Introduction: Laurie Muller's Bad Language -- The Culture Takers -- Literary London -- Dubious Cartographies -- The Spoils of Empire -- The Literature Buries its Dead -- The Dapper Mr Bermingham -- Jack Idriess' Pencil Box -- Creative Industries -- Paperback Heroes -- The Century Belongs to the Novelist -- Performing Poetry -- Consuming Passions -- The Cinematics of the Novel -- Canons and Contexts -- The Politics of Mr Palmer's Acquaintance -- Civilising Nationalism -- A Nation of Scribblers -- A Trade Union of Writers -- The Sacred Text -- Literary Democracy -- Dead Poets Society -- National Efficiency -- The Able-Bodied Writer -- Sex and Sedition -- The Political is Personal -- End: The Classing Gaze of Watchers
Summary
"In this controversial and engrossing study, Richard Nile debunks some of the powerful myths of cultural nationalism and observes its passing in favour of the celebrity author." "He explores the power of nationalism as a governing force in the creation and ultimate demise of Australian literature. In a clear and accessible way, Nile invokes the stylistic possibilities of narrative history and creative non-fiction, playfully blurring the lines between them."--Jacket
