Patrick Buckridge

This article surveys the history of Irish-Australian autobiography and memoir as a form of writing particularly well adapted to exploring the tensions and compromises of…

Required Reading: Literature in Australian schools Since 1945. Edited by Tim Dolin, Jo Jones and Patricia Dowsett. Monash University Publishing, 2017.

The purpose of this essay is to describe and interpret a cluster of three readerly 'entertainments' conducted in two Perth newspapers, the Western Mail and…

‘Much of the evidence used in researching the history of individuals’ reading preferences and practices is elusive and transient. Most individuals do not leave material…

Discusses the concept of 'appreciation' as it was understood and applied in the reading and teaching of classic literature. 'What becomes increasingly apparent and worrying…

Biographies of writers have maintained their popularity for many years, both here and overseas, a fact sometimes attributed to the chance they give 'busy people'…

When Henry Handel Richardson died in March 1946 the first and certainly the most substantial Australian obituary was a two-page, illustrated essay in the Sydney…

This paper analyses a single aspect of Australian literary culture in a particular historical period, namely its interest in 'greatness' - great books and great…

The study of gossip as a cultural practice, as distinct from its condemnation as a moral evil, has not long been established; not, at least…