Cloudstreet Critical Analysis
Q. “Comment on the ways in which understanding a texts context of production would help readers make meaning from it”
A. Cloudstreet, written by Tim Winton in the 1980’s and published in 1991, is a novel born out of its historical context. It agrees and affirms many of the key ideas of the time; that national pride is crucial towards Australian national identity, and the evolving acceptance of the Indigenous having rights to their own land. However, the text rejects more notions of the time than it affirms, rejecting ideas of individualism and higher education for all. Instead, it offers an idealized representation of an Australian society that has long passed, giving a nostalgic view of the simplicity Australia had at the time. Understanding …show more content…
Understanding that at the time, such a decision was very complicated, helps us as readers to understand that the novel is trying to suggest that perhaps it shouldn’t have been as problematic as it was, and is nostalgic towards a time that maybe never existed; where races lived in harmony and resolved their problems at ease with one another, in typical Australian backyard …show more content…
Winton uses the Toby’s character as a vehicle for the idea that the middle classes are inept physically and psychologically, compared to working classes. This is particularly shown through Toby’s lack of ability to drive; “… he couldn’t exactly drive”, whilst Quick shoots, fishes, drives trucks and boats. Toby is represented as pretentious, and he uses other people’s stories because he lacks his own creativity to be his own writer. Through positioning Toby in a negative light, readers see the middle class stereotype of intellect as false, and Quick, who represents the working classes, is positioned in a positive light, to make readers realize that they could be more capable physically and psychologically. To understand this completely, the context of production is crucial; at the time there was an ever increasing participation rate in tertiary education, and education was seen as a status and glory, whilst Winton, through his characters, neglects this idea and suggest that being closely amongst your family and in tune with nature is more important to self-realization and improvement than formal
A. Cloudstreet, written by Tim Winton in the 1980’s and published in 1991, is a novel born out of its historical context. It agrees and affirms many of the key ideas of the time; that national pride is crucial towards Australian national identity, and the evolving acceptance of the Indigenous having rights to their own land. However, the text rejects more notions of the time than it affirms, rejecting ideas of individualism and higher education for all. Instead, it offers an idealized representation of an Australian society that has long passed, giving a nostalgic view of the simplicity Australia had at the time. Understanding …show more content…
Understanding that at the time, such a decision was very complicated, helps us as readers to understand that the novel is trying to suggest that perhaps it shouldn’t have been as problematic as it was, and is nostalgic towards a time that maybe never existed; where races lived in harmony and resolved their problems at ease with one another, in typical Australian backyard …show more content…
Winton uses the Toby’s character as a vehicle for the idea that the middle classes are inept physically and psychologically, compared to working classes. This is particularly shown through Toby’s lack of ability to drive; “… he couldn’t exactly drive”, whilst Quick shoots, fishes, drives trucks and boats. Toby is represented as pretentious, and he uses other people’s stories because he lacks his own creativity to be his own writer. Through positioning Toby in a negative light, readers see the middle class stereotype of intellect as false, and Quick, who represents the working classes, is positioned in a positive light, to make readers realize that they could be more capable physically and psychologically. To understand this completely, the context of production is crucial; at the time there was an ever increasing participation rate in tertiary education, and education was seen as a status and glory, whilst Winton, through his characters, neglects this idea and suggest that being closely amongst your family and in tune with nature is more important to self-realization and improvement than formal