Martin Boyd's novels affirm the European heritage of Australians and insist on the role of history and culture in maintaining civilized values. His interest in the relationship of Australians to the culture of Europe and his preoccupation with the twentieth-century decline of aristocratic values stands in opposition to the Australian nationalist literary tradition, which has stressed the distinctive qualities of Australians and their egalitarian ethos. Some Australian readers have dismissed Boyd's novels for their preoccupation with British class values and the social life of the English gentry. For the most part, Boyd wrote stylish social comedy, but he emerged in his later years as a novelist with passionate concerns about the decline of society.

Boyd came from a family with claims to the English landed gentry, though it is now better known for the number of Australian artists it has produced. Family artists include Martin Boyd's brothers, Penleigh...