User:WillCamp/sandbox

Martin Boyd's social image and views
The Boyd family were a family with considerable influence which extended not only throughout the state of Victoria, where Boyd grew up, but they also had a reputation and influence throughout Australia and Europe. They are known for their various contributions to the creative and literary arts but also had many links to the military and, through the a'Becketts, to legal affairs. One such individual who greatly contributed to Australian Literature is the famous author Martin Boyd. Being from an upper-middle class family predominantly associated with the creative arts, was a fundamental influence in the development of his identity and the sense of beauty that would later influence his literary style.

With the development and refinement of this artistic flare, Boyd's novels soon gained the appreciation of many despite an inherent disinterest in Australian literature. His social comedies provided colourful characters in understandable if not relatable settings.

Social Views
Boyd as an Australian gentleman was quite outspoken in his beliefs and morals. The publication of his two autobiographies, and to a lesser extent the biographies detailing his life and his novels are riddled with his opinions and beliefs on society and the contemporary issues of the time.

One of the foremost beliefs that influenced Boyd and his works is that of religion. So strong were his beliefs that prior to his debut as an author he gave careful consideration to the possibility to joining the church. Despite his move towards literature, his religious beliefs and morals played a big part in many of his works. This is evident with his repeated reference to the religious encounters in his autobiographies and the use of religious figures in his fictional works.

Research indicates that a major part of the reason for Boyd's success, despite a disinterest in Australian literature, was his strong religious beliefs and morals which resonated with the views societies had at the time. In particular it brought focus back to these important issues which had began to fade due to an adoption of more materialistic values. He later proceeded to express his disdain for the adoption of these purely materialistic values and the self importance that riddled the aristocracy at the time.

Another major issue surrounding Boyd's values was his disapproval for the supposed blind patriotism encouraged during his education and military service. In his autobiographies he notes how such practices took attention from required skills and left many students disillusioned, particularly many of the young Englishmen facing the possibility of life on the street with no employment opportunities.This may in part be related to the sense of enstrangement between Boyd and Australia as he found himself torn between the old world and the new one.

Behaviour
One of the defining elements to Boyd was his reputation as a social enigma. This can mainly be traced between the contrast between the professional aspects of his life and the socially deviant behaviour and rumours that surrounded his personal life.

One such behavioural trait was his inability to remain in one place for an extended amount of time, which he himself referred to as wanderlust. Throughout his life he took up residence in a variety of places throughout Australia and Europe. Because of this trait, Boyd was often considered a travelled individual, even publishing his own travel book, and extended his social influence to many of the new locations where he took up residence. However his well known wanderlust also contributed a sense of restlessness to his social peers and raised the issue of his inability to settle down and take a wife.

The fact he never married was coupled with rumours and reports of behaviour deviant to that expected from a gentleman and popular author in his position began to raise questions and doubts about his sexual tendencies. The suspicions were centred around his close relationships with those of the same sex, in particular he was suspected of having an illicit relationship with a young Italian boy by the name of Luciano Trombini.

Despite the denial of Boyd and the lack of any substantial evidence these claims fundamentally changed views of Boyd and thus his literature. Unbeknownst to most of his readers however a few of Boyd's works had already been subjected to censorship and one novel had been refused publication for its homosexual content. Boyd had never been homophobic in his beliefs on the contrary he held positive views about the ancient Greek acceptance of brotherly love and referred to a sense of comradeship in relation to his war time experiences.

However it was not until well after his death that such issues were viewed without the sense of prejudice and taboo that were common during his time. It was then that multiple papers analysing the erotic and homosexual undertones of his works were published.

Wikipedia Pages

 * Thomas à Beckett
 * Arthur Boyd
 * Boyd Family
 * Penleigh Boyd