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'The structure of the book is many-layered. It includes an anonymous diary within the diary, letters from known and unknown people, a ghost story by "Cousin Richard", a short story and a few poems by David Peterley, more than one love affair, some travellers' tales and an intermittent narrative of historical events. These layers of fantasy and actuality give the work a complex satisfying texture, and reinforce the central theme at private and public levels.' (Source: Holroyd, 'Preface', 1985 edition)
Notes
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Posing as editor of this work, Richard Pennington has been credited with producing a literary hoax in the form of a biographical memoir. The book contains an editorial 'Foreword' that commences with an expeditionary statement suggesting a clear provenance for the volume's contents i.e. the 'Journal of David Peterley' which is held with the Peterley family papers at the McGill University in Montreal. While it has been generally regarded as a work of fiction, it is also equally suggested that Pennington's creation is semi-autobiographical. In a sense, it appears that the book is neither a 'memoir or fiction' but rather 'an ingenious amalgam of the two'. (Source: Holroyd, 'Preface', 1985 edition)
Contents
* Contents derived from the
London,
c
England,c
c
United Kingdom (UK),c
Western Europe,
Europe,:Secker and Warburg
,Arts Council of Great Britain
, 1985 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.- Preface, single work criticism (p. v-xvi)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
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Works about this Work
-
Richard Pennington, University of Queensland's First James Forsyth Librarian, 1939-1946
1996
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Academic & Research Libraries , December vol. 27 no. 4 1996; (p. 229-249) -
Preface
1985
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Peterley Harvest : The Private Diary of David Peterley Now for the First Time Printed 1985; (p. v-xvi)
-
Preface
1985
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Peterley Harvest : The Private Diary of David Peterley Now for the First Time Printed 1985; (p. v-xvi) -
Richard Pennington, University of Queensland's First James Forsyth Librarian, 1939-1946
1996
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Academic & Research Libraries , December vol. 27 no. 4 1996; (p. 229-249)
Last amended 3 Nov 2015 11:18:14
