Cirrus@Austlit

'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)