ENH2135

The Colonial Child: Australian Children's Books 1830-1950

(ART)

Heather Scutter

6 points + 2.5 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton + Prerequisite: A first year sequence in English, Literary Studies or Cultural Studies or permission + Prohibition: ENH3135

Synopsis: This unit examines the development of Australian children's literature in the colonial period from 1830 to 1950. Texts will be analysed to consider such phenomena as the changing relationship between empire and colony, contradictory representations of Aboriginal people and Aboriginality, emigration propaganda, boy's own adventure narratives, the rise of militarism and nationalism, the emergence of ecoliterature, the influence of educational institutions, and the domestication and feminisation of children's books. Using such theoretical approaches as new historicism, feminism, semiotics and cultural studies, we will consider discourses of childhood, gender and race politics, and aspects of narratology.

Assessment: Essay (2250 words): 50% + Test (2250 words): 50%