Michael Wilding

Joseph Furphy's Such Is Life

Introduction

Joseph furphy's such is life. Explore Joseph Furphy's "Such Is Life" and its sardonic opening, "Unemployed at last!". This analysis delves into the implied social commentary, economic critique, and the powerful significance of the unsaid in the text.

Abstract

Joseph Furphy's Sltch is Life (1903) opens simply and clearly enough with that memorable, sardonic initial declaration: 'Unemployed at last!'~ The complex reaction of the relief from work, while at the same time the prospect of poverty nnd hunger; the sense of liberntion, while at the same time the hitter reflection that it is only through unemployment that working men nnd women can ever attain the state of leisure and relaxation nvailnhle to the upper classes: all this is succinctly implied. There is a lot said but not said, a lot of social observation and commentary on the economic situation. This is not said, but it is implied. The line of full stops that immediately follows the opening sentence marks an excision. Already, after only three words, an excision, an absence is indicated. It is the clue that indicates that there is the unsaid, the unwritten (or unprinted), to be taken account of in this text, as well as the printed word. The row of full stops may proclaim the absent rather obviously, signposting the existence of the unsaid or the omitted. That there is an absence is not something concealed. A row of full stops often indicates an excision, a censorship authorial or editorial, morn) or political or verbal. Proclaiming the existence of the excised indicates that this unwritten, this unexpressed, is no secret. It presupposes that the narrator and the readers know that a lot of things are continually suppressed and left unprinted or unsaid or unwritten. But this does not mean that they are not there. The absent is not the unknown of the Freudian unconscious: this is not an unknown whose very unknown existence is unknown and unknowable; rather, this is a public proclamation of absence, of the unprinted. It acknowledges the convention whereby certain things are not said or not written. At this point there is not any need to be more specific than that. 'Unemployed at last!' implies that the comment may be political, a comment on the economic organisation of society.

Review

This paper offers a focused and compelling analysis of the opening of Joseph Furphy's *Such Is Life*, centering on the profound implications of its initial declaration, 'Unemployed at last!', and the immediate, signifying ellipses that follow. The author argues persuasively that these few words and punctuation marks are not mere stylistic choices but rather a dense site of social, economic, and political commentary. The abstract posits that Furphy adeptly uses this textual 'excision' to imply a world of "unsaid" observations, revealing the complex realities of working life, leisure, and societal structures at the turn of the 20th century. One of the paper's key strengths, as outlined in the abstract, is its sophisticated engagement with the concept of absence. The distinction between a 'public proclamation of absence' and the 'unknown of the Freudian unconscious' is particularly insightful, demonstrating a nuanced understanding of textual suppression and implied meaning. By focusing on the material evidence of the full stops, the analysis effectively moves beyond surface-level interpretation to uncover the ideological and conventional underpinnings of what gets said, and crucially, what doesn't, in literary texts. This approach promises a rich exploration of how formal choices can articulate deep-seated societal dynamics. Overall, the abstract presents a highly promising and original line of inquiry that could significantly contribute to Furphy scholarship and broader discussions of literary modernism and social critique. While the abstract effectively lays out the core argument, a full paper would benefit from further elaboration on how this initial 'proclaimed absence' resonates and functions throughout the rest of *Such Is Life*, offering specific textual examples to substantiate its claims about political and economic commentary. Such an expansion would solidify its compelling theoretical framework and underscore the enduring relevance of Furphy’s work. This appears to be a well-conceived and potentially impactful piece of literary criticism.

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