Patrick White, Voss

Brian Kiernan (University of Sydney)
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Set in colonial Australia during the 1840s, and invoking narratives of exploration from that time,

Voss

encompasses an extensive range of references: historical (but also, by implication, contemporary), stylistic and, covertly, autobiographical. Although the novel’s narration is distanced by irony throughout, White’s attribution of its conception to his experiences of the Middle-Eastern deserts during the second World War—the war he later described in his autobiographical essay “The Prodigal Son” (

AustralianLetters

1,1958. p. 39) as being against the “arch megalomaniac” Hitler—and also to his reading the journals and accounts of early Australian explorers after his disappointed return to his native land can assist recognition of its multi-layered complexity.

The novel

2382 words

Citation: Kiernan, Brian. "Voss". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 September 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8655, accessed 19 March 2024.]

8655 Voss 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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