Patrick White Summary

Patrick Victor Martindale White (1912-1990) was the first Australian to win the Nobel Prize for literature. He used religious experience and symbolism to show man's struggle to transcend the "dreary, ... Read more

In this review of The Burnt Ones, the critic provides a negative assessment of the short fiction collection. In Mr. White's more recent novels a centrifugal tendency has been increasingly ap... Read more

In his unfavorable review of The Burnt Ones, Kiely maintains that the “exceedingly gifted writer may be dabbling in the wrong form” by penning short stories. Most Americans are not qu... Read more

In the following essay, Lindsay praises The Burnt Ones, saying White's work “shows some important advances and makes clearer than ever the need to grapple with his work in full critical ... Read more

In the following essay, Taylor discusses the shortcomings and the success of White's short stories in The Burnt Ones, maintaining that the stories are “fine, penetrating, courageous and ... Read more

In the following review, Heseltine asserts that The Burnt Ones is “an essentially uneven book,” but that through the unevenness “shines one of our great creative spirits.” ... Read more

In the following review, Welty discusses how the six short stories in The Cockatoos have similar themes involving characters who “come to a point of discovery” by confronting their probl... Read more

In the following review, Avant maintains that the short story form “demands immediate rapport between artist and audience; and White, the most austere of modern novelists, isn't an intim... Read more

In the following essay, Beston asserts that the short story form “does not offer White the space he needs for his greatest strength,” which is the portrayal of his characters' fan... Read more

In the following essay, Wilson praises White's short story “Down at the Dump,” asserting that it “demonstrates the superb adroitness with which White can modulate his disco... Read more

In the following excerpt, Myers examines the title story of The Cockatoos, asserting that it “is not a short story but a remarkably compressed novella” that integrates complex narrative ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Kiernan observes that The Burnt Ones is marked by abrupt contrasts in setting, mode, and tone among the stories in the collection. Although it is as a novelist that Patric... Read more

In the following review, Nelson asserts that “Dead Roses” is one of the best works in The Burnt Ones and shows how White uses myth to add comedy to the story. ‘Dead Roses, ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Weigel surveys the critical reception of White's short story collections and points out that White's short stories “employ diverse techniques for a wide ... Read more

In the following mixed review of Three Uneasy Pieces, Enright contends that while there are “brilliant passages” throughout the collection, the “book's chief uneasiness lie... Read more

In the following essay, Spinks praises White's short story, “Five-Twenty,” for its “austerity” and insight into human character. The pages of The Cockatoos, Patri... Read more

Critical Essay by William Scammell I'm not so sure that Patrick White, whom I used to admire, has sufficient negative capability in his makeup to submit his intimations to much of a battering ... Read more

Critical Essay by Betty Falkenberg Perhaps the most baffling feature of Patrick White's awe-inspiring oeuvre is its persistent reliance on anomaly and paradox to define reality. It is no news ... Read more