Seven Little Australians
London
Melbourne
:
Ward, Lock and Bowden
,
1894
Z863667
1894
single work
children's fiction
children's
(taught in 25 units)
'Without doubt Judy was the worst of the seven, probably because she was the cleverest.'
'Her father, Captain Woolcot, found his vivacious, cheeky daughter impossible – but seven children were really too much for him and most of the time they ran wild at their rambling riverside home, Misrule.
'Step inside and meet them all – dreamy Meg, and Pip, daring Judy, naughty Bunty, Nell, Baby and the youngest, 'the General'. Come and share in their lives, their laughter and their tears.' (From the publisher's website.)
The unit investigates the origins and generic features of traditional literatures such as myths and legends, folk and fairy tales, and hero tales, and their influence on the emergence of genres like fantasy and realism in modern childrens literature. The unit also examines the emergence of a social construct of childhood through the growing awareness, over time, of children as a distinct social group, as a publishing market, and as a responsibility of adult carers.
Course Aims:
This subject is intended to:
Examine the forms and structures of traditional literatures, and how they
are influenced by the cultural and social constructs of the society and time in which they developed.
Explore the dynamism of stories from historical to modern times.
Continue to develop students' awareness of current schema for
interpreting and responding to childrens literature
Consider the social, historical and cultural construction of the concept
of childhood.
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
Recognize and interpret current and future trends and developments in
various genres of literature for children;
Evaluate critically the derivative nature of stories and story-telling;
Be able to identify retellings and revisions of traditional and
classic stories;
Discern archetypes, symbols, structures and motifs from traditional
literatures present in current childrens and young adult literature;
Critique specific texts in terms of theoretical perspectives and
historical contexts.
Description: Students will choose a topic relevant to this unit, and research to build a collection of materials that would support scholarship on that topic. They will present it as an annotated list, giving the full bibliographic details and noting the content, relevance, and academic authority of each item.
Weight: 40%
Due Date: Week 5
Assessment name: Web site
Description: Students will develop a multi-page website on the same topic as considered in the bibliography exercise. Key focus will be the presentation of engaging, accurate and well analysed information on a topic, supported by efficient and extensive research.
Weight: 30%
Due Date: Week 9
Assessment name: Examination
Description: A formal examination based upon course material, texts and themes.
Weight: 30%
Due Date: End of semester exam period
