AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS IN THOMAS KENEALLY’S BY THE LINE (Pages 01-06) by Mrs. C. Shola Fernando* and Dr. K. Thanikasalam** in THE ENGLISH INDIA / ISSN: 2321-1172 (Online); 2347-2634 (Print)

Thomas Keneally, the Living Treasure of Australia, has attained a prominent status in Literature by sketching a variety of issues that had happened in and around him. By the Line, the autobiographical memoir of Thomas Keneally, is a fabulous story which recounts his past, portrays a self-revealed personality focusing on his own individual life. Thomas Keneally, an Irish born Australian and an ex-seminarian takes liberty in acknowledging the dominance of Irish clergymen in the Australianhomas Keneally, the Living Treasure of Australia, has attained a prominent status in Literature by sketching a variety of issues that had happened in and around him. By the Line, the autobiographical memoir of Thomas Keneally, is a fabulous story which recounts his past, portrays a self-revealed personality focusing on his own individual life. Thomas Keneally, an Irish born Australian and an ex-seminarian takes liberty in acknowledging the dominance of Irish clergymen in the Australianchurch. His family migrated from Ireland to Australia, mainly for employment and the fact that his father joined the armed force. This book By the Line is the self-revelation and the soul-reflection of the real life story of Thomas Keneally. It precisely epitomizes a retrospective probe concerning his existence. It is Daniel Jordan, the protagonist’s perspective that can be traced back to the memories of Keneally. The entire book is a self-evaluation of Keneally’s anxieties, desires, struggle and inner conflict. The main criteria of an autobiographical novel include self-evaluation and introspection. These aspects are explicit in this autobiographical note of Keneally. This paper attempts to survey the story of Daniel Jordan and reflect on the past in order to better understand the present.Keywords: Autobiographical memoir, self-revealed personality, ex-seminarian, self-revelation and the soul-reflection, struggle and inner conflict, autobiographical note etc.