This study compares and contrasts the representation of women in the writings of two novelists, one Canadian and one Australian, one a man and the other a woman -- showing the similarities between the concerns of women who live in different cultures and situations. The three major obstacles that the protagonists encounter in their quests are: (1) restrictions posed by family, (2) by society in general, and (3) by institutionalised religion. These restrictions forms the basis for discussion in chapters one, two and three. "Women and Spiritual Quest", the fourth chapter, sets to examine the spiritual and religious implications of the quests. The set of frames used include aspects of Vedants and Existentialism. The fifth chapter "Individuation Women in Patrick White and Margaret Lawrence" explores the self-awareness of the protagonists in the Jungian sense. The next discusses the concepts of "doubling" and "time" which highlight the themes discussed in the other chapters from the point of view of writing techniques.

Dr V Bharathi is currently a Lecturer in English at L D Arts College, Ahmedabad, India.