The Riders
Encyclopedia
The Riders is a novel by Australian author Tim Winton
published in 1994. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1995.
retracing the steps of their previous travel, trying to find Jennifer and work out why she left them.
, Europe
, masculinity and trust. It also asks the question of self-identity, and how well you can ever truly know someone else.
The book draws on the European mythology of the Wild Hunt
, hence "The Riders".
Tim Winton
Timothy John "Tim" Winton , is an Australian novelist and short story writer.-Life:Winton was born in Perth, Western Australia, but moved at a young age to the regional city of Albany....
published in 1994. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1995.
Plot summary
The Riders tells the story of an Australian man, Fred Scully, and his 7 year old daughter Billie. Scully, as he is known, and his wife Jennifer have planned to move from Australia to a cottage they have purchased in Ireland. His wife and daughter are due to arrive in Ireland but at the airport only Billie arrives, traumatised and unable to tell her father what has happened or why her mother put her on the plane alone. The story then follows Scully and Billie as they travel around EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
retracing the steps of their previous travel, trying to find Jennifer and work out why she left them.
Themes and Symbols
The novel deals with ideas of architecture, AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, masculinity and trust. It also asks the question of self-identity, and how well you can ever truly know someone else.
The book draws on the European mythology of the Wild Hunt
Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt is an ancient folk myth prevalent across Northern, Western and Central Europe. The fundamental premise in all instances is the same: a phantasmal, spectral group of huntsmen with the accoutrements of hunting, horses, hounds, etc., in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground,...
, hence "The Riders".
External links
- Middlemiss.org Riders Page