ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION OF HUMAN PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE IN MURRAY BAIL'S HOMESICKNESS
Abstract
Abstract. This article examines the artistic representation of human psychological experience in Murray Bail’s novel Homesickness (1980). While previous studies have primarily focused on tourism, national identity, postmodernism, and the politics of representation, relatively little attention has been paid to the psychological dimensions of the novel. Through the experiences of a group of Australian tourists travelling across different countries and cultures, Bail explores alienation, displacement, uncertainty, loneliness, and the search for belonging. Drawing on literary psychology and postmodern literary criticism, this study argues that Homesickness portrays psychological experience as a condition of existential disorientation in a rapidly changing world. The novel demonstrates that geographical movement does not necessarily lead to self-discovery; rather, it often intensifies feelings of estrangement and fragmentation. Through satire, irony, and symbolic travel, Bail reveals the complexity of modern human consciousness and the difficulties individuals face in constructing stable identities. Keywords: psychological experience, alienation, displacement, identity, homesickness, Murray Bail, Australian literature