Humanities - English Literature
5110 MODERN NOVEL
This unit provides a study of a range of literature, selected for high significance or literary merit. It celebrates artistry and gives a perspective on genre, period and context. Topics include: cultural and literary characteristics of contemporary prose fiction; the novel as a literary genre; study of selected novels and themes, such as modernism, post-colonialism, gender and postmodernism; and Christian perspectives on fiction.
5245 LITERATURE AND CHRISTIAN FAITH
This unit examines English literature in the light of the Christian faith, adopting an historical perspective, ranging from Middle English to modern literature, and offering a selective analysis of key literary texts and authors writing within a variety of genres. Important themes that relate to the Christian faith are identified and discussed. Topics include most or all of the following: Middle English literature and the Bible; the importance of Christianity to literature; the idea of pilgrimage; use of typology; translations of the Bible; post-Reformation literature; Shakespeare; metaphysical poetry; Milton; 18th century literature; Romanticism and the shift in religious ideas in this period and the resulting interest in Platonism and neo-Platonism; pantheism, dissenting forms of Christianity, and Blake’s attack on conventional Christianity; the importance of nature; the tendency towards pantheism; critical writings of Coleridge and the idea of the imagination; Victorian literature and evolution, science, and loss of faith; modernism and the idea of epiphany; the new conception of self; 20th century religious writing; Beckett; and contemporary Australian literature.
5333 CLASSICS IN LITERATURE
This unit provides an in-depth critical study of a selection of classical literature. It examines the cultural and literary characteristics, genre and historical context of selected works, and considers Christian perspectives in, and approaches to, classical literature. At least one major writer is normally studied each week, and poetry, drama and the novel across the span of nearly three millennia are included. The predominant focus is British. Students will find that some of the books studied present values and worldviews that differ considerably from their own.
5334 SELECTED THEMES IN AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE
This unit provides a study of the development of Australian literary traditions and helps students to appreciate, enjoy and criticise texts, while developing increasing language competence and understanding of people. The following themes in Australian literature are explored: literary reflections on the bush; attitudes to heritage and tradition; indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities; archetypes, national values and cultural identity; and interactions with progress and modernity. In particular, consideration is given to: the idea of a distinctive literary tradition in Australia; the literary treatment of the bush; and attitudes to hierarchy and authority, and to wealth, success and the ‘good life’.
6321 FANTASY LITERATURE AND THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION
This unit surveys modern fantasy literature from its origins in 19th century England to present day Australian fantasy writers. Particular attention is paid to the dominance of Christian writers and Christian themes in early fantasy literature and in its golden era under Tolkien and Lewis. The Christian response to atheistic and neo-pagan themes in some streams of contemporary fantasy is also examined.
