In other words: homosexual desire in the novels of Patrick White

Abstract

To date there has been no comprehensive critical analysis of the impact of Patrick White's homosexuality on his fiction. By investigating the centrality of homosexual desire on a linguistic, stylistic, and thematic level in five of his novels, this thesis shifts the critical perspective on White, and argues that homosexual desire specifically, and sexuality in general, are fundamental to his textual practice. The five novels examined in this light are: The Aunt's Story, Voss, The Solid Mandala, The Twyborn Affair, and Memoirs of Many in One.

The general categorization of White's writing technique as 'modernist' is problematized in the thesis by relating the stylistic features of his fiction to an analysis of his historical and socio-cultural background. The effects of the medical, political, and legal systems in both Australia and England on the issue of homosexuality are shown as having a direct impact on both the subject matter and the style of White's fiction. Additionally, the thesis demonstrates that far from being an impediment to White's artistic talent, the hostility in Australia towards homosexuality was for him imaginatively productive. As part of the exploration of this area, a review of the politics of past interpretations of White is included in the discussion of each work.

As the thesis is concerned with the interaction of the literary and the political, it engages closely with the concerns of queer theory, feminist theory, and psychoanalysis. The thesis argues that because they explore the issues of sexuality and gender in a noticeably complex and enlightened manner, White's novels are not only a significant addition to the field of gay studies, but also to gender studies. Spanning almost four decades, the novels examined enrich our understanding of the social, historical, and literary construction and regulation of homosexuality in both England and Australia, and inspire new ways of interpreting the elaborate and innovative interaction between writing and homosexual desire.