LITERATURE
ATAR COURSE
Year 12 syllabus
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This syllabus is effective from 1 January 2016.
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Syllabuses are formally reviewed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority on a cyclical basis, typically every five years.
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2013/29230v2
Content
Rationale ...................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Aims ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Organisation ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Structure of the syllabus .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Organisation of content ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Representation of the general capabilities ...................................................................................................................... 4
Representation of the cross-curriculum priorities ........................................................................................................... 6
Unit 3............................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Unit description ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Learning outcomes ........................................................................................................................................................... 7
Unit content ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Unit 4............................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Unit description ................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Learning outcomes ........................................................................................................................................................... 9
Unit content ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9
School-based assessment ............................................................................................................................................11
Grading ........................................................................................................................................................................... 12
WACE examination ......................................................................................................................................................13
Examination design brief – Year 12 ................................................................................................................................ 14
Appendix 1 – Grade descriptions Year 12 ....................................................................................................................15
Appendix 2 – Prescribed text lists ................................................................................................................................17
Appendix 3 – Glossary .................................................................................................................................................26
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
1
Rationale
The Literature ATAR course focuses on the study of literary texts and developing students as independent,
innovative and creative learners and thinkers who appreciate the aesthetic use of language; evaluate
perspectives and evidence; and challenge ideas and interpretations. The Literature ATAR course explores
how literary texts construct representations, shape perceptions of the world and enable us to enter other
worlds of the imagination. In this subject, students actively participate in the dialogue of literary analysis and
the creation of imaginative and analytical texts in a range of modes, media and forms.
Students enjoy and respond creatively and critically to literary texts drawn from the past and present and
from Australian and other cultures. They reflect on what these texts offer them as individuals, as members
of Australian society and as world citizens.
Students establish and articulate their views through creative response and logical argument. They reflect on
qualities of literary texts, appreciate the power of language and inquire into the relationships between texts,
authors, readers, audiences and contexts as they explore ideas, concepts, attitudes and values.
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2
Aims
The set of English courses aims to develop students’:

skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing

capacity to create texts for a range of purposes, audiences and contexts

understanding and appreciation of different uses of language.
In addition, the Literature ATAR course aims to develop students’:

ability to respond personally, critically and imaginatively to a range of literary texts drawn from
Australian and other historical, contemporary and cultural contexts and traditions

capacity to engage with and contest complex and challenging ideas in order to form their own
interpretations informed by a range of critical perspectives

capacity to reflect critically on connections and resonances between texts.
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3
Organisation
This course is organised into a Year 11 syllabus and a Year 12 syllabus. The cognitive complexity of the
syllabus content increases from Year 11 to Year 12.
Structure of the syllabus
The Year 12 syllabus is divided into two units which are delivered as a pair. The notional time for the pair of
units is 110 class contact hours.
Unit 3
Unit 3 develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the relationship between language, culture and
identity in literary texts. Students inquire into the power of language to represent ideas, events and people,
comparing these across a range of texts, contexts, modes and forms. Through critical analysis and
evaluation, the values and attitudes represented in and through texts and their impact on the reader are
examined. Throughout the unit, students create analytical responses that are characterised by a confident,
engaging style and informed observation. In creating imaginative texts, students experiment with language,
adapt forms and challenge conventions and ideas.
Unit 4
Unit 4 develops students’ appreciation of the significance of literary study through close critical analysis of
literary texts drawn from a range of forms, genres and styles. Students reflect upon the creative use of
language, and the structural and stylistic features that shape meaning and influence response. The unit
focuses on the dynamic nature of literary interpretation and considers the insights texts offer, their use of
literary conventions and aesthetic appeal. Analytical responses demonstrate increasing independence in
interpreting texts and synthesising a range of perspectives into critical and imaginative responses. In creating
imaginative texts, students experiment with literary conventions and reflect on how the created text takes
into account the expectations of audiences.
Each unit includes:

a unit description – a short description of the focus of the unit

learning outcomes – a set of statements describing the learning expected as a result of studying the unit

unit content – the content to be taught and learned.
Organisation of content
Content descriptions in each unit in the Literature ATAR course are grouped under an organising framework
that presents key aspects of learning that underpin the course. The organising framework in the Literature
ATAR course is:

