Units: EL Literature

EL216 /316 Australian Literature and the Postcolonial Change (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
A focus on exciting and innovative developments in Australian fiction, poetry and drama since is a feature of this unit. A study is made of the movement away from the intense nationalism and the realism characteristic of Australian literature in the early years of the twentieth century. Students consider the ways in which the spiritual and cultural uncertainties of contemporary Australian life are reflected in the literature and film of the period and explore contemporary attitudes to history, myth, memory, imagination and a changing awareness of 'place' in the national consciousness. Films include Mad Max, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and The Castle.

EL306 Australian Theatre and Cinema (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
The course is really divided into two distinct areas, though there will be major areas of comparison. In studying Australian film, students will examine both historical and contemporary films with an emphasis on their expression of Australian history and culture and how they reflect our society. Australian plays from the mid nineteenth century to the present day will be examined within a cultural and dramatic context. Texts will be selected to illustrate Australian themes as well as for differing dramatic styles. They will be explored from both a literary and performance perspective. Films will be viewed in class, so lectures will be 3 hours to accommodate viewing time.

EL103/203 Children's Literature
In this course, students examine literature from all over the world, told to or written for children, or by children. The course covers oral traditions, written texts from the eighteenth century onward and performance texts such as those composed for film, theatre and puppetry. In order to facilitate students' conceptualisation of children and their literature throughout history a number of field trips are undertaken. The finale to the course comprises the examination of contemporary children's literature.

EL251/351 Comparative Indigenous Literature (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
This unit pays particular attention to works by Aboriginal Australian, New Zealand Maori and Native North American peoples. Students examine cultural, spiritual and socio-political issues arising from the creation and production of Indigenous literatures, as well as our own mainstream socially and historically conditioned readings of them. The unit focuses on the dynamic use of language in Indigenous oral and written literatures and the development of forms of language better suited to their purposes than those traditionally promulgated by mainstream Western society. Texts include Keri Hulme's The Bone People, Roberta Sykes' Snake Cradle and Leslie Marmon Silko ' s Ceremony.

EL104 Disc. Literature 1: World Literatures Today (No Prerequisites. Essential for Major)
A variety of oral and written texts in English provides an introduction to the richness and diversity of the Literature program at Notre Dame Australia. Texts from Great Britain, the American continent, Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand and Singapore are incorporated in the unit. Students consider contemporary issues such as race, ethnicity and gender, and the way meanings are constructed from a vast and disparate body of writing in the context of the global village. The unit also offers a basic introduction to Literary Theory.

EL102 Disc. Literature 2: The Western Tradition (No Prerequisites. Essential for Major)
Representative selections from poetry, drama & fiction, from Chaucer to the turn of the 19th century, provide students with a broad background to Literature in English. The unit places emphasis on the development & critical analysis of literary forms & genres. Students who complete the unit successfully are in a sound position to make appropriate choices of units for further study of Literatures in English.

EL282/EL382 Power of Literature (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
This unit focuses on the power of words and the dynamic nature of literature in the context of the political nature of the acts of reading and writing. How useful are they in the ongoing battle for freedom and basic human rights? The unit examines some of the fiction and non-fiction written in English and originating in such areas as South Africa, Northern Ireland, Indonesia and the former Soviet Union. It considers the role of this literature in framing people's experiences and helping them to make sense of their political, religious and physical landscapes. The unit explores how we 'read' history in the making, how we separate it from cultural mythology, and the place of literature in efforts to achieve meaningful and lasting dialogue within and between torn and divided communities.

EL332 The Novel in English
The development of the novel in English from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century the focus of this unit. Students undertake a study of the relationship between individual works of fiction & the historical, social & cultural context in which they were written, & which they reflect. The implications of contemporary literary theory are considered in context & the unit promotes an appreciation of the complex movement from pleasure to understanding in the reading of fiction. Students develop skills in critical discernment through detailed textual analysis. Authors studied include Austen, Bronte, Hardy, Lawrence, & Tolkien.

EL302 The Theory & Practice of Creative Writing (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
In a theoretical, practical and experimental way The Theory and Practice of Creative Writing aims to develop students' appreciation of the workings and rapidly changing conventions of the written word, as well as stimulating their imagination and cultivating a more comprehensive understanding of the art of communication. This unit focuses on the writer's craft as exemplified by a selection of Australian, American and English fiction, ranging from prose and poetry to performance texts. Students will be required to present, discuss and analyse their own and each other's creative writing. In doing so, they will be required to illustrate a knowledge of both theoretical and non-theoretical works. It is hoped that they will develop a better appreciation of the disciplined nature of 'literary' work, in a unit which is designed to make them better creative writers, better literary scholars and more effective communicators.

EL105 Theory and Practice of Modern Theatre
This unit will examine popular dramatic forms from the mid nineteenth century to the more contemporary plays of the early twentieth century. It will examine realism and naturalism and the audience reaction to it. How social change and pressure lead on to Expressionism, Surrealism, Absurdism and Epic Theatre. There will be a focus on critical analysis of texts as well as opportunities to further enhance understanding through performance. Teaching mode will comprise of lectures, tutorials and performance workshops.

EL231 / 331 Classical and Romantic Poetry (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
This unit covers the period in English poetry from the Elizabethan age to the early decades of the twentieth century. Representative forms and genres are considered, including epic, narrative and lyrical poetry and the nature and purpose of verse satire. The unit includes a study of the social and intellectual context of English poetry during this period.

EL232/332 The Novel in English (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
The development of the novel in English from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century the focus of this unit. Students undertake a study of the relationship between individual works of fiction and the historical, social and cultural context in which they were written, and which they reflect. The implications of contemporary literary theory are considered in context and the unit promotes an appreciation of the complex movement from pleasure to understanding in the reading of fiction. Students develop skills in critical discernment through detailed textual analysis. Authors studied include Austen, Bronte, Hardy, Lawrence, and Tolkien.

EL241/341 Drama in the Age of Shakespeare (Prerequisite: Completion of 1st Year)
This unit involves a close study of a significant number of Shakespeare’s histories, tragedies and comedies. These plays are considered in the context of the variety of Elizabethan and Jacobean stages for which they were written, and on which they were performed. The plays of Shakespeare are studied in the context of the comedies and tragedies of some of his contemporaries – Christopher Marlowe, John Webster, Cyril Tourneur and Ben Jonson.