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Friday 1 November 2013 12:39pm

Readings of Mander, Mansfield, and Hyde

Mary Paul

her_side_of_the_storyThe book

This book explores contemporary ways of reading some important New Zealand literary works, all produced between 1910 and 1940. Interpretations of these texts have had a significant impact on New Zealanders' ideas of themselves. The author argues that interpretation is a process which can never be completed, although at any one time there will be readings that are more significant than others. To illustrate her argument, Mary Paul discusses key works by two authors: Katherine Mansfield's 'Bliss' and 'Prelude', Jane Mander's The Story of a New Zealand River, and the work of Robin Hyde: poet, novelist and journalist. She opens up ways of reading these and other writers, using a variety of approaches and encouraging a greater self-awareness in the interpretation of New Zealand literature and culture.

The author

MARY PAUL is a senior lecturer in English and Media Studies at Massey University Albany, in Auckland. She is the editor of Lighted Windows: Critical essays on Robin Hyde (Otago University Press, 2008) and co-editor of Gothic NZ: The darker side of Kiwi culture (with Jennifer Lawn and Misha Kavka, Otago University Press, 2006). Her most recent book is Your Unselfish Kindness: Robin Hyde's autobiographical writings (Otago University Press, 2012).

Publication details

Paperback, 224 pages, illustrated, ISBN 978 1 877133 71 8, $39.95
1999

OUT OF PRINT

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