Texts in contexts

Language and textual analysis

Creating analytical texts

Creating imaginative texts.
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The language modes
The processes of listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing, also known as language modes, are
interrelated. Classroom contexts that address particular content descriptions will necessarily draw from
more than one of these modes in order to support students’ effective learning. To acknowledge these
interrelationships, content descriptions incorporate the processes of listening, speaking, reading (including
the interpretation of visual elements in prose fiction, poetry and drama texts) and writing in an integrated
and interdependent way.
Texts
Texts provide important opportunities for learning about aspects of human experience and about aesthetic
appeal. Teachers may select whole texts and/or parts of texts, depending on units of study, cohorts and level
of difficulty.
‘Literary texts’ refer to past and present texts across a range of cultural contexts that are valued for their
form and style and are recognised as having enduring or artistic value. While the nature of what constitutes
‘literary texts’ is dynamic and evolving, they are seen as having personal, social, cultural and aesthetic value
and potential for enriching students’ scope of experience. Literary texts include a range of forms such as
novels, short stories, poetry and plays. Teachers may use other text types, for example, feature film,
documentary, critical essays, literature textbooks, literary glossaries and multimodal texts to supplement the
teaching of the literary forms mentioned.
Prescribed text lists
This course has prescribed text lists (refer to Appendix 2).
Text requirements
Over the course of a year, students must have studied texts from the prescribed lists, that is, literary texts
from poetry, prose fiction and drama. Across the pair of units, students must study at least one novel.
It is also a requirement in the pair of units that students study a minimum of one Australian text: that is, one
novel or play or a selection of the work of one poet or a selection of Australian short stories.
Representation of the general capabilities
The general capabilities encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that will assist
students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century. Teachers may find opportunities to
incorporate the capabilities into the teaching and learning program for the Literature ATAR course. The
general capabilities are not assessed unless they are identified within the specified unit content.
Literacy
Literacy is important in the development of the skills and strategies needed to express, interpret, and
communicate complex information and ideas. In the Literature ATAR course, students apply, extend and
refine their repertoire of literacy skills and practices by establishing and articulating their views through
creative response and argument. They experiment with different modes, media and forms to create new
texts and understand the power of language to represent ideas, events and people.
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Numeracy
Students use numeracy in the Literature ATAR course when they practise and apply the skills of interpreting
and analysing, comparing and contrasting, making connections, posing and proving arguments, making
inferences and problem solving as they create and respond to a range of texts. They draw conclusions from
statistical information and interpret and use quantitative data as evidence in analytical and imaginative
texts.
Information and communication technology capability
There are opportunities in literature to engage with information and communication technology (ICT)
through the use of digital texts and multimodal texts. In the Literature ATAR course, students discern the
quality of information and ideas presented in multimodal texts. They develop understanding of the relative
possibilities, limitations and consequences of using different forms of digital technologies to explore,
interpret and create literary texts. They consider the effects of the use of different media on meaning and
interpretation, particularly in new and emerging literary forms.
Critical and creative thinking
Critical and creative thinking is an integral feature of the study of and creation of texts in the Literature ATAR
course. Students analyse and evaluate issues and ideas presented in texts. In both thinking about and
creating their own texts, they recognise and develop arguments, use evidence and draw reasoned
conclusions. Students experiment with text structures and language features as they transform and adapt
texts for different purposes, contexts and audiences. Students use critical thinking when they use their
knowledge of language to analyse a range of texts in relation to their purpose, context, audience, structural
and language features, and underlying assumptions. They investigate the ways language is used to position
individuals and social and cultural groups. Creative thinking enables students to apply imaginative and
inventive capacities in the creation of their own original works.
Personal and social capability
Students develop personal and social capability in the Literature ATAR course by enhancing their
communication skills, for example, through collaborative research, reflective practices and developing
empathy with and appreciation of the perspectives of others. Close critical engagement with texts assists
students to understand different personal and social experiences and perspectives. Students identify and
express their own opinions, beliefs and responses by interacting with a range of texts. Students work
collaboratively in teams and independently as part of their learning and research endeavours.
Ethical understanding
Through the study of the Literature ATAR course, students come to develop an increased understanding of
complex issues and the questions surrounding rights and responsibilities in our modern world. Students
develop greater empathy for the attitudes and opinions of others by interacting with and interrogating a
range of texts. Ethical understanding is explored through the selection of texts for study, for example, when
students engage with ethical dilemmas presented in texts, considering reasons for actions and implications
of decisions. They explore and question values, attitudes, perspectives and assumptions in texts, examining
how they are presented, their impact on audiences and how they are reflected in their own responses.
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Intercultural understanding
In the Literature ATAR course, intercultural understanding encourages students to make connections
between their own experiences and the experiences of others. Through the study of contemporary texts,
texts from the past and texts from diverse cultures, students explore and analyse these connections.
Students understand and can express the interdependence of language, culture, identity and values,
particularly in the Australian context, and are able to appreciate and empathise with the cultural beliefs,
attitudes and values of others. They study how cultural concepts, beliefs, practices and perspectives are
represented in a range of textual forms and for a variety of purposes and audiences. They pay special
attention to the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Asian cultures to literature
in Australia.
Representation of the cross-curriculum priorities
The cross-curriculum priorities address contemporary issues which students face in a globalised world.
Teachers may find opportunities to incorporate the priorities into the teaching and learning program for the
Literature ATAR course. The cross-curriculum priorities are not assessed unless they are identified within the
specified unit content.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
The Literature ATAR course values the histories, cultures, traditions and languages of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples, and their central place in contemporary Australian society and culture. Through the
study of texts, students are provided with opportunities to develop their understanding and appreciation of
the diversity of cultures and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their contribution
to Australian society. The text lists for the Literature ATAR course include a selection of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander literature because it is often through the writings of Aboriginal authors that other
perspectives of history are taught.
Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia
There are strong social, cultural and economic reasons for Australian students to engage with Asia and with
the contribution of Asian Australians to our society and heritage. It is through the study of texts from Asia
that a creative and forward-looking Australia can engage with our place in the region. Through story
articulated in a range of media, students are provided with opportunities to develop understanding of the
diversity of Asia’s peoples, environments and traditional and contemporary cultures. Texts relevant to this
priority are included in the prescribed text lists for the Literature ATAR course.
Sustainability
The Literature ATAR course provides the opportunity for the development of informed and reasoned points
of view, discussion of issues, research and problem solving. In this context, teachers are encouraged to select
texts and issues for discussion connected with sustainability. Through analysis of texts, students have the
opportunity to research and discuss this global issue and learn the importance of respecting and valuing a
wide range of world views.
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Unit 3
Unit description
Unit 3 develops students’ knowledge and understanding of the relationship between language, culture and
identity in literary texts. Students inquire into the power of language to represent ideas, events and people,
comparing these across a range of texts, contexts, modes and forms. Through critical analysis and
evaluation, the values and attitudes represented in and through texts and their impact on the reader are
examined. Throughout the unit, students create analytical responses that are characterised by a confident,
engaging style and informed observation. In creating imaginative texts, students experiment with language,
adapt forms, and challenge conventions and ideas.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit, students:

