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Loading... Solid Bluestone Foundations: Memories of an Australian Girlhoodby Kathleen Fitzpatrick
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" Hughenden, the seaside mansion of Kathleen s grandparents, provided the solid bluestone foundations of her somewhat peripatetic youth, offering her a haven of emotional security and material abundance. The puzzled observations and alert curiosity of a highly intelligent child are vividly recreated in these beautifully written recollections, which paint an evocative picture of middle-class life in Melbourne in the early years of the twentieth century. The divisions between her Catholic and Protestant grandparents, and the contrast between the dedicated civil servants on one side of the family and the energetic entrepreneurs on the other, are depicted with the sharp-eyed acuity of youth. Kathleen s mediocre schooling, the awakening of her feminist consciousness, her discovery at the University of Melbourne of her true vocation as a historian and her unhappy experiences at Oxford are major themes of her memoir. The book is greatly enhanced by Susan Davies Introduction, family tree and other materials, offering valuable new insights and information for historians, those interested in women s lives, and scholars of Australian autobiography. First-time re No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)920.72History and Geography Biography, genealogy, insignia Biography By Gender WomenLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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'Hughenden', the seaside mansion of her grandparents, provided the 'solid bluestone foundations' of Kathleen's somewhat unsettled childhood. These beautifully written recollections paint an evocative picture of middle-class life in Melbourne in the early years of the twentieth century.
Major themes include the awakening of Kathleen's feminist consciousness, her discovery at the University of Melbourne of her true vocation as an historian, and her unhappy experiences as a 'colonial' at Oxford University. ( )