Perspectives

For this part of the study guide, we will provide you with some points that will help you give “Heart is Where the Home is” by Thea Astley relevant perspectives related to literary and historical contexts, and to similar works.

Current issues

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Literary period

Thea Astley lived and wrote during the end of modernism and the development of postmodernism in literature. Her fiction mostly falls within the genre of modern Australian ...

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Works with the same theme

For you to gain a broader insight into the themes of violence and discrimination in Australian literature we recommend that you also read a few other short stories.

“Going Home” (1986) by Archie Weller (Contexts, pp. 107-117) follows a young Aboriginal, Billy, who returns to his parents’ camp after he has tried to integrate into white Australian society as a football player. Billy discovers his father has died in the meantime, but his people have not changed too much since he left them.

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