AustLit

'Writing a history of literary criticism is undoubtedly challenging in that it requires the writer’s expertise in two aspects: how to unify both theoretical and practical criticism; and how to objectively, accurately and comprehensively give a succinct account of key information in the face of a vast amount of literature. Peng addresses these issues by pursuing a narrative pattern which includes a macro-level portrayal of social and cultural contexts, a meso-level analysis of literary events and cultural debates, and a micro-level interpretation of four individual critics’ ideas about Australian literature in every phase of the development.' (Publication abstract)

'The past three decades have seen David Carter’s books, chapters and journal articles gradually establish his solid academic reputation in the fields of Australian literature and cultural studies. The younger and promising scholar Roger Osborne has also achieved impressive research results in the fields of Australian publishing history and digital humanities. Their collaborative effort, Australian Books and Authors in the American Marketplace 1840s–1940s, represents an innovative contribution to the study of Australian national literature and its formation. It reveals a triangle model in the map of the circulation of Australian literature, in which Australia, the UK and the US occupy the three points. Instead of being limited by the “imperial and colonised” binary thinking mode, Carter and Osborne draw attention to another side of the triangle on which Australia stands and the US awaits exploration.' (Introduction)