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GOTHIC LITERATURE

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay [1967]
This ancient mamelon long sacred to several Aboriginal Australian tribes: the Djadja Wurrung, Wurundjeri, and Taungurong. Know loacally as Hanging Rock, it was the inspiration and setting for the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, written by Joan Lindsay and published in 1967. The novel dealt with the disappearance of a number of schoolgirls during a visit to the site. Their disappearance was explained in the final chapter, but Lindsay deleted this chapter at the suggestion of her editor, thinking the mystery was greater without it.

Novel: "Picnic at Hanging Rock" by Joan Lindsay

Available from the library [Copyright]

Related Links

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LitHub: On the Published ending Horror in Australian Cinema

The natural landscape as 'character' in "Picnic at Hanging Rock" by Joan Lindsay

"Hanging Rock was the inspiration and setting for the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, written by Joan Lindsay and published in 1967. The novel dealt with the disappearance of a number of schoolgirls during a visit to the site. Their disappearance was explained in the final chapter, but Lindsay deleted this chapter at the suggestion of her editor, thinking the mystery was greater without it.

The novel inspired the film Picnic at Hanging Rock, made in 1975 and directed by Peter Weir. The success of the film was responsible for a substantial increase in visits to the rock and a renewal of interest in the novel. Yvonne Rousseau wrote a book called The Murders at Hanging Rock, published in 1980, which examined possible explanations for the disappearance of the girls.

As a result of the increased interest, the deleted final chapter of the novel was finally published in 1987 as The Secret of Hanging Rock." Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Rock,_Victoria

Hanging Rock is an actual place near Mt Macedon in Victoria.

Videos

Theme to Picnic at Hanging Rock movie

The soundtrack from the film Picnic at Hanging Rock added to the mystery, suspense and fear in the film. Listen to it here.

SOURCE: Youtube, Uploaded on Nov 13, 2010

Picnic at Hanging Rock [1975, Directed by Peter Weir]

An excursion to Hanging Rock, north of Melbourne, on Valentine's Day , 1901 turns sour when three schoolgirls (among them Helen Morse) and their teacher go missing. What happened to them?

SOURCE: ABC1 (2009), posted on ClickView, Rated: PG, Duration: 1:47:10 mins, URL: https://clickv.ie/w/dnhi

Australian Gothic [Prezi]

Published with reusable license by Stephanie Coleman, September 14, 2018.

Australian National Cinema: Picnic at Hanging Rock (Video Essay)

An exploration of Picnic at Hanging Rock as a Renaissance and Australian National Cinema film.

SOURCE: Shanon Meilak (2017) posted on YouTube, [8:15 mins] URL: https://youtu.be/ivxb1tyDiCs

The Making of Picnic at Hanging Rock [Series, 2018]

Go behind the scenes of the gripping new six-part series Picnic at Hanging Rock, the incredible production which re-imagines Joan Lindsay's classic novel for a modern audience. The 6 episodes of this series (Rated M) are available from ClickView.

SOURCE: Showcase (2018), posted on ClickView, Rated PG, [24:42 mins], URL: https://clickv.ie/w/L8dq

FILM: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Peter Weir [Director]

Biography: Peter Weir [Director] Essay: Is Australian gothic unique Peter Weir's "Picnic": An analysis