understand the relationship between language and representations of culture and identity

develop their own analytical responses by synthesising and/or challenging other interpretations

create oral and/or written and/or multimodal texts that experiment with literary style.
Unit content
An understanding of the Year 11 content is assumed knowledge for students in Year 12. It is recommended
that students studying Unit 3 and Unit 4 have completed Unit 1 and Unit 2. It should be noted that Unit 3
and Unit 4 are underpinned by the understandings of the content of Unit 1 and Unit 2; candidates are
therefore advised that terminology used in Unit 1 and Unit 2 may be used in Year 12 Western Australian
Certificate of Education (WACE) examination questions.
This unit includes the knowledge, understandings and skills described below. This is the examinable content.
Evaluate the ways in which literary texts represent culture and identity, including:

how readers are influenced to respond to their own and others’ cultural experiences

the power of language to represent ideas, events and people in particular ways, understanding that
language is a cultural medium and that its meanings may vary according to context

how representations of culture support or challenge various ideologies. Representations may reinforce
habitual ways of thinking about the world or they may challenge popular ways of thinking, and in doing
so, reshape values, attitudes and beliefs

the ways in which authors represent Australian culture, place and identity both to Australians and the
wider world.
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Evaluate and reflect on how representations of culture and identity vary in different texts
and forms of texts, including:

the ways in which representations of the past allow a nation or culture to recognise itself

how representations vary according to the discourse. Different groups of people use different terms to
represent their ideas about the world and these different discourses (ways or thinking and speaking)
offer particular representations of the world

the impact of the use of literary conventions and stylistic techniques

the ways in which language, structural and stylistic choices communicate values and attitudes and shed
new light on familiar ideas

how reading intertextually helps readers to understand and critique representations

the influence of the reader’s context, cultural assumptions, social position and gender.
Create analytical texts, including:

developing independent interpretations of texts supported by informed observation and close textual
analysis. In responding to a literary text, readers might consider the context of the writer, the society
and culture in which the text was produced, the readers’ contexts and reading strategies or practices,
their experiences of reading and their ways of thinking about the world

using appropriate linguistic, stylistic and critical terminology to analyse and evaluate texts

evaluating their own and others’ ideas and readings using logic and evidence

experimenting with different modes, media and forms.
Create imaginative texts, including:

experimenting with content, form, style, language and medium. Writers may manipulate grammatical
and stylistic elements for ideological and/or aesthetic purposes

drawing on knowledge and experience of genre, literary devices and the interplay of the visual and
verbal in creating new texts

adapting literary conventions for specific audiences, challenging conventions and reinterpreting ideas
and perspectives

