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Original Title:	For the Term of his Natural Life
ISBN:	1406512036 (ISBN13: 9781406512038)
Edition Language:	English

For the Term of His Natural Life

Marcus Clarke

Paperback | Pages: 528 pages

Rating: 3.94 | 2410 Users | 140 Reviews

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“We convicts have the advantage over you gentlemen. You are afraid of death; we pray for it. It is the best thing that can happen to us. Die! They were going to hang me once. I wish they had. My God, I wish they had!”

For The Term Of His Natural Life is the best-known novel by Australian author, Marcus Clarke. It was first published in 1874, although it began as a serialised novel titled His Natural Life, published in the Australian Journal. Text Publishing have produced a handsome volume under their Text Classics banner.

There are significant differences in the plot between the original (unabridged) edition and later editions of this novel; the first book has been reduced to a prologue; the text has been condensed into a much more readable form, and much of the (frankly, boring and often unimportant) detail has been omitted; and the ending is completely different. Thus, for example, in excess of 150 pages of book 2 of the original edition are reduced to a much more manageable 75 pages in this edition.

Clarke managed to pack a lot into his novel: perhaps as it began in serialised form, each episode needed some drama: a parental estrangement, a very rich will, a secret identity, a wrongful conviction, transport on a convict ship, a mutiny, another wrongful conviction, flogging, suicide attempts, multiple escape attempts (at least one involving cannibalism), another mutiny, abandonment on a deserted shore, the construction of a coracle, yet another wrongful conviction, many years of penal servitude, the claiming of an inheritance by an imposter, quite a few confessions and a shipwreck.

This novel has been described as the Australian Count of Monte Cristo and while it is considered an Australian Classic, as historical fiction, it is not really up to the standard of Dumas’s writing. The most exciting chapters, by far, are those detailing the escape from Port of Arthur of convict, John Rex. It is filled with improbable coincidences, and while he draws on many real occurrences in Tasmania’s history, Clarke’s emphasis is on the cruelty of convict life. Rufus Dawes is one very unlucky man!

This book will appeal to those who enjoy Australian historical fiction written from the closer perspective of fifty years as opposed to almost one hundred and fifty. A map of the relevant parts would have been helpful, but Wikipedia serves equally, these days. Text Classics include an introduction by author, Rohan Wilson and an evocative cover by the talented WH Chong. A beautiful edition of an Aussie Classic.

List Appertaining To Books For the Term of His Natural Life

Title	:	For the Term of His Natural Life
Author	:	Marcus Clarke
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Anniversary Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 528 pages
Published	:	December 1st 2006 by Dodo Press (first published 1874)
Categories	:	Classics. Fiction. Cultural. Australia. Historical. Historical Fiction

Rating Appertaining To Books For the Term of His Natural Life

Ratings: 3.94 From 2410 Users | 140 Reviews

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Brutal and at times harrowing, this book provides a raw and realistic account of convict life in Colonial Australia.

When you read this you realise why your family is so screwy. An historical fiction of one of the world's greatest sociological experiments: the prison colonies known as Australia.

While I thought the prose was a bit dated and slow to follow in some parts, the chapter order chopped and changed regularly, and also it was hard to time and date passages, which contributed to not being able to determine the duration of some events. While all of the above, this is brilliant piece of work which reminded me of Ken Follets Pillars of the Earth i.e. down and out champion who hangs in there by a thread only divide and conquer - not quite, as he never had revenge on those who

For the Term of His Natural Life may not normally be classified as a sensation novel, but I'd call it one. It begins like a soap opera with the main character being disinherited by his wealthy father, and features many coincidences and plot twists that you'd expect from the genre.Unfortunately, it seems a much better author wrote the prologue and gave up after that. Clarke's style can make anything boring, even the abuses common in "transportation" and penal colonies. There's so much repetition,

Glad to see other reviewers mention The Count of Monte Cristo. I felt strong influence from that, and from Les Mis -- no worse for it, but rather an argument for unabashed influence. It was also an argument for pulp fiction, because it puts its pulp to great uses. A cracking read (I pinched that adjective from another review, but it's exactly right). This Penguin edition entitles itself just His Natural Life, which restores an original irony. It has a confused publishing history, but this,

What do you say about a novel that is considered a nascent classic of your nation's literature? It's been a movie and a TV mini-series (most probably a radio drama before that)... what else can I say, but it's great.But... it was not till the last quarter of the 500+ page novel, that I realised I was reading greatness. My initial thoughts were: this is clunky - very old (true, the novel was published in 1874); there's too much repetition, could do with better editing; very melodramatic - very

Poignant and tender, Marcus Clarke's novel depicts both the ugliness and resilience of man. Its depiction of the harsh realities during early settlement, has ensured its status as an important Australian classic.Accused of a crime he did not commit, Richard Devine- an English aristocrat, is sentenced to life imprisonment at the penal colony of Tasmania. Taking on a new identity (to save his mother grief and shame), the now Rufus Dawes sails to Van Diemen's Land on board a convict ship. What he