A Group of Seven: A Critical Commentary on the Novellas of Patrick White

Abstract

<p>During his thirty years as a writer of fiction, the Australian writer, Patrick White, has attempted all three narrative forms available to him -- the novel, the novella and the short story. In 1973, on the publication of his most ambitious work, The Eye of the Storm, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. The public and critical recognition he has received since has been based almost entirely on his major novels. The fact remains, however, that, though rather limited in volume, his shorter fiction is as much a part of the world of his imagination as are his novels. The two collections of shorter fiction, The Burnt Ones and The Cockatoos, deal with themes similar to those explored by White in his major works.</p> <p>This thesis deals with the central themes of suffering and illumination in White's works, as these appear in the seven novellas studied here. The thesis is divided into three sections. The determining pattern of these sections is the difference in focus. In the first main section which deals with the novellas, The Dead Roses, The Night The Prowler and A Cheery Soul, the focus is on individual characters. The second main chapter, which studies A Woman's Hand, Sicilian Vespers and The Cockatoos, deals with groups of characters rather than the individual. A brief Interchapter that examines the novella, The Woman who Wasn't Allowed To Keep Cats, which falls into neither of the two main groups, links the two sections together.</p> <p>While the main focus of the study is on the novellas, attempt is also made to point out connections between these and White's major novels.</p>