reflecting on the different ways in which form, personal style, language and content engage and position
the audience.
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Unit 4
Unit description
Unit 4 develops students’ appreciation of the significance of literary study through close critical analysis of
literary texts drawn from a range of forms, genres and styles. Students reflect upon the creative use of
language, and the structural and stylistic features that shape meaning and influence response. The unit
focuses on the dynamic nature of literary interpretation and considers the insights texts offer, their use of
literary conventions and aesthetic appeal. Students’ analytical responses demonstrate increasing
independence in interpreting texts and synthesising a range of perspectives into critical and imaginative
responses. In creating imaginative texts, students experiment with literary conventions and reflect on how
the created text takes into account the expectations of audiences.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit, students:

understand the relationship between the representation of values and ideas in texts and how they are
received by audiences

justify their own critical interpretation or reading of a text

create oral and/or written and/or multimodal texts blending and borrowing literary conventions.
Unit content
This unit builds on the content covered in Unit 3.
This unit includes the knowledge, understandings and skills described below. This is the examinable content.
Evaluate the dynamic relationship between authors, texts, audiences and contexts,
including:

how literature represents and/or reflects cultural change and difference

the ways in which the expectations and values of audiences shape readings of texts and perceptions of
their significance; and how the social, cultural and historical spaces in which texts are produced and read
mediate readings

how texts in different literary forms, media or traditions are similar or different

how interpretations of texts vary over time

the ways in which ideological perspectives are conveyed through texts drawn from other times and
cultures, and how these perspectives may be reviewed by a contemporary Australian audience.
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Evaluate and reflect on the ways in which literary texts can be interpreted, including:

how ideas, values and assumptions are conveyed, that is, how the ideas represented in a text are just
one possible way of thinking about the world and may reflect a particular set of values and attitudes.
Some literary texts reflect the system of attitudes, values, beliefs and assumptions (ideology) of
powerful groups. In this way, literary texts may be used to ‘naturalise’ particular ways of thinking, to
serve the purposes of these powerful groups, while marginalising the views of other less powerful
groups

how specific literary elements and forms shape meaning and influence responses. Genres may have
social, ideological and aesthetic functions. Writers may blend and borrow conventions from other genres
to appeal to particular audiences

how genre, conventions and language contribute to interpretations of texts. Choice of language is
related to ideological and aesthetic considerations

exploring a range of critical interpretations produced by adopting a variety of reading strategies.
Multiple readings of a text are possible.
Create analytical texts, including:

developing a creative, informed and sustained interpretation supported by close textual analysis

using appropriate linguistic, stylistic and critical terminology to evaluate and justify interpretations of
texts

critically evaluating their own and others' justifications, evidence and interpretations/readings

experimenting with different modes, media and forms.
Create imaginative texts, including:

adapting medium, form, style, point of view and language

experimenting with elements of style and voice to achieve specific effects

manipulating literary conventions for different audiences and contexts

reflecting on the ways in which the expectations and values of audiences might shape the created text.
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School-based assessment
The Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Manual contains essential information on principles,
policies and procedures for school-based assessment that needs to be read in conjunction with this syllabus.
Teachers design school-based assessment tasks to meet the needs of students. The table below provides
details of the assessment types for the Literature ATAR Year 12 syllabus and the weighting for each
assessment type.
Assessment table – Year 12
Type of assessment
Weighting
Extended written response
This can include analytical, discursive and reflective responses in a number of forms, for example, long
essays, research assignments, feature articles or a collection of journal entries.
15%
Short written response
This can include analytical, discursive and reflective responses in a number of forms, for example, short
essays, close readings, short responses to a series of questions or individual journal entries.
35%
Creative production of literary texts
This can include writing in the three genres of poetry, prose fiction and drama or the production of
multimodal literary texts.
10%
Oral
This can include oral work in a number of forms, for example, speeches, tutorials, group discussions, panel
discussions or performances such as role play or readers’ theatre.
10%
Examination
Typically conducted at the end of each semester and/or unit and reflecting the examination design brief for
this syllabus.
30%
Teachers are required to use the assessment table to develop an assessment outline for the pair of units.
The assessment outline must:

