Gossip and History in the Novels of Brian Penton and Thomas Keneally
Abstract
The study of gossip as a cultural practice, as distinct from its condemnation as a moral evil, has not long been established; not, at least, outside the boundaries of social anthropology where its key functions in traditional societies have been recognised for some time. Within the last few years, however, gossip has begun to attract interest across a wider front as feminists and others have seen in it a means by which women in patriarchal societies have managed to articulate shared values and experiences, generate group solidarity, and criticise the values of male-dominated cultures.
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Published 1 October 1990 in Volume 14 No. 4. Subjects: Conversation, Gossip, Historical fiction, Tom Keneally.
Cite as: Buckridge, Patrick. ‘Gossip and History in the Novels of Brian Penton and Thomas Keneally.’ Australian Literary Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, 1990, doi: 10.20314/als.8559ba919c.