024412 English Study 2: Images of Australia, the Place and the People - Literary Representations in Prose, Poetry and Drama

This subject introduces a broad study of Australian literature within a context of the literature of place. There are considerations of such concepts as: Australia as an alien place, as the place of 'exiles at home'; the bush mystique and the dream of paradise; Aboriginal and multicultural Australia; literary representations of the Australian male ('mates' and the 'dinkum Aussie') and female (a crisis of identity for 'the drover's wife'); mindscape and landscape; and the notion of a 'subjective Australia'. Prose, poetry and drama are studied. A wide range of material is discussed, but there is particular reference to the selected texts. Students are expected to develop and demonstrate an understanding of a range of literary concepts and research skills in the fields of literature and literary theory.