include a set of assessment tasks

include a general description of each task

indicate the unit content to be assessed

indicate a weighting for each task and each assessment type

include the approximate timing of each task (for example, the week the task is conducted, or the issue
and submission dates for an extended task).
In the assessment outline for the pair of units, each assessment type must be included at least twice.
The set of assessment tasks must provide a representative sampling of the content for Unit 3 and Unit 4.
Assessment tasks not administered under test/controlled conditions require appropriate
validation/authentication processes. Student work submitted to demonstrate achievement should only be
accepted if the teacher can attest that, to the best of her/his knowledge, all uncited work is the student’s
own.
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Grading
Schools report student achievement in terms of the following grades:
Grade
Interpretation
A
Excellent achievement
B
High achievement
C
Satisfactory achievement
D
Limited achievement
E
Very low achievement
The teacher prepares a ranked list and assigns the student a grade for the pair of units. The grade is based
on the student’s overall performance as judged by reference to a set of pre-determined standards. These
standards are defined by grade descriptions and annotated work samples. The grade descriptions for the
Literature ATAR Year 12 syllabus are provided in Appendix 1. They can also be accessed, together with
annotated work samples, through the Guide to Grades link on the course page of the Authority website at
www.scsa.wa.edu.au
To be assigned a grade, a student must have had the opportunity to complete the education program,
including the assessment program (unless the school accepts that there are exceptional and justifiable
circumstances).
Refer to the WACE Manual for further information about the use of a ranked list in the process of assigning
grades.
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WACE examination
All students enrolled in the Literature ATAR Year 12 course are required to sit the WACE examination. The
examination is based on a representative sampling of the content for Unit 3 and Unit 4. It should be noted
that Unit 3 and Unit 4 are underpinned by the understandings of the content of Unit 1 and Unit 2; candidates
are therefore advised that terminology used in Unit 1 and Unit 2 may be used in Year 12 WACE examination
questions. Details of the WACE examination are prescribed in the examination design brief on the following
page.
Excerpts or whole texts used in Section One of the Literature examination will NOT be from any work of
those writers (including writers within anthologies) who appear in the prescribed text lists of the Literature
ATAR Year 12 syllabus.
Candidates who use the same genre (prose fiction, poetry or drama) twice as a primary reference will
receive a penalty of 15% of the total marks available for the examination.
As stated in the Examination design brief, candidates who choose one of the three questions in Section 2
that makes reference to a specific genre, must write on that genre or receive a 15% penalty of the total
marks available for the examination.
Refer to the WACE Manual for further information.
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Examination design brief – Year 12
Time allowed
Reading time before commencing work: ten minutes
Working time for paper:
three hours
Permissible items
Standard items: pens (blue/black preferred), pencils (including coloured), sharpener, correction fluid/tape, eraser,
ruler, highlighters
Special items:
nil
SECTION
Section One
Response – close reading
30% of the total examination
One question
Suggested working time: 60 minutes
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
The question requires the candidate to respond with reference to one of the
provided texts or text excerpts.
Three texts or text excerpts are provided, one from each genre (poetry, prose
fiction and drama).
Excerpts or whole texts used are not from any work of those writers (including
writers within anthologies) who appear in the prescribed text lists.
The response typically takes the form of an essay, which can be analytical,
discursive or reflective.
Section Two
Extended response
70% of the total examination
The questions require the candidate to make primary reference to a different
genre (poetry, prose fiction and drama) for each of the two responses. Neither
response can make primary reference to the text or genre used in Section One.
Two questions from a choice of eight to ten
Three of the questions make reference to a specific genre (one to poetry, one to
prose fiction and one to drama).
Suggested working time: 120 minutes
The texts discussed as primary references must be from the prescribed text lists.
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Appendix 1 – Grade descriptions Year 12
A
Demonstrates sustained control, coherence and/or inventiveness in the use of language and language
devices appropriate to the task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and
creative responses. Critically analyses and evaluates the language and language devices used in literary
texts.
Demonstrates sustained control and/or inventiveness in the use of generic conventions appropriate to
