in the back-country: George Chamier, G.B. Lancaster, Katherine Mansfield, John Mulgan, and Graham Billing

Outsiders and misfits in fragmented social milieux: William Satchell, Vincent Pyke, John A. Lee, Robin Hyde, Frank Sargeson, and others

The lonely and the alone in the fiction of Janet Frame

Maurice Gee and postmodern isolation

Women, isolation, and history: Fiona Kidman, Noel Hilliard, and Patricia Grace

Cultural deracination and isolation: Witi Ihimaera, Keri Hulme, and Alan Duff.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [361]-375) and index.

ISBN:

9789042034747

9042034742

OCLC:

779881721