Do you keep your old textbooks? I do, though am now starting to move them on. But some I still can't part with, one being my high school history text. Called Nation and people: An introduction to Australia in a changing world, and first published in 1967, it was written by Brian Hodge and Allen Whitehurst who … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on Nation and people
History
Jane Austen on history and historians
Jane Austen, we know from her letters, was a keen reader. She read novels, sermons, plays and poetry, magazines and, of course, histories. Did you know, though, that she also wrote a history? This is her juvenilia piece, The history of England from the reign of Henry the 4th to the death of Charles the 1st (online … Continue reading Jane Austen on history and historians
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Conversation’s Writing History
This is the post I planned for last week, when Jessica White hijacked me. Like that post, this one too was inspired by another person, this time my historian brother who sent me a link to an article in a new series by The Conversation called Writing History. This series aims to "examine the links, problems and dynamics of writing, recording … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Conversation’s Writing History
Clare Wright, The forgotten rebels of Eureka (Review)
Wah! Once again I delayed reading a much heralded book until my reading group did it*, and so it is only now that I've read Clare Wright's Stella Prize winning history, The forgotten rebels of Eureka. The trouble with coming late to a high-profile book is how to review it freshly. All I can do, … Continue reading Clare Wright, The forgotten rebels of Eureka (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: What’s in a street name?
Street names may be an unusual topic for a post on literature, but I think it could be argued that names of things are part of our wider literary culture. It can certainly be argued so for my city because street names here are serious business. None of your 5th Avenues and 61st Streets for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: What’s in a street name?
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian women’s non-fiction writing
Today's Monday Musings was inspired by a post last month in Overland literary journal's blog. The topic - Women and non-fiction writing - is a big one, bigger really than I have time for now, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to make a start. In the Overland post, which comprised an interview with writer, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian women’s non-fiction writing
Whispering Gums 