Australia Felix

Description

Australia Felix is the first part of Ethel Florence Richardson’s well-known trilogy, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, now considered to be among the best novels ever written in English.

The title of the book is taken from the description of one of Australia’s most fertile areas around the Murray River, the region where Ballarat, the city where the novel’s plot takes place, can be found. The story is set in the 1880’s and it features Dr. Richard Mahony, an Irish doctor in his late twenties, not very successfully in his profession who has come to Australia to find his fortune. He marries a younger woman who encourages him to give up his career as a doctor and their life seems to be safe and stable for a while. The stability is, however, overthrown by Richard’s growing restlessness and his desires to free himself from the order instated by his wife. He eventually decides to leave Australia and go home, but only after lots of ruminations, conflicts and contemplations.

The author has been frequently compared to Joyce and Mann. This novel, as well as the other two parts of the trilogy, provides much more than a character development story – the series consists of stories that have symbolic significance, telling not only the story of an immigrant, but also telling the story of the growth and development of the young nation of Australia.

Besides these metaphoric and symbolic aspects, the trilogy, with Australia Felix in particular, is also a series of realistic, modernist novels and an excellent, eventful story, populated by complex characters in continuous development. Both Richard and his wife, Mary are slightly flawed, but very kind-hearted characters that the reader can easily relate to – their troubles quickly become our own and the ending will surely bring about the catharsis intended by Richardson.
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