the task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses.
Critically analyses and evaluates the genre and generic conventions used in literary texts.
Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how cultural, historical and social contexts affect the
reading of literary texts and the production of analytical, discursive, reflective and creative texts.
Produces convincing readings of more complex literary texts, drawing on compelling evidence.
Produces written and oral work showing a sophisticated understanding of the relationship of content to
purpose and audience.
B
Demonstrates effective control, coherence and/or inventiveness in the use of language and language
devices appropriate to the task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and
creative responses. Produces sound analyses of language and language devices used in literary texts.
Demonstrates effective control and/or inventiveness in the use of generic conventions appropriate to the
task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses. Produces
sound analyses of genre and generic conventions used in literary texts.
Demonstrates a strong understanding of how cultural, historical and social contexts affect the reading of
literary texts and the production of analytical, discursive, reflective and creative texts.
Produces convincing readings of literary texts, drawing on relevant evidence.
Produces written and oral work showing a strong understanding of the relationship of content to
purpose and audience.
C
Demonstrates reasonable control of, and some experimentation with, language and language devices
appropriate to the task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative
responses. Presents some discussion and some analysis of language and language devices used in literary
texts.
Demonstrates reasonable control of, and some experimentation with, generic conventions appropriate
to the task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses.
Presents some discussion and some analysis of genre and generic conventions used in literary texts.
Demonstrates a reasonable understanding of how cultural, historical and social contexts affect the
reading of literary texts and the production of analytical, discursive, reflective and creative texts.
Produces logical readings of literary texts, with supporting evidence.
Produces written and oral work showing a reasonable understanding of the relationship of content to
purpose and audience.
D
Demonstrates limited control of language and language devices; experiments with language appropriate
to the task, the audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses.
Presents some description and some discussion of language and language devices used in literary texts.
Demonstrates adequate control of some generic conventions appropriate to the task, the audience and
the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses. Presents some description and
some discussion of genre and generic conventions used in literary texts.
Demonstrates some understanding of historical, cultural and social contexts when reading literary texts
and producing analytical, discursive, reflective and creative texts.
Produces limited readings of literary texts which draw on some supporting evidence.
Produces written and oral work showing a limited understanding of the relationship of content to
purpose and audience.
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E
Demonstrates very limited control of language and language devices appropriate to the task, the
audience and the purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses. Presents limited
discussion of language and language devices used in literary texts.
Demonstrates very limited control of generic conventions appropriate to the task, the audience and the
purpose in analytical, discursive, reflective and creative responses. Presents limited discussion of genre
and generic conventions used in literary texts.
Demonstrates very limited understanding of the cultural, historical and social contexts when reading
literary texts and producing analytical, discursive, reflective and creative texts.
Attempts to produce readings of literary texts, with limited evidence.
Produces written and oral work showing very limited understanding of the relationship of content to
purpose and audience.
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Appendix 2 – Prescribed text lists
Texts are arranged into the three genres: poetry, drama and prose fiction.
Teachers should choose texts from these prescribed lists that allow them to cover the content of the unit
and to achieve the learning outcomes.
Students are required to study at least one Australian text (i.e. one novel, or play, or a selection of the work
of one poet or a selection of Australian short stories) in each pair of units.
Poetry texts
Where a poet’s name appears without a title next to it, teachers may use any poetry publication by that poet
that is appropriate.
* Australian writers/texts are indicated with an asterisk
Poet’s name/Editor(s)
Adamson, Robert*
Angelou, Maya
Armitage, Simon
Barnes, J., and McFarlane, B.*
Bishop, Elizabeth
Blake, William
Brett, Lily*
Campbell, David*
Chapman, M., & Dangor, A. (Eds)
Chaucer, Geoffrey
Cohen, Leonard
Cole, R. (Ed.)*
