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dc.contributor.authorJackson, Blair Millard
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-02T01:13:41Z
dc.date.available2021-12-02T01:13:41Z
dc.date.issued2021en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2123/27105
dc.description.abstractThis thesis, comprising a creative component and exegesis, examines and critiques Australian laws relating to killing by omission. It traces some of the fictive techniques I adopted in an attempt to produce an affective and embodied reading experience of this legal space. The creative work comprises seven short stories, some connected by a common character. They explore specific reasons people fail to act to help others in danger. The stories are influenced by Australian laws relating to omission and criticise what I perceive to be the unjustifiable state of the law. In an attempt to produce an affective reading experience of omission, the creative work explores the limits of the “show don’t tell” technique and tests how the omission of a character’s consciousness can produce a reading experience of catharsis. The exegesis traces the development of my ideas relating to killing by omission and the fictive strategies I employed. I examine the history of Australian laws relating to killing by omission in an attempt to expose the laws as arbitrary, anachronistic, and immoral. I also attempt to establish clear lines of influence from the legal concepts to my fiction. The exegesis identifies a shift in my creative work from a focus on legal critique to the production of fictive effects, namely emotion. My work contributes to the ongoing debate about the need to reform Australian laws relating to killing by omission. It seeks to do this by reminding people of the tragic consequences omissions can have on those we care about most. Accordingly, this thesis may interest people working in law reform, law and literature researchers, and fiction writers and researchers interested in literary omission. Ultimately, the development of my creative work involved significant negotiation between legal criticism and aesthetic demands. At the fore, however, was a desire to create an emotional and persuasive fictive world.en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.subjectomissionen_AU
dc.subjectcrimeen_AU
dc.subjectlawen_AU
dc.subjectAustraliaen_AU
dc.subjectfictionen_AU
dc.subjectfail to acten_AU
dc.titleWhere were you when I needed you? Omission in law and fictionen_AU
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.thesisMasters by Researchen_AU
dc.rights.otherThe author retains copyright of this thesis. It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. It must not be used for any other purposes and may not be transmitted or shared with others without prior permission.en_AU
usyd.facultySeS faculties schools::Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences::School of Literature, Art and Mediaen_AU
usyd.departmentDepartment of Englishen_AU
usyd.degreeMaster of Arts (Research) M.A.(Res.)en_AU
usyd.awardinginstThe University of Sydneyen_AU
usyd.advisorCastles, Belinda


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