Australian Literature and Film
This unit will develop critical approaches to literature and film by a comparative discussion of films and the Australian literary texts from which they derive. The two modes will be compared for their formal and representational similarities and differences; there will be a particular focus on the social and cultural contexts of works studied, issues of national identity and postcoloniality.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of this unit students should be able to:
1. demonstrate an increased understanding of the narrative methods of written and filmic texts and appropriate analytical techniques and skills;
2. make critical comparisons between literary texts and films with an understanding of both the modes and constraints of the verbal and visual media;
3. demonstrate an increased understanding of the influences of culture and society on the production of written texts and film;
4. make literary - critical analyses incorporating notions of national identity and postcoloniality.
UNIT CONTENT
1. Study of selected literary texts in the context of their film versions: problems of interpretation; the limits of each medium.
2. Setting, character, plot, theme, style: their realisation within a socio-cultural context in literary texts and film.
3. The methodological differences between film and literary texts: resources of the written/visual media; problems of time and sequence; language and visual image.
4. Study of selected theories of national identity and postcoloniality.
Essay - 30%
Seminar Presentation - 40%
Examination - 30%
