Australian Cities in Literature
Cecilia Gall
Spring 2009/2010
Australian Cities in Literature
Tuesday 10 Room 030/A
9 FebIntroduction
16 FebThe Beginnings of Settlement in Australia: Sydney
„The Sandstone City” from The Birth of Sydney by Tim Flannery
(can be found on-line in SEAS course materials under Gall, Australian Cities in Literature)
Presentation about the discovery, first settlement, geography and climate of the city.
23 FebArchitecture of Sydney Past and Present
Reading from The Architecture of East Australia by Bill MacMahon et al.
pages 10-22 (From Settlement until Today – to read and scroll through the pictures of the buildings)
Presentation about Landmarks (e.g. Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera house)
Importance of the Olympics of 2000, Plans for the Future
2 MarCompeting Cities in Literature
David Williamson: Emerald City
9 MarWhy Melbourne?
Read through the site and make notes of the important issues
16 MarMelbourne between the wars: Read My Brother Jack by George Johnston.
23 MarThe Third Metropolis: Brisbane
Readings:
from The Third Metropolis by William Hatherell
Read Introduction and Chapter 1 (Chapter 2 optional)
„An Unlikely City: The Making of Literary Brisbane, 1975-2001”
from By the Book: A literary History of Queensland ed by Patrick Buckridge and Belinda McKay
Read introduction and pages 73-75
History of Brisbane, geography and politics (Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Pauline Hanson etc). Changing face of the city.
30 MarLiterary Brisbane
Chapter 1 from Hugh Lunn: Over the Top with Jim
What was the „Brisbane Line”?
Janette Turner Hospital: „Ocean of Brisbane” „After Long Absence”
Jessica Anderson: Tirra Lirra by the River
13 AprPerth and Western Australia
follow the links
20 AprSally Morgan: My Place
27 AprCanberra and the ACT
History, planning of the city. Major buildings, Parliament (old and new) Tent Embassy, National Museum of Australia (controversies). Climate, population, seat of government.
4 MayCanberra in literature
Chapter 6 from Bill Bryson's Down Under
11 MayConclusion, in-class test
Read information about Australia on-line:http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/australia/
Task 1: You will be required to work in groups to introduce a city to the rest of the class. The group will be responsible for running 2-3 classes (depending on the topic.) Presentations by the groups can't be longer than 45 minutes in one lesson.
Task 2: Write a final essay, 6-8 pages long, on a topic of your choice (can be the same city as your presentation, different aspect). You can hand this in any time during the course.
Assessment will be based on attendance, participation, presentation and final essay.