Literature

Unit 1

In this area of study students consider how language, structure and stylistic choices are used in different literary forms and types of text. Students reflect on the degree to which points of view, experiences and contexts shape their own and others’ interpretations of text. They will also explore the concerns, ideas, style and conventions common to a distinctive type of literature seen in literary movements or genres and engage with the ideas and concerns shared by the texts by experimenting with the assumptions and representations embedded in the texts.

On completion of this unit the student should be able to:

• Discuss how the literary forms, features and language of texts contribute to meaning 
• Explore, interpret and reflect on different ideas and values represented in literature and consider how their own views, values and contexts influence their readings of texts.
• Comment on how the conventions of a movement or genre contribute to meaning.

Unit 2

In this unit, students will focus on the text and its historical, social and cultural context. Students reflect on representations of a specific time period and/or culture within a text. They will also explore the voices, perspectives and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and creators. They consider the interconnectedness of place, culture and identity through the experiences, texts and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including connections to Country, the impact of colonisation and its ongoing consequences, and issues of reconciliation and reclamation.

On completion of this unit the student should be able to:

• Develop analysis that demonstrates the understanding that contextual meaning is already implicitly or explicitly inscribed in a text and that textual details and structures can be scrutinised to illustrate its significance.
• Comment on the ways the literary forms, features and language of texts reveal the specific time period and/or culture represented in a text

Unit 3

In this unit, students explore the different ways we can read and understand a text by developing, considering and comparing interpretations of a set text. They will reflect on the extent to which adapting the text to a different form, and often in a new or reimagined context, affects its meaning, comparing the original with the adaptation.

On completion of this unit the student should be able to:

• Listen to and discuss ideas, concerns and values presented in a text, informed by selected vocabulary, text structures and language features and how they make meaning, and produce an analytical response to a text.

Unit 4

In this unit, students focus on a detailed scrutiny of the language, style, concerns and construction of texts. They will develop an understanding of the various ways in which authors craft texts. They reflect critically on the literary form, features and language of a text, and discuss their own responses as they relate to the text, including the purpose and context of their creations. 

On completion of this unit the student should be able to:

• Closely analyse the nuances of literary forms, features and language by considering their diverse effects and meanings, and considering these effects and meanings in relation to an interpretation of the text as a whole
• Discuss elements of construction, context, point of view and form particular to the text, and apply understanding of these in a creative response.
• Reflect on how language choices and literary features from the original text are used in their adaptation