Prescribed Textbooks:
Barnes, J. (1986, rpt 2000) The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories, Penguin.
Hume, F. (1886, rpt 2006) The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, Sydney University Press (though any edition is ok).
Leonard, J. (ed) (2009) The Puncher and Wattman Anthology of Australian Poetry, Puncher and Wattman
Lord, M. (ed.) (2000 Rev. Ed.) The Penguin Best Australian Short Stories, Penguin. (Out of print: I'll try to get a digital copy of the set stories into the library via ereserve)
Mudrooroo (Johnson, Colin). (1964, rpt 2001) Wild Cat Falling, Harper Collins.
Dark, E. Prelude to Christopher (1934, rpt 2012) Allen and Unwin
White, P. (1979, rpt 1995) The Twyborn Affair, Vintage
Task
The examination paper will be posted to Interact by 9am Wed 18 October.
You will upload your completed paper to EASTS by 12midday Fri 20 October.
The examination should take around 3-4 hours. You will need to find a quiet, distraction-free environment (with a computer) for the period in which you wish to complete the examination.
Just because this is a take-home examination doesn't mean you shouldn't study. Preparation is vital. Reread texts; summarise lecture notes; mark up poems; annotate novels and short stories; and prepare essay plans on various topics (for examples see past papers).
The examination is open book, but please do not plagiarise. I will be submitting all examination papers to
turnitin.com to check for plagiarism before I mark them.
The take-home examination will consist of three parts
Part 1 POETRY IN CONTEXT :
Presented with THREE of the poems we have mentioned this session, students are to choose one poem and write a short discussion considering how the poem reflects its context of production and reception (or indeed, reacts against its context). How does the work fit into its period in Australian literature? (around 300-400 words)
Part 2 POETRY ESSAY :
Students must write an essay on poetry. This will be a a general poetry question and you will need to examine at least THREE poems in your response (around 700-900 words). You may choose three poems from the one poet if you wish.
Part 3 PROSE ESSAY :
Students must write an essay on prose. Here, students must examine either TWO of the novels set for study, or ONE novel and THREE of the short stories set for study. You may not answer on any of the texts you used in the research essay assignment on prose.
Rationale
This task aligns with the following outcomes:
Have an introduction to the major lines of development in Australian prose and poetry from 1788 to the 1990s.
Be able to place the literature in its social, political and cultural context.
Be aware of the relationship between reader and text in the creation of literary meaning.
Have continued the development and refinement of their literary competence through a reading of selected Australian works.
PART2 and PART3 (Essays)
Assessment criteria:
Address to question (outcomes 1,2,3,4)
Clarity and sophistication of essay thesis and ongoing argument (outcomes 1,2,3,4)
Depth of reading of primary texts and reflection on them (outcomes 1,2,3,4)
Quality and clarity of writing in all parts (outcome 4)
Adherence to referencing norms in a take-home exam context (outcome 4)
Similarly, your essay should be proof-read for grammar, and spell-checked, although allowance will be made for the time contraints on this exercise. (outcome 4)
