by Emma Woodward

The Monkey’s Mask by Dorothy Porter interweaves poetry in the form of a detective novel that further explores the themes of gender, class, and the myths of Australian society in its structure, characters, plot, and storyline. This article discusses the theme of class that while not directly evident is reoccurring throughout the book. The author begins the article by posing the question of whether or not Porter is bringing to light deeper ideas of the Australian community. Further determining, “Australia is a land for the working class hero, yet if terms gain meaning through opposition in a binary, then Australia cannot be imagined as a classless society when the working class needs a foil in order to gain meaning.”

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