Wide Awake

The Diary of an Australian Milkmaid

1882 to 1889 


Spoiler Alert:
this post contains details which reveal plot elements of Wide Awake
 

Wide Awake was written with several narrative themes in mind: two serious, one frivolous.

Woolstone House, home to a wealthy squatter, c. 1908

First, the frivolous: the romantic narrative. I relied on the glorious voice and spirit of the inimitable Stella Miles Franklin whose example of independence and freethinking might be emulated today by more young women. There is an element of her My Brilliant Career, an echo of Austen and a touch of Hardy in the basic love-interest storyline.

Stella Miles Franklin

view from the Horn, Mount Buffalo