Familial ties and relationships in Peter Carey's The tax inspector, Jack Maggs and True history of the Kelly Gang

Abstract

The Australian novel has become an important part of post-colonial studies. Many studies which have explored Australian literature have focused mainly on the identity of the self and nation, the theme of exile and also of alienation. It is like a struggle for Australian literature to assert itself among the other types of literature. However, there is more to Australian literature than the search for an identity. This dissertation will be dealing with the social aspects found in the Australian author Peter Carey's novels, focusing especially on the familial ties and relationships which are rooted deep in the novels and which are a fundamental part of the plot. The relationships between parents and their children are most important in these novels and they will be looked into in more detail, as will the relationship between siblings themselves. For this dissertation, three novels have been carefully chosen which bring out these issues of familial relationships. These novels are: The Tax Inspector (1991), Jack Maggs (1997) and True History of the Kelly Gang (2001).