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor
Collins, Billy
Colmer, J., & Colmer, D. (Eds)
Cosman, C., Keefe J., & Weaver, W. (Eds)
Cummings, E.E.
Dawe, Bruce*
Dennis, C.J.*
Dickinson, Emily
Dobson, Rosemary*
Dougan, Lucy*
Dransfield, Michael*
Duffy, Carol-Ann
Dylan, Bob
Eliot, T.S.
Frost, Robert
Gardner, H. (Ed.)
Gilbert, K. (Ed.)*
Gray, Robert*
Goldsworthy, Peter*
Hamilton, E., & Livingston, J. (Eds)
Hardy, Thomas
Harwood, Gwen*
Harwood, Gwen*
Title of Text
Cross-Country: A Book of Australian Verse. Richmond, Vic, Heinemann, 1988
The Portable Blake. Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin, 1987
Voices From Within. Johannesburg, Ad Donker, 1982
The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue
Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs. New York, Knopf, 1994
th
Lines to Time (4 ed.). Port Melbourne, Vic, Heinemann, 2007
Pattern and Voice. Melbourne, Macmillan, 1981
The Penguin Book of Women Poets. New York, Penguin, 1980
Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954 to 2005. Melbourne, Pearson,
2006
The Sentimental Bloke
White Clay. Artarmon, NSW, Giramondo Publishing Company, 2008
Lyrics: 1962–2001. New York, Simon & Schuster, 2002
Selected Poems. London, Faber and Faber, 1982
The Metaphysical Poets. Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin, 1985
Inside Black Australia. Ringwood, Vic, Penguin, 1988
nd
Form and Feeling (2 ed.). Melbourne, Longman Cheshire, 1990
Gwen Harwood Selected Poems. Auckland, Halcyon Press, 2001
Gwen Harwood Selected Poems. Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 2001
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
18
Poet’s name/Editor(s)
Title of Text
Heaney, Seamus
Heaney, Seamus (Ed)
Herbert, Zbiegniew
Hewett, Dorothy*
Horne, C., & O'Brien, M. (Eds)
Hughes, Ted
Keats, John
Kinsella, John*
New Selected Poems 1966-87. London, Faber and Faber, 1990
Beowulf
Lawrence, D.H.
Larkin, Philip
Leonard, John (Ed.)
McCauley, James*
McFarlane, P., & Temple, L. (Comps)
McKenzie, J.A., & McKenzie, J.K. (Eds)
Milton, John
Moreton, Romaine
Mtshali, Oswald
Murray, Les*
Neruda, Pablo
O'Connor, M. (Ed.)*
Oliver, Mary
Parthasarathy, R. (Ed)
Phillips, Glen and van Loon, Julienne
(Eds)*
Plath, Sylvia
Rich, Adrienne
Shakespeare, William
Silkin, Jon (Ed.)
Slessor, Kenneth*
Smith, Stevie
Soyinka, Wole
Stewart, M.*
Stow, Randolph*
Sutcliff, R. (Ed.)
Thomas, Dylan
Tranter, J.*
Wagan Watson, Samuel*
Walcott, Derek
Webb, Francis*
Whitman, Walt
Wordsworth, J., & Wordsworth, J. (Eds)
Wordsworth, William
Wright, Judith*
Yeats, W.B
Ouyang Yu
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
The Progress of Poetry. Melbourne, Heinemann, 1965
Selected Poems 1957–1981
The Silo: A Pastoral Symphony. Fremantle, WA, Fremantle Arts Centre Press,
1995
Seven Centuries of Poetry in English. Melbourne, Oxford University Press,
2004
nd
Blue Light, Clear Atoms (2 ed.). Sydney, Macmillan, 2006
The World's Contracted Thus. Richmond, Vic, Heinemann Educational, 1983
Paradise Lost
Sounds of a Cowhide Drum. Chicago, Third World Press, 1972
New Selected Poems. Sydney, Duffy Snellgrove, 1998
Two Centuries of Australian Poetry. Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1996
New and Selected Poems: Volume One. Boston, Bacon Press, 1992
th
Ten 20 Century Indian Poets. New Delhi, Oxford University Press India,
1990
2008 Lines in the Sand. Cottesloe, WA, Fellowship of Australian Writers
(WA).
The Fact of a Door Frame: Selected Poems 1950–2001. New York, W. W.
Norton, 2002
The Sonnets
The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry. Camberwell, Vic, Penguin,
1997
Poetry in Time. Melbourne, Nelson, 1982
Beowulf. North Sydney, NSW, Random House, 2001
Smoke Encrypted Whispers. St. Lucia, Qld, University of Queensland Press,
2006
The Portable Walt Whitman. London, Penguin, 1977
The Penguin Book of Romantic Poetry. New York, Penguin, 2006
Selected Poems. London, Penguin, 2004
Collected Poems 1942–85. Sydney, Harper Collins, 1994
Selected Poetry. Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin, 2004
19
Drama texts
In addition to the plays listed below, teachers may choose to use plays by Shakespeare, George Bernard
Shaw, Henrik Ibsen and any play belonging to Greek Tragedy or Greek or Roman Comedy. The edition of any
play used is also decided by the teacher.
* Australian writers/texts are indicated with an asterisk
Playwright/Editor(s)
Title
Publication details
Albee, Edward
The Zoo Story [Anthology title: The
American Dream and Zoo Story]
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Waiting for Godot
Keating!
New York, Plume, 1997
Albee, Edward
Beckett, Samuel
Bennetto, Casey*
Beynon, Richard*
Bovell, Andrew*
Bovell, Andrew*
Brecht, Bertolt
Brecht, Bertolt
Cawley, A.C. (Ed.)
Chekhov, Anton
Chekhov, Anton
Chi, Jimmy*
Churchill, Caryl
Cooper, G., & Wortham, C.
(Eds)
Coward, Noel
Cribb, Reg*
Davis, Jack*
Davis, Jack*
Davis, Jack*
Enright, Nick*
Frayn, Michael
Frayn, Michael
Friel, Brian
Gow, Michael*
Hwang, David Henry
Kaufmann, Moises
Lawler, Ray*
Mamet, David
Mamet, David
Marlowe, Christopher
Miller, Arthur
Miller, Arthur
Miller, Arthur
Milroy, David*
Milroy, David*
A Shifting Heart
Holy Day
Speaking in Tongues
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Good Person of Szechuan
Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays
