Rethinking realism: Dymphna Cusack and Kylie Tennant

Overview

Dr Meg Brayshaw presents her recent Fellowship research into the work of two prominent Australian women writers, Dymphna Cusack and Kylie Tennant.

Dr Meg Brayshaw will explore why realism has been popular in Australian literature and discuss how the writing of Cusack and Tennant was shaped by their experiences in radio, children's fiction and journalism.

This research explores realism's place in how Australian literature is thought about and discussed today.

Dr Meg Brayshaw is a 2025 National Library of Australia Fellow supported by the Ray Mathew and Eva Kollsman Trust for Research in Australian Literature.

Dr Meg Brayshaw is the John Rowe Lecturer in Australian Literature at the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on the 20th century Australian novel, genre, and literary engagements with place, environment and climate.

Dr Brayshaw has published in Australian and international journals. She has edited collections on a range of topics, including women's writing, the Australian urban novel, maritime modernism and literary engagements with the Anthropocene.