Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature
Nicholas Jose
(editor),
Kerryn Goldsworthy
(editor),
Anita Heiss
(editor),
David McCooey
(editor),
Peter Minter
(editor),
Nicole Moore
(editor),
Elizabeth Webby
(editor),
Crows Nest
:
Allen and Unwin
,
2009
Z1590615
2009
anthology
correspondence
diary
drama
essay
extract
poetry
prose
short story
(taught in 23 units)
'Some of the best, most significant writing produced in Australia over more than two centuries is gathered in this landmark anthology. Covering all genres - from fiction, poetry and drama to diaries, letters, essays and speeches - the anthology maps the development of one of the great literatures in English in all its energy and variety.
'The writing reflects the diverse experiences of Australians in their encounter with their extraordinary environment and with themselves. This is literature of struggle, conflict and creative survival. It is literature of lives lived at the extremes, of frontiers between cultures, of new dimensions of experience, where imagination expands.
'This rich, informative and entertaining collection charts the formation of an Australian voice that draws inventively on Indigenous words, migrant speech and slang, with a cheeky, subversive humour always to the fore. For the first time, Aboriginal writings are interleaved with other English-language writings throughout - from Bennelong's 1796 letter to the contemporary flowering of Indigenous fiction and poetry - setting up an exchange that reveals Australian history in stark new ways.
'From vivid settler accounts to haunting gothic tales, from raw protest to feisty urban satire and playful literary experiment, from passionate love poetry to moving memoir, the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature reflects the creative eloquence of a society.
'Chosen by a team of expert editors, who have provided illuminating essays about their selections, and with more than 500 works from over 300 authors, it is an authoritative survey and a rich world of reading to be enjoyed.' (Publisher's blurb)
Allen and Unwin have a YouTube channel with a number of useful videos on the Anthology.
This course is about the building of the Australian continent and the story of its original people. As part of the planet the story of Australia is intimately linked with the history of the Earth itself. The building of Australia occurred through Earth Systems which is the integration of land, water, earth and atmosphere. In the first part of the course we will learn about these systems which form continents and drive evolution. Australia is arguably the oldest continent on Earth and it is unique. It is the only isolated continent and its animals and plants are a product of the isolation that took place when it separated from the mega-continent Gondwana. Before we put people on the continent we have to understand the landscape and environment on which those people thrived. Understanding that construct will enable us to understand what made the First Australians so successful. In the second part of the course we turn to that process and examine how those people developed and we take a look at various aspects of their culture, lifestyle, health and interaction both with each other and between them and their environment. They developed a unique way of life which involved a deep understanding of their environment, fitting in with their surroundings which differed in various parts of the continent, and balancing their lifestyle with climatic extremes and the sometimes harsh nature of Australia.
Tutorial Attendance 5%
Mid-term Exam 45%
Final Exam 50%
