The Boat
Camberwell
:
Hamish Hamilton
,
2008
Z1495449
2008
selected work
short story
(taught in 42 units)
'In the magnificent opening story, "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice," a young writer is urged by his friends to mine his father's experiences in Vietnam - and what seems at first a satire on turning one's life into literary commerce becomes a transcendent exploration of homeland, and the ties between father and son. "Cartagena" provides a visceral glimpse of life in Colombia as it enters the mind of a fourteen-year-old hit man facing the ultimate test. In "Meeting Elise" an ageing New York painter mourns his body's decline as he prepares to meet his daughter on the eve of her Carnegie Hall debut. And with graceful symmetry, the final, title story returns to Vietnam, to a fishing trawler crowded with refugees where a young woman's bond with a mother and her small son forces both women to a shattering decision.' (From the author's website.)
Objectives
By the end of this course students will have:
1. An advanced comprehension of contemporary issues in English and creative writing.
2. Instruction and practice in the oral presentation of a research proposal.
3. An awareness of good practice in the design and presentation of a research project (either literary-critical or creative).
4. Acquired skills and methods necessary to undertake complex analysis and effective communication on topics in English and in creative writing.
5. Enhanced disciplinary knowledge by way of discussion of literary texts and readings.
Content
*Research project design
*Advanced skills development:
-- Formal oral presentation, and discussion
-- Essay writing
*Close study and discussion of texts and readings
+Honours - long research essay or major creative project will be 15,000 words.
