Who is David Malouf?

One approach to reading a text is to explore the relationship between it and the author. Read the documents on Blackboard, or do your own research, and make notes under the following headings about David Malouf:

Full name:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Where lived throughout his life:

Family background:

Books published (list as many as you can):

Awards received:

What are his passions:

What does he say about why he wrote 'Johnno':

Anything interesting:

Week 2 Homework

In class, we have discussed the painting, "The Pioneers" by Frederick McCubbin and its representation of Australia . While some aspects of the representation are clear, others are debatable. Write a response to the painting in your choice of genre constructing a clear representation of Australia or Australians through your choice of aesthetic feaures to position the reader. You might choose to write as the woman in the first section of the painting or as the man in the last section. You might choose to describe the scene as Kathleen Noonan does in her feature article, "Be a Proud Aussie Quietly." Start by knowing what you want to say about Australia and/or Australians and choose your genre, voice and aesthetice features to achieve this. Post to your blog by Friday's lesson.

Notes on positioning techniques

The aesthetic features of a text position the reader to understand and accept its point of view.

As we progress through this unit, you will be analyzing various texts to identify the way Australia is represented. The questions you need to ask yourself are:

· What does this text say to the reader about Australia and Australians?

· How does the text convey this message? What aesthetic features/positioning techniques position the reader to understand the text's messages and to respond?

The positioning techniques will be different for different kinds of texts. They will include the following:

Movies: camera angles, camera shots, lighting, costuming, characterisation, dialogue, setting, sound effects, music, structure, filming devices such as slow motion, fast forward etc

Short stories: structure, characterisation, point of view, symbols/motifs, language choices, setting, satire, irony

Poetry: simile, metaphor, alliteration, imagery, assonance, personification, repetition, rhyme, rhythm.

Articles: headline, by-line, visuals, language choices, structure, who is quoted and what they say

Week 2 Monday's homework

Read the article, “Be a Proud Aussie Quietly” which is in the folder "How the Australian journey is represented in texts" - "Activities and questions on non-fiction texts" on Blackboard. Identify one positioning technique and be able to explain what the technique is and how the reader is positioned by it. For example, you might find that there is a silence in the text or that one idea is privileged over others, as we discussed in class. You might also find an example of a positioning technique that you are familar with from last year, such as a particular language choice, the use of repetition etc. Remember that we are positioned by pictures as well as words. Be ready to speak to the class about what you have found tomorrow during the lesson.