Representation and function of Landscape
A variety of books from this semester's reading list have been chosen for the construction of this essay, covering the 100 years difference in publication dates. Ways in which the landscapes are presented in the books which both compare and contrast will be addressed, as well as the functions of the landscapes. There are also many different landscapes, some of which have a similar function. Finally the effect of the landscape on some of the books will be discussed.In looking at the different landscapes presented, we find bush settings, which are complimentary and supportive of human existence, and others which are alienating and threatening (Foster, Finnis and Nimon, 1995). We also will look at inner city landscapes, landscapes that involve technology, and also Aboriginal issues.On the first page of her book A Little Bush Maid (Bruce, 1910), Mary Grant Bruce painted a beautiful peaceful landscape as the setting for "Billabong". It certainly represents a sense of Eden (Foster, Finnis and Nimon, 1995). This theme is evident throughout the book. There are different plots that come and go through the story, but every event turns out in a positive way, so peace is again restored. The wide sweeping plains are just perfe
With Seven Little Australians, again the particular setting used could be changed, but the family landscape is essential to the book. Another aspect of landscape in both this book and A Little Bush Maid is the romanticised image of the bush worker (Pearce, 1994). However, the way the authors have included the landscape in the fight for survival, the stories are easy to believe, and therefore make easy reading. You don't hear of realities such as the fishing boat taking in water, or not getting any fish. In books such as Storm Boy, A Little Bush Maid, and perhaps even Dougy the landscape used is really essential to the book. One fundamental difference in this landscape is that it is a seascape. We see the image of a town split between two races. Storm Boy could not be a fishing story if it was set in a "Billabong" landscape, and A Little Bush Maid would not work in an urban setting because there would be too many other influences to include. However in Seven Little Australians, the family life is a lot more realistic. Another contrast in this landscape is that the children are left to their own devices; they get themselves to and from school, and entertain themselves afterward without the supervision of their parents. However, where the landscape is a fight for survival, as in Climb a Lonely Hill, Ash Road and Rowan of Rin, it could easily be set in a different place. The landscape in Space Demons (Rubinstein, 1986) is similar to I Own the Racecourse, where the children go to school during the day, and then entertain themselves afterwards. The bush is used to protect the characters, and the main disadvantage I can find with the landscape in this story is the vastness of it. The isolation in Climb a Lonely Hill could be compared to the isolation in A Little Bush Maid, but the difference in the two landscapes makes huge contrast.
Common topics in this essay:
Bush Maid,
Finnis Nimon,
Storm Boy,
Little Australians,
Rin Rodda,
Boy Thiele,
Lonely Hill,
,
Racecourse Wrightson,
Bushfires Australian,
little bush,
bush maid,
little bush maid,
storm boy,
lonely hill,
climb lonely,
climb lonely hill,
fight survival,
foster finnis nimon,
little australians,
foster finnis,
finnis nimon,
seven little australians,
seven little,
finnis nimon 1995,
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Acceptance Essays
