Jane Austen. Northanger Abbey.
H. G. Wells. The War of the Worlds.
Jennifer Egan. A Visit from the Goon Squad.
The Aunt's Story
London
:
Routledge
,
1948
Z470389
1948
single work
novel
(taught in 27 units)
'With the death of her mother, middle-aged Theodora Goodman contemplates the desert of her life. Freed from the trammels of convention, she leaves Australia for a European tour and becomes involved with the residents of a small French hotel. But creating other people's lives, even in love and pity, can lead to madness. Her ability to reconcile joy and sorrow is an unbearable torture to her. On the journey home, Theodora finds there is little to choose between the reality of illusion and the illusion of reality. She looks for peace, even if it is beyond the borders of insanity.' (From the publisher's website.)
True History of the Kelly Gang
St Lucia
:
University of Queensland Press
,
2000
Z668312
2000
single work
novel
historical fiction
(taught in 29 units)
'"I lost my own father at 12 yr. of age and know what it is to be raised on lies and silences my dear daughter you are presently too young to understand a word I write but this history is for you and will contain no single lie may I burn in Hell if I speak false."
'In TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG, the legendary Ned Kelly speaks for himself, scribbling his narrative on errant scraps of paper in semi-literate but magically descriptive prose as he flees from the police. To his pursuers, Kelly is nothing but a monstrous criminal, a thief and a murderer. To his own people, the lowly class of ordinary Australians, the bushranger is a hero, defying the authority of the English to direct their lives. Indentured by his bootlegger mother to a famous horse thief (who was also her lover), Ned saw his first prison cell at 15 and by the age of 26 had become the most wanted man in the wild colony of Victoria, taking over whole towns and defying the law until he was finally captured and hanged. Here is a classic outlaw tale, made alive by the skill of a great novelist.' (From the publisher's website.)
The novel in English has been one of the most influential (and controversial) of modern literary forms. From the seventeenth century to the publicity surrounding the Booker Prize or the Oprah Book Club, readers and commentators have argued about the value and relevance of prose fiction: are novels ‘good' or ‘bad' for you?; how, why and should we get ‘lost' in a book?; what constitutes a novel in the first place?; does the novel have a future in the electronic age? This course is an introduction to the novel that explores these questions with reference to a selection of texts, ranging from the early nineteenth to the early twenty-first century. Novels to be studied will include: Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, Patrick White, The Aunt’s Story, Peter Carey, The True History of the Kelly Gang, Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad.
Essay (25%)
Essay (40%)
Final two-hour examination (25%)
Tutorial participation (10%)
