Epistemological Canons In Language, Literature And Cultural Studies
The title and theme of this conference was - Epistemological Canons In Language, Literature And Cultural Studies. It was held by the University of Gdańsk in the north of Poland, on 22-24 June 2017, at the 26th Annual Conference of the Polish Association for the Study of English. The paper given by D.P.G. Sheridan was "The Demotic Tongue of mateship in Australian Great War Literature".
Abstract
This paper looks at the demotic tongue of mateship in Australian Great War Literature as a theme of cognition and understanding in the literary texts and texts of culture. The language, like the Australian, was filled with character and a sense of the larrikin. While it is true of other cultures, it seemed irreverent at times, even rude in some circles, but it was much more than its immediate sound or inference; it was the natural verbal essence of the Australian mind - honest, loyal, dutiful and humorous. These characteristics are corner stones of Australian mateship, which may be defined as a type of friendship that would be there beyond the bitter end, rival the love of a woman and even the protection of one’s own life. For some Australians, poetry was merely an extension of this language, as language was merely an extension of friendship. These things may be found in other cultures to varying degrees, but this paper is rather more interested in the Australian experience.
