"Why, White Man, Why?" White Australia as the addressee of apostrophe in contemporary aboriginal writing
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In: Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2002, p. 166-178.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - "Why, White Man, Why?" White Australia as the addressee of apostrophe in contemporary aboriginal writing
AU - West, Russell
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Contemporary Australian indigenous literature is characterised by a remarkably prevalent use of apostrophic address directed at the white reader. This mode of direct address in black literary texts draws attention to the political dynamics moulding reader-writer relations in contemporary Australia. The article examines numerous examples of this direct mode of address in prose, poetry and drama, and argues that this direct mode of address is a central element in the message of black writers. The use of apostrophe implies the active positioning' of the white reader on the part of the indigenous speaker; only by virtue of this positioning is the reading process made possible. The direct mode of address in these texts thus demands that the reader take up a stance characterised by a readiness to listen attentively to black literary voices.
AB - Contemporary Australian indigenous literature is characterised by a remarkably prevalent use of apostrophic address directed at the white reader. This mode of direct address in black literary texts draws attention to the political dynamics moulding reader-writer relations in contemporary Australia. The article examines numerous examples of this direct mode of address in prose, poetry and drama, and argues that this direct mode of address is a central element in the message of black writers. The use of apostrophe implies the active positioning' of the white reader on the part of the indigenous speaker; only by virtue of this positioning is the reading process made possible. The direct mode of address in these texts thus demands that the reader take up a stance characterised by a readiness to listen attentively to black literary voices.
KW - Literature studies
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000185890000005
M3 - Journal articles
VL - 50
SP - 166
EP - 178
JO - Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
JF - Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
SN - 0044-2305
IS - 2
ER -