The exploration of the country of the mind : the human condition in Patrick White's fiction

Abstract

As early as the 1930s, Australian writing has tended to be identified as a literature written by or about individuals who feel somewhat ill at ease with their surrounding environment. This thesis will illustrate how in his novels, the Australian writer Patrick White seeks to explore the minds of his protagonists. Chapter 1 of this thesis focuses on showing how White has struggled to establish himself as an Australian writer. In many of his novels, his own experiences have often inspired him to create characters through whom he endeavours to solve the mystery of the human condition, while he delves deep into their frame of mind. After this general background to the thesis, the following three chapters will respectively present the reader with a thorough analysis of three of White's novels: Voss, The Eye of the Storm, and A Fringe of Leaves. In each of these chapters, each particular novel will be used in order to clearly delineate White's treatment of the human condition. Ultimately, the thesis will be a minute effort to "embark on voyages of exploration of the mind" of the characters in Patrick White's fiction.