Ned Kelly in Fiction

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 2,0, University of Leipzig (Institut für Anglistik), course: The Australian Dream, language: English, abstract: Edward ¿Ned¿ Kelly, the head of the Kelly Gang, is a very diversely discussed person. Even nowadays, opinions differ here. Was he a cruel murderer or just a victim of society? Kelly is often compared to Robin Hood who presumably lived in the 13th century in England, Great Britain.

It seems as if every culture has its very own antithetically valuated hero. The Australian bushranger Ned Kelly stands in one line with characters like Jesse James (1847-1882, born in Missouri, USA) and Ernesto ¿Che¿ Guevera (1928-1967, born in Rosario, Argentina).

This paper will deal with Ned Kelly¿s biography and today¿s perception of him, especially regarding current fiction. In this context, I¿ll have a look at Peter Carey¿s book (published in 2000) and two of the many film versions about Kelly starring Mick Jagger and Heath Ledger in order to compare different perspectives of the bushranger.