Texts

y separately published work icon The Secret River Kate Grenville , Melbourne : Text Publishing , 2005 Z1194031 2005 single work novel historical fiction (taught in 69 units)

'In 1806 William Thornhill, a man of quick temper and deep feelings, is transported from the slums of London to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. With his wife Sal and their children he arrives in a harsh land he cannot understand.

'But the colony can turn a convict into a free man. Eight years later Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury to claim a hundred acres for himself.

'Aboriginal people already live on that river. And other recent arrivals - Thomas Blackwood, Smasher Sullivan and Mrs Herring - are finding their own ways to respond to them.

'Thornhill, a man neither better nor worse than most, soon has to make the most difficult choice of his life.

'Inspired by research into her own family history, Kate Grenville vividly creates the reality of settler life, its longings, dangers and dilemmas. The Secret River is a brilliantly written book, a groundbreaking story about identity, belonging and ownership.' (From the publisher's website.)

White Teeth!$! Smith, Zadie!$! !$! Vintage!$! 2001
The Quiet American!$! Greene, Graham!$! !$! Penguin!$! 2004
The Constant Gardener!$! Le Carre, John!$! !$! Scribner!$! 2005
Amsterdam!$! McEwan, Ian!$! !$! Vintage!$! 2005
American Rust!$! Meyer, Philipp!$! !$! Allen and Unwin!$! 2009

Description

This postgraduate unit is a key Creative Writing unit in the Masters program, and is open also to Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Honours students. This unit enables you to develop a sustained and coherent piece of work, and develop the analytical, practical and professional skills needed to work within this unique form. The unit is also designed to enable you to begin to develop a critical understanding of your own and others approaches to the writing life.

Aims

This unit aims to:

- familiarise you with the scope, challenges, philosophy and practices of writing a sustained creative work.

- enable you to develop an original and engaging novel

- develop your editorial skills

- provide you with a constructive and critical workshop experience in a blended learning environment

support you in developing a critical understanding of a professional writer's praxis, and use your critical engagement to further develop your own skills.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:

1. understand and engage with the novel as a literary form

2. critically understand a professional writer's writing praxis

3. critically understand your own novel writing praxis

4. produce a significant portion of an original novel

Content

This unit includes face-to-face and electronic learning environments designed to develop professional reading, editing and writing skills. The unit will enhance skills needed to develop, research, write and submit a novel to a professional agent or publisher.

Assessment

Assessment name: Chapter and Synopsis

Description: (Summative with Formative) A chapter of a novel. Length: 5000-7,000 word novel extract + synopsis (about 500 words)

Relates to objectives: 1, 3 & 4

Weight: 60%

Due date: End of Semester

Assessment name: Folio

Description: (Summative with Formative) An exegetical detailing your creative and critical influences. Length: 1500 words

Relates to objectives: 2, 3 & 4

Weight: 40%

Due date: End of Semester

Assessment name: Editorial Critique

Description: (Formative) A multi-phase assessment based on 3 requirements:

i.submission of your own work for peer assessment, at least 3 times during the semester

ii.active and engaged participation in small-group editorial discussions, including preparation and submission of critiques, and

iii.active and engaged participation in group discussions and in-class writing exercises.

Relates to objectives: 2, 3 & 4

Due date: Throughout Semester

Other Details

Offered in: 2009
Current Campus: Kelvin Grove
Levels: Postgraduate
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