Picnic at hanging Rock Flashcards
chapter 1 summary
the opening passage immediately begins touching on the novel’s major themes including repressed desire, and gossip. The school girls exchange romantic valentines cards with each other, pretending they are from admirers. Mrs A doesn’t. We find out about how Mrs A aquired the house. They go to the verandah and Mrs Appleyard reminds them of the rules they have to follow including keeping gloves and hats on. The girls head to the Hanging Rock. They take off their gloves, but not hats due to heat. they take a quick lemonade stop. Ms McCraw suggests going on the hyp, but Mr H tells her it isnt suibtable. They keep going, Mr H tells some facts. They get to the rock, and Miranda opens the gate
what do we find out about Mrs A in chapter 1?
She opened appleyard college. She was not questioned about where she is from and her experience. She has money because she bought the house in cash. She is strict.
analyse mrs appleyard’s character.
- a mysterious English widow who is the founder and headmistress of Appleyard College. Very little is known about Mrs. Appleyard’s background and how she came to Australia
- obsessed with accruing wealth and social clout
- her prim and strait-laced demeanor, and her often-callous treatment of her students suggest that she is straining toward upward mobility and potentially trying to escape from a dark past
- she is preoccupied with instilling a regimented sense of order, grace, and compliance in both her pupils and her staff.
- In the wake of the disaster at Hanging Rock, Mrs. Appleyard seeks to even more carefully control the movements of those in her care
- post incident her mental health deteriorates visibly
what does Mrs A’s deterioration represent
Her unraveling and her death may represent, in Lindsay’s view, the predestined failure of colonial society’s oppressive organization, the decline of the Victorian era, or more generally the existential misery of living as a woman in a society centered on repression and gentility at the expense of all else.
who is Mike? analyse his character.
A young Englishman visiting his wealthy aunt and uncle in Lake View for the summer.
- captivated by Miranda’s beauty - obsessed
- Mike is sensitive, restless, and brave in spite of his occasional hard-headedness.
- he becomes affected by the rock- becomes stubborn and determined, unlike his more subdued self
who is Albert? analyse his character.
The Fitzhuberts’ coachman.
-He represents a stark contrast to the pampered inhabitants of Lake View and Appleyard College.
- sexual relaitonship between him and Albert
- Albert quickly befriends Mike Fitzhubert, finding himself impressed by the young man’s courage even as he scorns his foolhardiness
- Albert is the one ot RESCUE irma leopold
- Pragmatic, humorous, and loyal, Albert represents the hope for change from the ground up within Australian society.
who is Irma Leopold? Analyse her character.
A popular and wealthy senior girl at Appleyard College. Irma disappears mysteriously along with Marion Quade, Miranda, and Miss McCraw up on Hanging Rock—but unlike the others, she is found alive within a few days of having gone missing. (her father has ties to the mining industry, while her mother is rumored to be a member of the well-known, wealthy Rothschild clan, who had the world’s largest private fortunate in the 19th century)
who is Mme?
Mademoiselle Dianne de Poitiers is the French and dancing teacher at Appleyard College.
who is Miranda?
The most popular and beloved senior girl at Appleyard College and one of the school’s shining examples of a fine pupil and proper young lady. A blonde and angelic beauty, Miranda is as kind as she is becoming.
- roomate is Sara Wayborne
Miranda has a special affinity for nature
who is Marion?
Marion Quade is apopular and highly intelligent senior girl at Appleyard College. Marion is smart and self-assured, and she is never far from her constant companions Irma and Miranda.
- smart
who is Ms McCraw?
Greta McCraw is a math teacher and a governess at Appleyard College .
- one of people to go missing (in underwear - unlikely, strange)
who is Edith?
Edith Horton is a student at Appleyeard college. She is described as portly, unpopular and isn’t treated well by classmates (subject of ire and ridicule)
who is Sara Wayborne?
The youngest boarder at Appleyard College. disliked by Mrs Appleyard
she falls ill toward the end of the novel, taking to bed and refusing to eat, and is eventually discovered dead in a hydrangea bush behind the school with her face crushed beyond recognition.
who is Mrs. Cutler?
The gardener’s wife, who is a skilled nurse. She takes care of Irma after the girl is found alive on Hanging Rock
what is Hanging Rock a symbol of in Picnic?
it is a symbol of colonialism’s evils; of nature’s retributive properties; and of the power of the mystic, unseen, and unknown.
- when they go to the rock, watches stop which could link to the Aboriginal dreaming (therefore, colonialism)
- hanging rock was 10,000 + year old + a sacred site for aboriginal
‘the mystical rock is a manifestation of the vast dangers of the Australian outback and a reminder of how British colonialists (the Appleyard girls among them) have brutalized and attempted to sanitize nature in the name of taming danger’
