Re-Writing Women (ENGL3651 )
Semester 1, Semester 2 / 2011

Texts

Room Of One's Own!$!Woolf, Virginia!$! !$!Penguin!$!
Powerbook!$!Winterson!$! !$!Vintage!$!
The Midnight!$!Howe!$! !$!New Directions!$!
Yellow Wallpaper And Selected Writings!$!Gilman-perkins!$! !$!Virago!$!
Eros!$!Carson!$! !$!Dalkey Archive Press!$!
Possession !$!A.S. Byatt!$! !$!Vintage!$!
y separately published work icon The Intimate Archive : Journeys through Private Papers Maryanne Dever , Ann Vickery , Sally Newman , Canberra : National Library of Australia , 2009 Z1585821 2009 single work criticism (taught in 1 units)

'Intimate Archives explores the issues involved in using archival material to research the personal lives of public people, in this case of Australian writers Marjorie Barnard (1897-1987), Alieen Palmer (1915-1988) and Lesbia Harford (1891-1927). The book gives an insight into the romantic experiences of the three female writers, based on their private letters, diaries and notebooks held in the National Library of Australia and other public institutions.

Maryanne Dever, Ann Vickery and Sally Newman consider the ethical dilemmas of researching private material and discovering the "truths" revealed within. In this sense, the book is both an introverted contemplation of private affairs and an extroverted meditation on the right to acquire and assume intimate knowledge.' (Publisher's blurb)

y separately published work icon Stravinsky's Lunch Drusilla Modjeska , Sydney : Picador , 1999 Z892999 1999 single work biography (taught in 1 units)
y separately published work icon My Brilliant Career Miles Franklin , Edinburgh London : William Blackwood , 1901 Z161522 1901 single work novel (taught in 56 units)

'My Brilliant Career was written by Stella Franklin (1879-1954) when she was just nineteen years old. The novel struggled to find an Australian publisher, but was published in London and Edinburgh in 1901 after receiving an endorsement from Henry Lawson. Although Franklin wrote under the pseudonym 'Miles Franklin', Lawson’s preface makes it clear that Franklin is, as Lawson puts it 'a girl.'

'The novel relates the story of Sybylla Melvyn, a strong-willed young woman of the 1890s growing up in the Goulburn area of New South Wales and longing to be a writer.' (Publication summary)

Nights At The Circus!$!Carter, Angela!$! !$!!$!

Description

Examines work by women writers since approximately 1900, focusing primarily on narratives of female identity by English and Australian writers. It considers in particular the attempts by modern and contemporary women writers to situate their characters--in some cases themselves--in relation to traditional female roles in western (or western-influenced) cultures. We shall consider the ways in which women's stories and fiction draw on existing narratives of the female life to revise those narratives, and also examine the process of such reflection in poetry, essay, or biography.

The course will examine a range of literary works by women writers since approximately 1900, moving chronologically. We will focus primarily on narratives of female identity by English and Australian writers, though some other Anglophone works may be included, and will also consider feminist theoretical and critical debates in recent years.

Assessment

2000-word essay 30% Written assignment in form of academic critical essay discussing aspects of modern (early to mid 20th-century) literary works; 3000-word essay 40% Written assignment in form of academic critical/research essay discussing aspects of contemporary literary works; Three 1000-word reports 10% each - total 30% Written analyses each of an aspect of a text in detail; at least one report must be on a modern writer and one on a contemporary writer. Students must submit all assessment items in order to complete the course.

Other Details

Current Campus: Callaghan Campus, Ourimbah
Levels: Undergraduate
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