3rd Year
Consider the development of Australian Modernism in the inter-war years (and
during WWII). How do the thematic preoccupations lend themselves to
experiments in form? Discuss in relation to the work of the following THREE (3)
writers (you can include Prichard or Barnard as the third writer):
• Brian Penton, ‘A Note on Form in the Novel’
• Eleanor Dark, Prelude to Christopher’
• Katharine Susannah Prichard, ‘Happiness’
The interwar and World War Two periods crucially influenced women in society and Australian modern literature. Authors during this historical period experienced changes in identity, changes in society, and, most importantly, a social upheaval introduced due to warfare and the resulting economic and cultural changes. Authors such as Brian Penton, Eleanor Dark and Katharine Susannah Prichard were all key factors in the Australian literary revolution.
Australian modernist literature emerged during the interwar periods of 1920 and 1940 as it reflected a global modernist movement that struggled with the ideology of identity and cultural transformations, which were all shared in Penton, Dark and Prichard’s literature. The introduction of the war period resulted in extensive male conscription whilst Australian women were used in the military workforce, allowing the exploration of woman suffrage and individualism, allowing women more freedom within society, embracing experimentation, individual consciousness and engagement in the complexities of life in the inter-war periods.
The core characteristics of Australian modernist literature combine the concepts of exploring form and narrative structure within literature, subjectivity and consciousness, rejecting traditionalist values, alienation, contesting both political and social changes, and using vivid symbolism to portray themes within the narration. The three predominant Australian modernist authors shared these introductions to the narrative structure. These authors use their literature to reflect and critique interwar social, economic and political issues.
Eleanor Dark’s ‘Prelude to Christopher (1934) was a key figure in modernist literature whose narrative structure consisted of psychological depth within her narrative, exemplifying female societal changes through notions of female individualism and challenging the constraints of societal expectations. Third-person omniscient narration within Prelude to Christopher gives psychological insight into the characters’ psyche with a focal point of conflict, desire and intense tension between characters. The narration allows Eleanor Dark to critique Australian society through character depth, involving identity, relationships and existential crisis.
Sexual exploration for women because of World War 2 is demonstrated in Prelude to Christopher’s sexual tension; this is reflected by society during the interwar period as Australian men were conscripted alongside the army bases of the American military. Sexual exploration became a predominant factor in the independence and societal upheaval of the ‘traditional woman’. Therefore, the consequences of the wartime period included greater solidarity, empowerment and economic independence for women. Although there was an increase in women’s independence, strangely, there was a shift away from feminism, particularly radical and separatist forms of feminism, demonstrating a societal and cultural shift.
Prichard’s ‘Happiness’ (1933) explored themes of love, personal fulfilment and societal expectations. The narrative shares a woman who is searching for her internal happiness. She believes her happiness will come from material wealth, but the story reveals that happiness and success are simple pleasures rather than materialistic perceptions. The story touches on the disillusionment when focusing on societal image and, as a result, a realisation of well-being and introspection.
Prichard’s narration incorporates modernist techniques to convey a strong sense of social realism, reflecting Australia’s economic and political state. Prichard explores literary techniques to investigate themes of resilience and class identity to search for meaning in life. This is reflective of the inter-war period as there were conflicts within societal values, shifting from male-dominated patriarchy to an individualist representation of “modern” society depicted by the ability for women to work alongside the sexual exploration that is mentioned above. Prichard’s commitment to social justice reflected the extensive modernist engagement in societal critique and the vast human suffering depicted in the inter-war period.
Social realism in literature does not directly share attributes with modernism, yet Prichard uses both techniques to convey her messages. Social realism explicitly uses literary techniques to convey messages of the class struggle and economic inequalities directed at a political agenda, which is why it is referred to as “Socialist” realism. Whilst social realism argues inequalities within society, modernist techniques target the estranged members of society. Social realism and modernist techniques share similar narration, and both literary movements target alienated individuals in society, attacking the inequalities of society. Therefore, Prichard uses social realism to target society’s economic and class disparities whilst using modernist techniques such as psychological depth to convey her message.
Brian Penton’s ‘A Note on Form in the Novel’ (1944) demonstrates clear modernist literature values, targeting Australian writers to shift away from traditional realism dominating the Australian literature of the early 20th century. Brian Penton used typical modernist literary techniques shared by other modernist authors, promoting experimentation in narration, a fragmented timeline in the narrative, and psychological depth to explore the inter-war culture of the 1920s to mid-1940s, which reflected values shared in international literature.
