The power and the passion : representation of single mothers in Australian fiction since Whitlam and a novel, The Verge

Abstract

This creative practice dissertation comprises an exegesis and a novel. The exegesis explores single motherhood in Australia and its representation in literature, concentrating on the period since the introduction of the Supporting Mothers Benefit in 1973. It suggests that despite negative rhetoric and the obstacles facing the single mother, both historically and contemporarily, single motherhood represents a site for change, agency and becoming. Detractors of such a claim may contend that historically single mothers have been ostracised and vilified, which is true; that they exist on the fringes of society, which is true; that patriarchy reveres motherhood, while simultaneously enforcing its entrapment; which is also true. In this dissertation, while acknowledging the constraints of single motherhood, I argue that when a woman becomes a single mother by her own choice, she has the potential-to the extent that anyone within their material and imaginative capabilities does -to re-imagine her life as both a mother and a woman. As I outline in the exegesis, SMC (Single Motherhood by Choice) has gathered momentum in Australia since the second wave of feminism. Literary depictions of single motherhood have also increased, enhancing the depth and breadth of the representation of a single mother's lived experiences; an enrichment that coincides with the inclusion of women's writing into the Australian literary canon, especially since the early 1980s. Feminist philosophy is foundational to this discussion which oscillates between two polar positions: on the one hand, there is the very real oppression and ongoing lack of equality of single mothers, and on the other, single motherhood's contestable and visionary space for becoming and potential for liberation. The exegesis teases out the great contradiction of single motherhood: while patriarchy enforces gendered and repressive values upon single mothers-thereby limiting their opportunities for transcendence-as a liminal "in-between" space, single motherhood represents an escape, a chance for re-imagination. I explore this re-imagination through a textual analysis of the following works: Elizabeth Jolley's Cabin Fever (1989-1993) trilogy; Helen Garner's Monkey Grip (1977), and novella, Other People's Children (1980); and Amanda Lohrey's Camille's Bread (1995). My novel, The Verge, which follows the exegesis, also explores escape and re-imagination, tracking a young woman's decision to become a single mother in Sydney in the 1990s.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English
Supervisor	Milissa Deitz (Supervisor) & Rachel Morley (Supervisor)