Displacements and identities in the australian gothic: the case of Picnic at Hanging Rock

Abstract

The mysteries of the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, by Joan Lindsay (1967), and its film adaptation of same name, directed by Peter Weir (1975), have been intriguing readers and audiences for more than four decades. Set in the Australian countryside in 1900, both narratives illustrate the Australian Gothic genre by revolving around the mystery of the disappearance of three schoolgirls and a teacher from a repressive boarding school during a picnic at the mountain. Basing our approach on the reflections by Linda Hutcheon (2011) on adaptations we analyze to which extent literary and cinematographic works relate to each other, while the works presented by Susan Bassnett (2006) and Kristi Siegl (2004) on women’s travel writing will allow us to approach themes such as female sexuality and travel as a metaphor of transformation.

Keywords

• picnic at hanging rock
• literatura e cinema
• gótico australiano
• relatos de viagem femininos