Revenge as Cultural Catharsis in Moya Hendersonâs Opera Lindy

Timothy McKenry

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Revenge as Cultural Catharsis in Moya Hendersonâs Opera Lindy

In: Best Served Cold: Studies on Revenge

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Timothy McKenry

Timothy McKenry
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 115â124

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9781848880436_014

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The death, during a camping trip in central Australia, of the nine-week-old baby, Azaria Chamberlain, and the subsequent trial, imprisonment and eventual exoneration of her mother, Lindy, for the murder of the child was a seminal event in recent Australian social history. The issues raised by this event, including sexism, racism, sectarianism and the abuse of power, left deep scars on the Australian psyche as the reaction of the Australian public throughout the incident diverged from the prevailing view of Australian identity as one characterised by âmate-shipâ, egalitarianism, and a âfair-goâ. This paper examines how Moya Hendersonâs opera Lindy, functions not only to tell and reinterpret the story through a fragmented postmodern narrative, but also as an act of âcultural revengeâ. In celebrating this retelling of the story through opera, one segment of Australian society is given the opportunity to punish, marginalise and re-educate another. Through an examination of the circumstances surrounding the commissioning and development of the opera, structural aspects of the narrative style employed in the opera, and the critical reception of the opera, the paper posits that Lindy represents a cultural tool that enables a catharsis through vengeance.

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Best Served Cold: Studies on Revenge

E-Book ISBN:: 9781848880436

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 29 Apr 2010

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African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

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Revenge as Cultural Catharsis in Moya Hendersonâs Opera Lindy

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Best Served Cold: Studies on Revenge

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Revenge as Cultural Catharsis in Moya Hendersonâs Opera Lindy