His Natural Life
For the Term of His Natural Life
1870-1872
Z1032375
1870-1872
single work
novel
(taught in 15 units)
'Scarcely out of print since the early 1870s, For the Term of His Natural Life has provided successive generations with a vivid account of a brutal phase of colonial life. The main focus of this great convict novel is the complex interaction between those in power and those who suffer, made meaningful because of its hero's struggle against his wrongful imprisonment. Elements of romance, incidents of family life and passages of scenic description both relieve and give emphasis to the tragedy that forms its heart.' (Publication summary : Penguin Books 2009)
This course examines a range of Australian literary, theatrical and cinematic crime narratives from the 19th century to the present. It explores Australian literary, stage and screen history through the ideas of crime and the criminal, introducing students to key 19th and 20th century Australian texts and investigating the relationships between literature, ethics, law and society. It also introduces students to a range of critical approaches to reading generic or 'popular' fiction and film. Writers considered may include Marcus Clarke, Mary Fortune, Fergus Hume, Peter Temple, Doris Pilkington and Andrew McGahan.
Prescribed text edition note from Course Summary:
Marcus Clarke, For the Term of His Natural Life (Penguin or UQP).
