Abstract
This article seeks to do the impossible: to unsettle the fixity of fictions that have been so long in circulation that they have taken on the appearance and solidity of fact. Mathinna, the Aboriginal girl who lived at Government House under the care of Lady Franklin in the early 1840s but was abandoned at the Orphan School when the Franklins returned to England a few years later, is an elusive historical subject. Stories and images of Mathinna have circulated for a century and a half, drawing sustenance from each other to entrench powerful sentimental tropes about her life. The article argues that we should be wary about the origins of these sentimental stories, and about their capacity to be reworked into acts of historical recovery.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
