Cleaver Greene: The legal larrikin on Australian screens

Abstract

This chapter argues that the ABC series Rake (2010-18) challenges an Australian viewership’s reverence for larrikinism through the subversion of liberal legal moralism. Cleaver Greene is a larrikin lawyer who draws upon Australian myths, causing viewers to confront them through his personal and professional practices. Cleaver is a larrikin: a descendant of Australian convict settlers who were opposed to legal institutions. He also borrows traits from the rake-hero, a character based on the idle and spendthrift sons of English aristocracy. By straddling this boundary, Cleaver forces Australian viewers to confront their cultural beliefs and demonstrates how privileged white men can avoid censure and punishment through a performance of larrikinism. The chapter presents the history and context of larrikinism in Australian culture and literature, evaluates how larrikinism is simultaneously revered and repudiated in Rake and demonstrates how Cleaver challenges legal moral liberalism in order to defend his privileged white clients. The chapter concludes with a reflection on Rake’s short-lived adaptation for US audiences.