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Article: An Uncultured Rhymer and his Cultural Critics: Henry Lawson, class politics, and colonial literature.
- Article from:
- Victorian Poetry
- Article date:
- March 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 West Virginia University Press, University of West Virginia. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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But the curse of class distinctions from our shoulders shall be hurled,
An' the influence of Kindness revolutionize the world;
There'll be higher education for the toilin' starvin' clown,
An' the rich and educated shall be educated down. (1)
IN THE 1950s AND 60s ACADEMICS CONTESTED THE VIEW WHICH WAS BEING promoted by many prominent Australian intellectuals that Henry Lawson was an exemplary representative of the Australian national character. They also quickly dismissed the socialist principles which cultural workers in the Communist Party of Australia were rediscovering in the famous Australian's work. In the "end of ideology" climate of the Cold War, academics ...