Texts

form y separately published work icon Road to Nhill Alison Tilson , ( dir. Sue Brooks ) Australia : Gecko Films , 1996 Z1498385 1996 single work film/TV humour (taught in 1 units)

A comedy of accidents, life, death, the universe, and a bad corner on the road to Nhill, the story begins with three cars filled with women bowlers on their way home to the Victorian town of Pyramid Hill (population 550) after a tournament. When one of the cars and its four occupants don't return, the town embarks on a chaotic course of action to try to solve the mystery. Meanwhile, the four missing women bowlers, whose car has rolled on the deserted road, are coping fairly well--that is, until the local men and emergency services start trying to help.

y separately published work icon The Penguin Anthology of Australian Poetry John Kinsella (editor), Camberwell : Penguin , 2009 Z1553543 2009 anthology poetry (taught in 16 units)

'This is a comprehensive survey of Australian poetic achievement, ranging from early colonial and indigenous verse to contemporary work, from the major poets to those who deserve to be better recognised.' (Provided by the publisher).

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y separately published work icon Speaking from the Heart : Stories of Life, Family and Country Sally Morgan (editor), Tjalaminu Mia (editor), Blaze Kwaymullina (editor), North Fremantle : Fremantle Press , 2007 Z1386813 2007 anthology life story poetry (taught in 1 units) 'Eighteen Aboriginal Australians from across the country each share a powerful story which is central to their own lives, and to their family, community or country. Speaking from the Heart provides readers with a very personal picture of the history, culture and contemporary experience of Aboriginal Australia.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)
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y separately published work icon The One Day of the Year : A Novel Alan Seymour , London : Souvenir Press , 1967 Z73558 1967 single work novel (taught in 1 units)
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y separately published work icon Bobbin Up : A Novel Dorothy Hewett , Melbourne : Australasian Book Society , 1959 Z813008 1959 single work novel (taught in 7 units) A classic novel about urban working-class life in 1950s Australia, combining the shifting narrative viewpoint pioneered by Modernism with a relentless realist mode. The book abounds with portraits of working women, married and unmarried, middle-aged and young, zestful and tired. These varied existences form the collective hero of the novel whose social message has lost nothing of its urgency. (Source: Trove)
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y separately published work icon Johnno : A Novel David Malouf , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1975 Z25348 1975 single work novel (taught in 9 units)

'Dante and Johnno are unlikely childhood friends, growing up in the bustle of steamy, wartime Brisbane. Later, as teenagers, they learn about love and life amidst the city's pubs and public libraries, backyards and brothels, Moreton Bay figs and tennis parties. As adults, they make the great pilgrimage overseas and maintain an uneasy friendship as they seek to build their lives.

'An affectionate and bittersweet portrait, Johnno brilliantly recreates the sleazy, tropical half-city that was Brisbane and captures a generation locked in combat with the elusive Australian dream.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Penguin).

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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.)

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y separately published work icon The Getting of Wisdom Henry Handel Richardson , London : Heinemann , 1910 Z901329 1910 single work novel (taught in 25 units)

'A coming-of-age story of a spontaneous heroine who finds herself ensconced in the rigidity of a turn-of-the-century boarding school. The clever and highly imaginative Laura has difficulty fitting in with her wealthy classmates and begins to compromise her ideals in her search for popularity and acceptance.' (From the publisher's website.)

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Description

Outcomes: Students gain (1) an understanding of the tradition of social critique that runs through Australian literature; (2) an increased knowledge of Australian literature through close study of fiction, poetry and other major genres; (3) a critical ability to evaluate the way cultural discourses are constructed in key texts by Australian writers from a variety of backgrounds; (4) an informed understanding of nationalist and other ideologies in Australian culture; (5) improved oral communication skills through tutorial presentation and participation; (6) improved written communication skills through the completion of two written assessments; and (7) university-level research skills.

Content: Literature and film have been major vehicles for constructing national identity in Australia but have also been vital instruments of cultural critique. This unit examines key elements of the 'Australian Legend'mateship, egalitarianism, rebelliousnessas they are articulated and subverted in Aboriginal, English/Celtic and migrant texts. Poetry, fiction, drama and film from My Brilliant Career to The True History of the Kelly Gang have created sites for the subversion of inherited forms and dominant ideologies, and for the imaginative exploration of alternative realities

Assessment

This comprises a research essay, a shorter written assignment and a tutorial presentation plus participation in tutorial discussions.

Other Details

Current Campus: Crawley
Levels: Undergraduate
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