According to the Oxford dictionary, a legend, also called a myth, is defined as “a story from ancient times about people and events that may not be true [. Ned saves a boy of rich parents from drowning in the river. His dad, originally sent from Ireland to an Australian prison colony by the English oppressors, gets arrested for killing a neighbor's cow that Ned killed. One important class of literature that is essential to trace down shared values of a nation, a story that unites all members of a group, are legends. This is a fictional account of Ned Kelly's life starting in Australia, 1867, when Ned's a boy. Thus, although Australia, due to its heterogeneity, does not have a shared story, literature is able to design one. Just by analysing texts, including writings that have “ been ignored or excluded during the process of canonization” (Assmann 23) we are able to reconstruct the understanding of a national identity. To get an insight into the Australian way of life it is important to investigate how literature constructs and shapes the understanding of a national identity. Australia’s understanding of national identity to answer the question of who “we” (as Australians) are is and has always been an important part of literature, too. In other words, there is no one shared story, no essential Australian identity. Since Australia’s society can be seen as a “puzzle” consisting of European and Asian immigrants living together with Aborigines, the indigenous Australians, there is no unique culture. Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Bamberg, course: Literature Down under- Literature in Australia, language: English, abstract: British colonist, Irish immigrant, Aborigine.the list of different groups that define themselves as “Australians” is endless.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |