The Story of a New Zealand River
The Story of a New Zealand River is a 1920 novel by Jane Mander. A romance novel, it deals with the clash between puritanism and pioneering values in early twentieth-century New Zealand society.
Plot
An upper-class Englishwoman has to adjust to living in an isolated timber-mill settlement.
Development and publication history
Mander began writing The Story of a New Zealand River while working in Australia, finishing it in New Zealand in 1912.[1] After being rejected by four London publishers, Mander rewrote the manuscript while studying in the United States in 1915.[1] It was rejected again by Dodd, Mead & Co., before being accepted by John Lane in 1918.[1] After being delayed by strikes, the first American edition was published in 1920, and rapidly sold out. An English edition followed later that year.[1]
After being out of print for many years the book was reissued by Whitcombe & Tombs in 1938,[2] and again in 1961[3] and 1973.[4] In 1952 it was adapted for radio by Oliver Gillespie.[5]
Reception
The Story of a New Zealand River was well-received in America and Australia. It received positive reviews in the New York press,[1] and was called "the best novel which has yet come from our neighbouring Dominion" by the Sydney Mail.[6] It was praised by New Zealand reviewers for its depiction of "vivid human reality"[7] and the clash of the "settled and polished life" with the "crudities and rough strength of a pioneer's world".[8] A decade later, it was recognised as an outstanding New Zealand novel,[9][10] and listed among examples of classic New Zealand literature.[11][12]
Joan Stevens, in her The New Zealand Novel 1860-1965, praises it for its interpretation of the New Zealand setting.[13]
Alistair Fox has argued that The Story of a New Zealand River was a significant influence on the film The Piano (1993) by Jane Campion.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d e "WOMAN'S WORLD". Evening Star. 19 June 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "JANE MANDER'S NOVEL". Southland Times. 11 June 1938. p. 14. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "N.Z. New Editions". The Press. 25 February 1961. p. 3. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "A MISCELLANY OF REPRINTS AND NEW EDITIONS". The Press. 11 August 1973. p. 10. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "THE STORY OF A N. Z. RIVER". New Zealand Listener. Vol. 27, no. 688. 12 September 1952. p. 7. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "A FINE NEW ZEALAND NOVEL". Sydney Mail. 17 November 1920. p. 13. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "LITERATURE". Otago Witness. 31 August 1920. p. 55. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "A LITERARY LOG". Southland Times. 28 August 1920. p. 11. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "THE BEST N.Z. NOVEL". Auckland Star. 29 June 1929. p. 7 (supplement). Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "OUR NOVELISTS". New Zealand Herald. 23 November 1929. p. 1 (supplement). Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "OUR AUTHORS". Auckland Star. 4 September 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "AUTHOR'S WEEK". Otago Daily Times. 24 April 1936. p. 5. Retrieved 26 September 2025 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Joan Stevens (1966). The New Zealand Novel 1860-1965. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed. p. 38. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Alistair Fox. "Puritanism and the Erotics of Transgression: the New Zealand Influence on Jane Campion's Thematic Imaginary". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
External links
- The Story of a New Zealand River at Wikisource