The Well
Ringwood
:
Viking
,
1986
Z385481
1986
single work
novel
(taught in 17 units)
'Miss Hester Harper, middle-aged and eccentric, brings Katherine into her emotionally impoverished life. Together they sew, cook gourmet dishes for two, run the farm, make music and throw dirty dishes down the well. One night, driving along the deserted track that leads to the farm, they run into a mysterious creature. They heave the body from the roo bar and dump it into the farm's deep well. But the voice of the injured intruder will not be stilled and, most disturbing of all, the closer Katherine is drawn to the edge of the well, the farther away she gets from Hester.' (From the publisher's website.)
This unit investigates diverse narrative strategies used within particular films in conjunction with the works of literature from which they have been adapted. It explores representations of ethnicity, class, gender and place in a broad conceptual framework of cultural studies. The unit also examines the structural process of adapting a literary text to film in the context of international and Australian film industries.
Presentation: 30%
Film analysis and narrative strategies critical exercise: 30%
Major essay: 40%
