Elizabeth Jolley Character Analysis in The Boy Behind the Curtain

Elizabeth Jolley is one of the most prominent writers in 20th-century Australia and ’s writing teacher in college. Though Winton doesn’t immediately warm to Jolley and finds her sense of fashion and obsession with German art music alienating, she ends up being a touchstone in his creative journey, especially through her shrewd advice about the fickle publishing industry.

Elizabeth Jolley Character Timeline in The Boy Behind the Curtain

The timeline below shows where the character Elizabeth Jolley appears in The Boy Behind the Curtain. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

At the age of 18, Winton enrolls in a writing class at university. His teacher, Elizabeth Jolley, is different from what he expects from a university writing professor; she dresses in... (full context)

...Winton is at university, the writing course is still a work in progress, as is Elizabeth Jolley. Elizabeth is still struggling to break out as an artist, attempting to transcend barriers... (full context)

As Elizabeth becomes more successful, her headshots begin to change from a brighter, smiling expression to a... (full context)

When people ask Winton what it was like to be taught by Elizabeth Jolley, he’s reluctant to answer for fear of disrupting people’s ideas of her. The truth... (full context)

While Elizabeth’s student, Winton senses that Elizabeth defers to her husband’s taste and shares her favorite pieces... (full context)

Because Elizabeth has years of experience submitting work for publication, she’s pragmatic and disillusioned but also knows... (full context)

When Elizabeth launches her second collection in 1979, Winton attends with his girlfriend. By this time, he’s... (full context)