ENGL 370 - Transnational Literature

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2015/16b: Reading Australia. Postcolonial cultures are often divided into two types: indigenous and settler, according to the circumstances of colonization and subsequent history. This course will examine one of the settler cultures, Australia, through the lens of its literature, as it has developed since the nation’s origins as a British penal colony. The focus, however, will be mainly on modern and contemporary literature, which has developed with extraordinary vitality in recent decades. In addition to exploring the dynamics of this new Australian literature, we will consider the impact of British and American influences, and the unique situation of Aboriginal culture in Australia. In placing it in the broad context of globalized writing in the 21st century, we seek to understand Australia’s ongoing contribution to anglophone literature. Authors may include Peter Carey, Helen Garner, David Malouf, Gwen Harwood, Alice Pung, Les Murray, Alex Miller and others. Mr. Kane.

One 2-hour period.