Minutes August book: The Transit of Venus

The Transit of Venus

by Shirley Hazzard

(chosen by Fairlie)

Theme: Antipodeans abroad


I originally interpreted this theme as meaning I should chose a work by an 'Australian' writer who lives (or lived) overseas, which led me to the likes of Peter Carey, Kathy Lette, Germaine Greer, Nikki Gemmell, Geraldine Brooks. While I was pondering a choice of these authors' works, I came across a reference on the Meanjin blog to Shirley Hazzard as being one of Australia's most neglected women authors, possibly as a result of her living overseas for so long.  I initially thought I would choose her more recent work, The Great Fire, but opinion from others swayed me to The Transit of Venus. It was only after I had chosen it and ordered a copy that I found a pristine copy of the book on my own bookshelf. It had been on one of my university literature subject reading lists and I can only assume my 18 year old self saw the reading of it as an optional part of that course, as it obviously had never been opened. When I realised that not only was the author an 'antipodean aboard' but the novel was also about two Australian sisters who moved to England, it seemed like destiny that I should make it my choice.

About the author:

Shirley Hazzard was born in 1931 in Sydney, Australia. She left Australia as a child, due to her parents’ diplomatic postings and at 16, started to work for British Intelligence in Hong Kong, monitoring civil war in China. Since then she has lived in New Zealand, Europe, USA and Italy. In the USA she worked for the United Nations Secretariat in New York. She has been a full-time writer since leaving the UN, and has written a number non-fiction books including: Defeat of an Ideal: A Study of the Self-Destruction of the United Nations (1973), Countenance of Truth: the United Nations and the Waldheim Case (1990), Greene on Capri: A Memoir (2000) about her friend, Graham Greene. In 1985, Coming of Age in Australia was published, a collection of her Australian Broadcasting Corporation Boyer lectures. Her works of fiction include five novels: The Evening of the Holiday (1966); People in Glass Houses (1967); The Bay of Noon (1970); The Transit of Venus (1980); and most recently, The Great Fire (2003). Shirley Hazzard lives in New York.

(general biographical detail from the British Council website)

What the publisher says about the book:

Caro, gallant and adventurous, is one of two Australian sisters who have come to post-war England to seek their fortunes. Courted long and hopelessly by young scientist, Ted Tice, she is to find that love brings passion, sorrow, betrayal and finally hope. The milder Grace seeks fulfilment in an apparently happy marriage. But as the decades pass and the characters weave in and out of each other's lives, love, death and two slow-burning secrets wait in ambush for them.

What we discussed about the book:

• The choice of 'The Transit of Venus' as the title. What was the significance, symbolism?
• What did the novel says about Australia and being Australian? How was it shown as a 'place to escape from'?  In what ways did being Australian influence Caro and Grace's interactions with other characters?
• Could this be described as an anti-war novel? What evidence was there of this viewpoint?
• The coincidental and accidental nature of the human interactions vs the predictable nature of the astronomical transit of Venus.
• How we would describe the style of the writing - dense, given to understatement, having gravity, no superfluous words?
• The role of the omniscient narrator - foreshadowing details of plot essential to our later understanding.
• The themes of disappearance and loss: the Benbow sinking, Adam Vail's death, Dora's Major
• Is this a novel driven by plot or by character?
• What degree of engagement is required by the reader. How does Hazzard instruct the reader in what is going to be required right on the first page?
• The role of dialogue - minimal, but expressive.
• Dora, as a character. In what ways does Hazzard create such a rounded and believable character with so few scenes?
• Why do Caro and Grace treat Dora with no judgement and with a huge degree of loyalty.

And then we were sidetracked into:

• What makes a writer 'Australian'? Is it just that they have an Australian birth certificate?  
• The role of working women at that time, with particular reference to the tea-making and button/typewriter ribbon replacing scenes.
• The social and political issues that form the background to the novel: post-war politics, nursing homes, women in the workforce, inequality of marraige, US political assassinations, English class system

In other news, we discussed:

• VCE subject choices, getting through Year 12, work experience options
• The nature of  Australian customs practices - checking parcels etc
• The realities of nursing in 2013
• The daggy to glamorous spectrum of parents at each school. How do we know where we fall on the continuum?
• The etiquette of thank yous. One exchange is enough...you do not need to do a thank you for a thank you.

Ratings:
Range: 7 to 10
Average:  8.63

Next book: An Equal Music by Vikram Seth (chosen by KE)