AbstractsPsychology

Family

by Susan Smith Batho




Institution: University of Western Sydney
Department: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Degree: MA(Hons) (Writing)
Year: 1998
Keywords: Australian fiction; 20th century; relationships; maternal instincts
Record ID: 1071674
Full text PDF: http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/24561


Abstract

Family is a work of creative fiction concerning four women and their relationships with each other. It is threaded with scenes from their past lives which hint at their previous connections with each other. These images of the past start to intrude into and affect their present lives. The central character, and storyteller of the present,is Margaret, a married woman who is finding that the 'comfort' of stereotypical behaviour and a prescribed marital relationship is a fiction. For Margaret, the intrusions of these past memories reveal to her traits in her character, aiding an understanding of herself, and eventually gives her freedom from her present situation. Master of Arts (Hons) (Writing)