The Littoral Zone: Australian Contexts and their Writers (Nature, Culture and Literature)

In this, the first collection of ecocritical essays devoted to Australian contexts and their writers, Australian and USA scholars (settlers, invaders, temporary visa holders) comment on the transliteration of sea, land and interior through the works of major and minor authors and through their own experience with the bioregion. The littoral zone is the starting point in this fresh approach to reading literature and is organised around the natural environment - rainforest, desert, mountains, coast, islands, Antarctica. There's the beach where sexual and spiritual crises occur; the Wheatbelt area - the most visible clearance line on the planet; desert literature, camel trekking, and the transformation of a salt flat into an inland island. New Age literature that 'appropriates' Aboriginals and their cultures as the healing poultice for an ailing and dispirited West; a re-examination of pastoralism, and "the feet of millions of sheep [. that] have done unspeakable damage to soils"; an inquiry into whether Judith Wright's work can "persuade us to rejoice" in the world; an investigation of the Limestone Plains, home of the bush capital and the bogong moth; of bananas, cane toads and the Great Barrier Reef in tropic Queensland; of national parks and guesthouses where "the mountains meet the sea"; a discursive approach to temperate islands that covers sealing, Soldier Settlement, and sea country pastoral; and finally to Antarctica, where an initial utopian approach gives way to an emphasis on its stark, 'timeless' icescape as a minimalist backdrop for human dramas. The author-terrain is no less grand in its scope: poets, playwrights, novelists, and non-fiction writers are discussed across the broad range of contexts that constitutes the littoral zone known as 'Australia'. In This, The First Collection Of Ecocritical Essays Devoted To Australian Contexts And Their Writers, Australian And Us Scholars Explore The Transliteration Of Land And Sea Through The Works Of Australian Authors And Through Their Own Experiences. The Littoral Zone Is The Starting Point In This Fresh Approach To Reading Literature Organised Around The Natural Environment - Rainforest, Desert, Mountains, Coast, Islands, Antarctica. There's The Beach, Where Sexual And Spiritual Crises Occur; The Western Australian Wheatbelt; Deserts, Camel Trekking, And The Transformation Of A Salt Flat Into An Inland Island; New Age Literature That 'appropriates' Aboriginal Culture As The Healing Poultice For An Ailing West; A Re-examination Of Pastoralism; An Inquiry Into Whether Judith Wright's Work Can Persuade Us To Rejoice In The World; The Limestone Plains, Home Of The Bush Capital And The Bogong Moth; Tropical North Queensland; National Parks Where The Mountains Meet The Sea; Temperate Islands, With Their History Of Sealing, Soldier Settlement, And Sea Country Pastoral; And Antarctica, Where A Utopian Vision Gives Way To An Emphasis On Its 'timeless' Icescape As Minimalist Backdrop For Human Dramas. The Author-terrain Includes Poets, Playwrights, Novelists, And Non-fiction Writers Across The Range Of Contexts Constituting The Littoral Zone Of 'australia'.--publisher. Setting The Scene : Littoral And Critical Contexts / Robert Zeller And Ca. Cranston -- A Beach Somewhere : The Australian Littoral Imagination At Play / Bruce Bennett -- The Shadow On The Field : Literature And Ecology In The Western Australian Wheatbelt / Tony Hughes-d'aeth -- Literature In The Arid Zone / Tom Lynch -- The Green Thumb Of Appropriation / Mitchell Rolls -- Under The Mountains And Beside A Creek : Robert Gray And The Shepherding Of Antipodean Being / Mark Tredinnick -- The Poetry Of Judith Wright And Ways Of Rejoicing In The World / Veronica Brady -- Ecopoetics Of The Limestone Plains / Kate Rigby -- Hugging The Shore : The Green Mountains Of Southeast Queensland / Ruth Blair -- Tales Of The Austral Tropics : North Queensland In Australian Literature / Robert Zeller -- Islands / Ca. Cranston -- A Place Of Ideals In Conflict : Images Of Antarctica In Australian Literature / Elizabeth Leane. Introduced And Edited By Ca. Cranston And Robert Zeller. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A collection of ecocritical essays devoted to Australian contexts and their writers, Australian and US scholars. They explore the transliteration of land and sea through the works of Australian authors and through their own experiences. The littoral zone is the starting point in this fresh approach.