'Writing Australian History On-screen: Television and Film Period Dramas "Down Under" reveals the depths of Australian history from convict times to the present day. The essays in this book are thematically driven and take a rounded historical-cultural-sociological-psychological approach in analyzing the various selected productions. In their analyses and interpretations of the topic, the contributors interrogate the intricacies in Australian history as represented in Australian filmic period drama, taken from an Australian perspective. Individually, and together as a body of authors, they highlight past issues that, despite the society’s changing attitudes over time, still have relevance for the Australia of today. In speaking to the subject, the contributing writers show a keen awareness that addressing new areas arising from the humanities is key to learning; and hence to developing an understanding of the Australian culture, the society, and sense of the ever-unfurling flag of an Australian something that is not yet a national identity.' (Publication summary)
'Writing Australian History On-Screen: Television and Film Period Dramas “Down Under” is a vital and lively edited collection that explores Australian history/histories through period productions from the early 1960s to the late 2010s. The essays take a largely thematic approach to their texts, framing them within what editors Jo Parnell and Julie Anne Taddeo describe as ‘a cultural-historical-sociological angle’ in order ‘to plumb the depths of Australian history in such a way that reveals the human factor behind and within that story’ (1). The contributors interrogate key moments and mythologies of Australian history, highlighting issues that continue to have relevance for contemporary Australia. In doing so the writers uniformly demonstrate a keen awareness of the crucial role of film and televisual texts in better understanding an evolving sense of Australian national identity.' (Introduction)
'Writing Australian History On-Screen: Television and Film Period Dramas “Down Under” is a vital and lively edited collection that explores Australian history/histories through period productions from the early 1960s to the late 2010s. The essays take a largely thematic approach to their texts, framing them within what editors Jo Parnell and Julie Anne Taddeo describe as ‘a cultural-historical-sociological angle’ in order ‘to plumb the depths of Australian history in such a way that reveals the human factor behind and within that story’ (1). The contributors interrogate key moments and mythologies of Australian history, highlighting issues that continue to have relevance for contemporary Australia. In doing so the writers uniformly demonstrate a keen awareness of the crucial role of film and televisual texts in better understanding an evolving sense of Australian national identity.' (Introduction)
