Perspectives

This part of the study guide will help you put the text “The Weeping Fig” by Judith Wright in perspective by relating it to its literary period and similar works.

Literary period

Published in 1953, “The Weeping Fig” was probably influenced by both Modernism and Postmodernism. Modernism in literature developed before World War II but still influenced writers afterwards. Postmodernism developed after World War II as a reaction to Modernism.

In the case of “The Weeping Fig”, we can say that the story’s themes of identity and man versus nature are closer to the themes favoured by Modernism. However, the style of writing using fragmentation (non-linear narrative) which mixes past events with present ones brings the story closer to Postmodernist writing techniques.

Works with the same theme

For the theme of man versus nature, we recommend that you read another Australian story, “The Drover’s Wife” by Henry Lawson. Published in 1892, the story provides a realistic depiction of the hardships of living in the Australian bush by following a drover’s wife whose husband is mostly away and who has to protect her children alone.

An Australian short story that deals with the theme of identity is “Freddy Andrews” by Polly Borland (Contexts, p. 120) which explores the challenges of a half-Aboriginal man in reconciling his two racial identities.

Another relevant story for the theme of identity is “N’Goola” by Katharine Susannah Prichard. The story also follows a half-Aboriginal character, this time a woman. N’Goola was taken away from her Aboriginal family and raised in a mission. She rediscovers her Aboriginal roots when her Aboriginal father (but not the biological one) finds her 30 years after she was taken away.