Taking/ Taking Up: Recognition and the Frontier in Grenville’s The Secret River

Abstract

This article examines some aspects of the cultural politics of Kate Grenville’s novel, The Secret River (2005), especially with respect to the problematic of Aboriginal and settler possession. Beginning with Grenville’s own account, put forward in her writing memoir Searching for The Secret River (2006), and proceeding via the criticisms offered by historian Inga Clendinnen, the article is concerned with the position and operation of the frontier in contemporary settler-colonial culture in Australia. From this perspective, Grenville’s novel is read critically as a literary reflection of that culture.