Written by Jessie Singleton

My Brilliant Career

‘My Brilliant Career’ is a 1901 published novel authored by Miles Franklin; the first Australian

literary work that is still considered as a renowned classic among the generations. The 1979

film adaptation, directed by Gillian Armstrong, is successful in its own right as a creative piece

- inspired by Franklin’s narrative - however does not sufficiently align with the prevailing

themes, authored views & values and authentic characterisation depicted in the original text

to be considered a ‘successful’ adaptation.

In the novel My Brilliant Career, Sybylla - Franklin’s own mouthpiece to challenge the societal

norms and identity of her time - establishes her presence, perspective and position

immediately across the opening pages. The protagonist/narrator opens her ‘trap’ before any

proper words are uttered “boo, hoo! ow, ow; Oh! oh! Me’ll die. Boo, hoo. The pain, the pain!

Boo, hoo!”. These inarticulate cries of torment are used as vague introductory sentences

without prior context, enabling the reader to widely interpret its intended significance beyond

the accompanying anecdote. The continual symbolic use of her “voice”/“mouth” -

referenced throughout the novel - represents Franklin’s views & values, which are seen

repeatedly oppressed and silenced by other supporting characters during the narrative. ‘ My

 Brilliant Career ’ commences with an introductory anecdote, displaying a young Sybylla

squealing over her scalding fingers as her father immediately attempts to silence her outburst,

exclaiming “Don’t cry any more now. Hush, you must not cry! You’ll make old Dart buck if

 you kick up a row like that”. This excerpt shows the first reference to Franklin’s controversial

interactions between the governing societal expectations of the time against her own

repressed curiosity and feministic beliefs. Sybylla’s following comment also adds further value,

stating “That is my first recollection of life. I was barely three.”. The irony of this passage

emphasises the extent of which overriding societal standards intercepted and invalidated

Sybylla’s opinion, starting from her earliest recollection of being alive; parallel of Franklin’s

existing position - a complex sage restricted by the designated roles of women. It is also

important to note: women writers of the time were required to change their name to one of

masculine appearance in order to be published and read by members of their society;

expressing the sexism of the time.

In the cinematic adaptation of ‘ My Brilliant Career ’, Armstrong encompasses a number of

filmic devices to create depth and engage the audience through specific elements distinctive to

motion pictures. An obvious example of this is the use of Voice Overs; as Sybylla is narrator

LITERATURE ESSAY 1

 

and the protagonist in the film, it is a highly time-effective ploy to implement spoken audio

over visual imagery. In the opening scenic shot of the outdoors, Sybylla’s voiceover details

“Possum Gully, Australia. 1897” in Judy Davis’s oddly British accent; the viewer’s first insight

into the ‘typical’ Australian setting. This choice of introduction contradicts with Franklin’s

known talents of written imagery, informing viewers of the setting before engaging with any

 visual representations or symbols. The lengthy descriptors Franklin adopts throughout her

novel are a significant part of readers connecting and imagining the lands of Australia, which

are immediately irrelevant from the opening dialogue of the film - thus being a poor

representation of the novel.

LITERATURE ESSAY 2