Historical Material in Maurice Gee's The Fire-Raiser
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26686/knznq.v0i0.796Abstract
Award-winning New Zealand writer, Maurice Gee, has written five realistic novels for children, each set during a defining period in New Zealand history. This essay examines Gee’s use in The Fire-Raiser of historical material, particularly that related to Nelson Central School and its lively headmaster, F. G. Gibbs. Through his accurate reproduction of precise detail Gee vividly evokes small-town New Zealand during World War I. But Gee also adapts historical material in order to pursue his ideal of balance.
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References
Baigent, L. E. H. 'An Early Incident'. Journal of the Nelson Historical Society, 1/2 May, 1957.
Boyd, Brian. 'Maurice Gee/Interviewed by Brian Boyd'. In the Same Room: Conversations with New Zealand Writers. Eds. Elizabeth Alley and Mark Williams Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1992.
Gee, Maurice. The Fire-Raiser. Auckland: Puffin Books, 2003.
Gee, Maurice. Nelson Central School: A History. Nelson: Nelson Central School Centennial Committee, 1978.
Mann, Shohadh. F.G. Gibbs: His Influence on the Social History of Nelson, 1890-195. Nelson: The Nelson Historical Society, 1977.
O'Brien, Gregory. 'Making Sentences Work'. Moments of Invention: Portraits of 21 New Zealand Writers. Auckland: Heinemann Reed, 1988.
Sargeson, Frank. 'An Affair of the Heart'. The Stories of Frank Sargeson. Auckland: Penguin Books, 1982, 43-51.
van Rij, Vivien. 'Interview with Maurice Gee'. Wellington: 9 December, 2003, unpublished.
Wattie, Nelson. 'Maurice Gee'. The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Eds Roger Robinson and Nelson Wattie. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1998.
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