Abstract:
Memory and Person: the search for New Zealand identity through the
autobiography of Janet Frame
Abstract
Janet Frame’s life spans the best part of the 20th century and in that time New Zealand transformed itself
from a settler nation at the fringes of the British Empire to one of the world’s most stable democracies with
a rich literary experience. Frame has been consistently aware of the lack of adecuate literary models
capable of representing her country and of her disadvantage at been a shy woman of modest background
from a colonial society, scarred by a mental illness diagnosis. The first part of this thesis will focus on the
problematic formation of a national identity in New Zealand as a settler nation, where the leading minority
can be both a site of confrontation and an instrument for cultural improvement. It will then explore
autobiography as literary genre in relation to, and in contrast with, fiction, and how it becomes the tool to
convey a personal truth and tell a national story. The second part shall concentrate on Janet Frame’s
journey to self-discovery, loss and affirmation, followed by a critical review of Jane Campion’s film
adaptation of the autobiography. The aim of this paper is to show how Janet Frame’ struggle to fit in a
world dominated by social and gender impositions reflects New Zealand’s search for a national identity
beyond the vestiges of the colonial system.
Keywords: autobiography as genre; national identity; New Zealand literature; colonisation in settler nations
