ASSOCIATE OF SPEECH NEW ZEALAND

IN SPEECH & DRAMA TEACHING

CREDIT FOUR

New Zealand Writing

QUESTION:

“The novelist identifies him/herself with the men and women of ordinary homes, streets, pubs, schools, prisons, using all kinds of language and flinching at no situation”.  (Anthony Burgess)

To what extent is this true of New Zealand novelists?

Refer to two New Zealand novelists and illustrate your answer with examples from their named works.

ANSWER:

Anthony Burgess’ statement, “The Novelist identifies him/herself with the men and women of ordinary homes, streets, pubs, schools, prisons, using all kinds of language and flinching at no situation” is very true of New Zealand novelists.  With a unique environment full of social issues, historical events and heated debate over differing opinions, New Zealand supplies common themes in novels that are relevant and close-to-home for every New Zealand man and woman.  This allows novelist to identify with people from all walks of life, as they are expressing opinions on common issues using language that is modern and relevant, and attacking all situations as a means of making their voices heard.

I believe that Anthony Burgess’ statement is true of the modern New Zealand novelist. However, in early colonial times and pre-1950’s, it was not quite as true.  For a novelist to identify with ordinary men and women of all walks of life, they need to be addressing current social issues and historical events in a manner that is captivating and easily related to.  New Zealand novelists before the mid-1940’s were very much influenced by the style and themes of writing in Britain.  This was in search of approval and recognition on an international stage, and although authors like Bruce Mason wrote of colonial events and adventure stories, it was very much in an English fashion.  The language used was formal and reflected the writing of the times in England, so in a way it was identifiable with a part of the New Zealand population – the settlers who still pined for “Mother England” and were used to the melodramatic romance novels of the times.

I believe that the novelist truly identified with New Zealand men and women and attacked all situations with a broad range of language after World War II when New Zealanders began to believe in themselves as worthy of writing about.  Witi Ihimaera played an important role as one of the first Maori writers.  He ‘flinched at no situation’ when he wrote novels and short stories about the previously hidden values of the Maori culture.  In his first collection “Pounamu, Pounamu”, he wrote of the strong family values the Maori people treasure in hope that it would help the Pakeha population understand the native Maori culture and values, and also educate the young Maori people who seemed to be caught in the middle of a bi-cultural country.

To really identify with society the language used needs to be relevant.  I think in the novel “Baby No Eyes” by Patricia Grace, she writes with an excellent balance of colloquial New Zealand English, dropping in many Maori words that enhance the story.  The style of language is very much what you would hear at school, on the streets and in pubs, which makes it very relevant to her readers.  Spelling and grammar is often deliberately wrong to enhance the feeling, especially when characters are speaking.

One of the biggest changes in New Zealand novels of the 20^th century is that now novelists flinch at no situation.  What used to be taboo is now freely discussed in novels.  One example is Witi Ihimaera.  In his early works his aim was to educate people and encourage bi-culturalism in New Zealand, Pakeha and Maori living harmoniously together, embracing each other’s cultures.  However, in novels such as “The New Net Goes Fishing”, he starts to expose some major problems; the number of Maori moving to cities to pursue a ‘European’ way of life, and leaving their rural family lives behind.  Also, he illustrates problems within Maori society – “Hemi would always come back home…he was a no-hoper”.

While Ihimaera was tackling and exposing the issues of Maori and Pakeha society and dealing with powerful issues such as alienation, Patricia Grace was writing of previously taboo topics such as the “Treaty of Waitangi” disputes.  “Baby No Eyes” has a central theme showing the historical event of the Maori Land March and protest.  In ‘Potiki’ she writes of the Maori community re-claiming their land that was being ‘stolen’ by Pakeha and surrounded in red-tape from the Councils and Government.  Writers such as Roma Potiki tackle very sensitive subjects, such as violence and abuse which I think identifies with a lot of New Zealand women in their homes.

I very much agree with Anthony Burgess’ statement and think that New Zealand novelists identify with every day society by expressing their opinions in a way that is easily understood and related to.  The main opportunity for doing this is by using all kinds of language that we, as New Zealanders, are exposed to.  Also, especially in modern writing of the last twenty years, no subject is sacred.  Witi Ihimaera writes of sexism in “The Matriach” and “The Whale Rider”, also alienation and land wars.  Patricia Grace expresses the Maori way of life, Waitangi issues, love loss and pain in her writing.