The interest Australian readers have given to their country’s own literature has grown in the last few years and this is thanks, in part, to its female novelists. Melina Marchetta’s focus on identity, community and human relationships are timeless and still continue to enthrall, while Joanna Nell establishes positivity around ageing through humor and relatable characters. Rosalie Ham’s The Dressmaker brings the gothic novel to Australia’s rural landscape and Jane Harper similarly uses the extremes of the country’s climate to frame her crime fiction. Dynamic and engaging, each author has helped to breathe life back into Australian fiction. Please bring pen and paper or a device to write with.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

• Rosalie Ham, The Dressmaker
• Jane Harper, The Dry
• Melina Marchetta, Looking for Alibrandi
• Joanna Nell, The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

COURSE OUTLINE

• Focusing on one female Australian author a week, including Rosalie Ham, Jane Harper, Melina Marchetta and Joanna Nell
• Discussing the prominent themes of one of their more famous novels, such as identity, ageing, as well as the complexity of human relationships within families and communities
• How each writer has helped to contribute to a renewed interest in and appreciation of Australian fiction among Australian readers
• Influences of literary techniques and devices on story delivery and reader experience
• Impact of film adaptations

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Discuss and explain the impact of female writers on the perception of the Australian novel
2. Closely analyse and compare the major themes of multiple texts
3. Understand and explain the influence of literary techniques and devices
4. Analyse the effect of film adaptations on attitudes towards the novel