埃莉诺·达克的小说《永恒的土地》述评

A Commentary on The Timeless Land a Novel by Eleanor Dark

《永恒的土地》讲述的是英国人在澳大利亚新威尔士州的早期殖民历史 ,埃莉诺成功地塑造了第一任总督菲利普的澳大利亚国家奠基人形象和构成澳洲文化身份不可或缺的土著居民人物。小说不仅诗意地展示了澳洲独特的自然风光 ,而且还利用了土著的语言、神话、庆典和歌谣等突出了澳洲文化的“混杂性”。

The Timeless Land is set in the early history of the English colony in New South Wales, Australia. Eleanor Dark successfully portrayed the figure of Philip, the first governor of Australia as its founder and the aboriginals as indispensable to the formation of the European culture. The novel not only poetically exhibits the unique natural scenery of Australia but also stresses the mixed feature of Australian culture using the aboriginal language, myths, celebrations and ballads. It has become the first most comprehensive pursuit of its national status in the history of Australian literature because of its solicitude for the white colonialists and the aboriginals.