Here you will get the detailed summary of IGNOU MEG 19 Block 7 -Contemporary Novel (1).
We have provided the summary of all units starting from unit 1 to unit 5.
Introduction
IGNOU MEG-19 Block 7, titled Contemporary Novel (1), focuses on the recent developments in Australian fiction through the lens of one of its most celebrated writers, Peter Carey. The block offers insights into the evolution of contemporary Australian novelists, Carey’s major works, and a detailed study of his acclaimed novel True History of the Kelly Gang. It examines how contemporary literature in Australia reflects changes in identity, history, and storytelling techniques while engaging with national myths and global literary trends.
Unit 1 – Contemporary Australian Novelists
This unit provides an overview of the major Australian novelists who have shaped the contemporary literary scene from the late 20th century to the present.
Key Novelists Discussed:
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David Malouf
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Helen Garner
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Tim Winton
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Peter Carey
Key Features of Contemporary Australian Novels:
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Shift from nationalistic narratives to global themes
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Exploration of personal identity, memory, and trauma
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Focus on marginalised voices – including Indigenous Australians, migrants, and women
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Use of experimental narrative forms and postmodern techniques
This unit also highlights how contemporary novelists interrogate Australia’s colonial past, environmental issues, and multicultural realities, creating complex literary representations of modern Australia.
Unit 2 – Peter Carey: An Introduction to His Novels
This unit introduces Peter Carey, one of Australia’s most internationally renowned novelists.
About Peter Carey:
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Winner of the Booker Prize twice (Oscar and Lucinda, True History of the Kelly Gang)
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Known for blending history with fiction, and for his innovative prose style
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Works often engage with Australia’s colonial legacy, national myths, and moral ambiguities
Major Themes in Carey’s Novels:
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The construction of identity
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Truth vs. invention in historical narratives
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Rewriting colonial and convict history
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Exploring marginal characters and anti-heroes
Novels discussed include:
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Bliss
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Illywhacker
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Oscar and Lucinda
Carey’s early novels are characterised by satirical humour, magical realism, and an anti-authoritarian sensibility.
Unit 3 – Peter Carey: Later Novels
This unit focuses on Carey’s more recent works, which show a shift toward:
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Global and transnational concerns
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Deeper psychological characterisation
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More sophisticated historical reconstructions
Key Later Novels:
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Jack Maggs – a retelling of Great Expectations from an Australian perspective
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The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith – a political allegory about nationalism and cultural imperialism
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My Life as a Fake – explores literary hoaxes and identity
Themes and Features:
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Subversion of canonical texts
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Exploration of authorship and authenticity
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Continued engagement with Australian myths and cultural identity
Carey’s later fiction remains ambitious in scope, experimental in form, and deeply political in tone.
Unit 4 – Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang: An Introduction
This unit introduces Carey’s Booker Prize-winning novel, True History of the Kelly Gang, based on the life of Ned Kelly, Australia’s infamous outlaw and folk hero.
Context:
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Ned Kelly is a controversial figure – seen both as a rebel hero and a criminal
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Carey reimagines Kelly’s life by writing in the first person, mimicking Kelly’s own voice and grammar
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The novel blends fact and fiction, challenging the boundary between history and storytelling
Structure:
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Presented as a series of fictional memoirs or letters written by Ned Kelly to his daughter
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Emulates the authentic tone of Kelly’s 1879 “Jerilderie Letter”
This unit highlights the narrative technique, the novel’s historical foundation, and its literary ambitions.
Unit 5 – True History of the Kelly Gang: A Critical Analysis
This unit offers a detailed literary analysis of the novel.
Major Themes:
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Rewriting History:
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Challenges official narratives of Ned Kelly as a criminal
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Offers an empathetic view of Kelly’s life as shaped by poverty, injustice, and resistance
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Voice and Identity:
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The use of non-standard English gives authenticity to Kelly’s character
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The unreliable narrator raises questions about truth and subjectivity
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Colonialism and Power:
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Explores how colonial rule and systemic oppression shaped the lives of Irish immigrants and the poor
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Family and Legacy:
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Kelly’s desire to explain his actions to his daughter humanises him
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Themes of loyalty, love, and betrayal pervade the narrative
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Literary Techniques:
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Stream-of-consciousness style without punctuation
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Vivid descriptions and emotional depth
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Historical documents are interwoven with fiction
This unit concludes that the novel is not just a historical retelling but a powerful meditation on myth-making, justice, and identity, reflecting Peter Carey’s mastery in historical fiction.