Penton challenges conventional literary forms and narration forms when creating a story. The complexity of modernist literature explores a far deeper psychological experience associated with how difficult it is to examine the psychology of a story’s characters. This is why themes such as isolation or alienation are prevalent in modernist literature; it demonstrates the complexity of human emotion and the loneliness of the characters’ psychology, where these expressed emotions through narrative replicate life itself. Penton, therefore, provides the foundation of modernist Australian literature; these values are expressed through Eleanor Dark, Katherine Susannah Prichard and Brian Penton’s literature.
The traditionalist culture of the early 20th century and prior literature demonstrate the shift towards individualism and separation from traditional values that developed in culture, politics and art. These conventional forms of society involved hierarchy, religion in the state and politics; these values were challenged by modernist literature via promoting individualism and defying the social hierarchy, particularly regarding women, which progressed dramatically over the course of the first feminist movement of 1848 to the 1920s.
The role of women in literature, an essential factor in modernist literature, is the role of women in the industry. In the early 20th century and prior, female authors used male pseudonyms to sell their literature; famous authors such as George Eliot used male pseudonyms to produce their literature as it was taboo for women to work. Modernist literature progressed women’s authorship by challenging the social structure, further potentiated by the interwar period as women were introduced to the workforce. This represents how modernist literature affected cultural norms and societal expectations, a powerful tool for women.
Eleanor Dark 1901-1985 was a prominent figure in Australian literature during the interwar period. Dark is primarily known for her modernist literature, which included a blend of social realism and modernist literature, much like Prichard. Dark’s literature wasn’t strictly modernist, as it shared attributes of social realism. Yet, the core features of her narration include a substantial psychological depth, a fragmented narration and involvement in challenging societal norms. Eleanor Dark exhibits modernist features in her literature using psychological perplexity and fundamental modernist techniques such as introspection. Dark uses fragmented narration to introduce multiple perspectives amongst her characters, and finally, she attacks the political issues reflecting the failures of the early 20th-century Australian interwar period, making Eleanor Dark a significant feature in Australian modernist literature.
Eleanor Dark’s “Prelude to Christopher” (1934) is an excellent representation of her authorship; she investigates the struggle between personal desires, the demands society was enforcing during the interwar period, and the psychological impact exerted on civilians during early 20th century Australia. Dark uses third-person omniscient narration to explore the characters’ lives, demonstrating subjectivity between characters. The shift between subjectivity is presented via multiple characters but predominantly between Linda and her husband Julian, who places his desires and work over his family. The subjectivity and psychological demand are presented over Linda wanting children, but due to Julian’s immense focus on genetic determinism, he denies her a child. This extreme conflict between characters can represent societal values; women are lesser than men, and subjectivity represents a challenge to social order. This fragmented third-person narration was a new feature in modernist literature of the early 20th century and the struggles and decisions to be made during the interwar period. The development of women’s suffrage was the first feminist movement, and women could be selective sexually and have a role in society. Therefore, Eleanor Dark’s ‘Prelude to Christopher’ reflects the broader context of literature and culture.
Modernist literature in the interwar period and World War II demonstrates the extreme transformations present in Australian and global culture through literature. Authors such as Brian Penton, Eleanor Dark and Katherine Susannah Prichard challenged identity and social change by exploring human consciousness via modernist literary techniques that rejected traditional values, both social and political. The use of fragmented narration, psychological depth and the combination of social realism portray the Australian modernist identity.
Penton, Prichard, and Dark’s narrative techniques all included a stream of consciousness, symbolic imagery, and non-linear narration to portray the complexities of life during the interwar period. They encompassed the Australian experience of the early 20th century regarding class structure, culture, and politics.
Therefore, we can analyse that Prichard, Dark, and Penton, amongst other authors, committed themselves to broader issues of society, both local and global. The interwar period was a period of change from traditional values to a progressive society. Modernist literature’s exploration of isolation, resilience and conflict with the societal structure laid the foundations for further literary evolvement.
References
Dark, E. (1934) Prelude to Christopher. Sydney: P.R. Stephensen
Prichard, K.S. (1933) Happiness. In: The Old Wife and the New, Sydney: Angus & Robertson, pp. 3-15.
Penton, B. (1944) ‘A Note on Form in the Novel’. In: The Bulletin, 12 July, pp. 5-6.
