"Voss" by Patrick White

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the character Voss in Patrick White's novel of the same name about a German explorer intent on crossing Australia. The paper discusses the personality of Voss and his relationships with the people he comes into contact with. The paper also shows how the main characters in "The Dead" by James Joyce, "The Prophet's Hair" by Salman Rushdie, and Voss by Patrick White are alike and how they differ, and also gives a brief description of each storyline.

From the Paper:

"The unforgiving outback of Australia in Voss by Patrick White would seem to be worlds away in tone and distance from Joyce's Ireland. Yet Gabriel and the title character both share the traits of an uncompromising attitude towards life, a belief in their own rightness of outlook and attitude. Gabriel's is far more fragile than that of the sense of self of Voss. Gabriel doubts himself at the slightest question, a cutting remark from a girl or when learning another man once loved his wife. Voss only becomes shaken in confrontation with the elements. Still, destabilizing masculine confidence is at the heart of both narratives."

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