AustLit

Byrnes argues that First Fruits of Australian Poetry should be read in the context of poetic production during the Macquarie period. First Fruits was an attempt to rescue fauna and flora from scientific description, making its goals "revolutionary and audacious" in comparison to other verse being produced in the colony. After examining the poetry Field published before and after his time in Australia, Byrnes concludes that First Fruits was deliberately different and the unique nature of this expression should be appreciated in its own right rather than through comparison with later poets.