The Cherry Orchard
Three Sisters
Bran Nue Dae
Top Girls
Everyman
Blithe Spirit
The Return
No Sugar
Kullark/The Dreamers
Barungin, Smell the Wind
Blackrock
Noises Off
Copenhagen
Translations
Away
M.Butterfly
The Laramie Project
th
Summer of 17 Doll [Anthology title:
The Doll Trilogy]
Oleanna
Glengarry Glen Ross
Doctor Faustus [Anthology title
Doctor Faustus and Other Plays]
The Crucible
Death of a Salesman
A View from the Bridge
Windmill Baby [Anthology title:
Contemporary Indigenous Plays,
Vivienne Cleven et al.]
Waltzing the Willara
New York, Penguin, 1983
London, Faber, 2006
Contact Casey Bennetto's agent, Michael Lynch,
at Smartartists Management
www.smartartists.com.au/main.html
Melbourne, Angus & Robertson 2003
Sydney, Currency Press, 2001
New York, Dramatists Play Service, 2004
UK, Methuen, Student Edition, 1984
London, Methuen, 1985
London, Orion, 1993
Methuen, 1978, or Penguin Classic, 1959
London, Methuen, 1988
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1991
London, Methuen, 1984
Crawley, WA, UWA Press, 1980
London, Methuen, 2002
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 2003
Sydney, Currency Press, 1986
Sydney, Currency Press, 1982
Sydney, Currency Press, 1989
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1996
New York, Anchor, 2002
London, Methuen, 2003
London, Faber, 1981
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1990
Longman, 1988
New York, Dramatists Play Service, 2001
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 2001
London, Methuen, 1993
London, Methuen, 1993
Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 1998
New York, Penguin, 1976
New York, Penguin, 1998
London, Penguin, 1987
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, c2007
Sydney, Currency Press, 2011
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
20
Playwright/Editor(s)
Title
Publication details
Murray-Smith, Joanna*
Murray-Smith, Joanna*
Murray-Smith, Joanna*
Murray-Smith, Joanna*
Nicholls, Peter
Nowra, Louis*
Nowra, Louis*
Oxenburgh, Dickon and
Ross, Andrew*
Rankin, Scott and Purcell,
Leah*
Rayson, Hannie*
Shaeffer, Peter
Shaeffer, Peter
Shepard, Sam
Soyinka, Wole
Honour
Ninety
The Female of the Species
The Gift
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
Inside the Island
Cosi
The Merry-Go-Round-in-the-Sea
Sydney, Currency Press, 1995
Sydney, Currency Press, 2009
Sydney, Currency Press, 2006
Sydney, Currency Press, 2012
London, Faber, 2001
Sydney, Currency Press, 1981
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1994
NSW, Currency Press, 2006
Box the Pony
Sydney, Hodder Headline, 1999
Hotel Sorrento
Amadeus
Equus
True West
A Dance of the Forests [Anthology
title: Collected Plays]
Death and the King’s Horseman
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead
Arcadia
Playboy of the Western World
Under Milkwood
Diving for Pearls
The Season at Sarsaparilla
[Anthology title: Plays of the 60s:
Volume 1]
The Importance of Being Earnest and
Other Plays
An Ideal Husband [Anthology title:
The Importance of Being Earnest and
Other Plays]
The Glass Menagerie
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
A Streetcar Named Desire
Sweet Bird of Youth
Dead White Males
Don’s Party
Emerald City
Flatfoot
The Club
The Perfectionist
The Removalists
Rising Water
Shrine
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 2002
New York, Samuel French, 1993
New York, Samuel French, 1973
New York, Samuel French, 1981
Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 1973
Soyinka, Wole
Stoppard, Tom
Stoppard, Tom
Synge, John Millington
Thomas, Dylan
Thomson, Katherine*
White, Patrick*
Wilde, Oscar
Wilde, Oscar
Williams, Tennessee
Williams, Tennessee
Williams, Tennessee
Williams, Tennessee
Williamson, David*
Williamson, David*
Williamson, David*
Williamson, David*
Williamson, David*
Williamson, David*
Williamson, David*
Winton, Tim*
Winton, Tim*
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
London, Methuen, 2006
London, Faber, 1973
London, Faber,1993
London, Methuen, 2006
London, Penguin, 2000
Sydney, Currency Press, 1992
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1998
Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin Classics, 2000
Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin Classics, 2000
London, Penguin, 1988
New York, Signet, 1958
New York, Signet, 1986
New York, Dramatists Play Service, 1992
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1995
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1973
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1987
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 2004
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1978
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1983
Strawberry Hills, NSW, Currency Press, 1984
Sydney, Currency Press, 2012
Unpublished as of September, 2013
21
Prose fiction texts
Short stories/anthologies/writers
Where a short story writer’s name appears without a title next to it, teachers may use any short story by
that writer that is appropriate.
* Australian writers/texts are indicated with an asterisk
Author/Editor(s)
Title
Publication Details
Adams, Glenda*
Astley, Thea*
Bail, Murray*
The Hottest Night of the Century
Pymble, NSW, HarperCollins, 1988
The Drover’s Wife and Other
Stories?
Collected Short Stories
Spectrum One
Melbourne, Text Publishing, 1998
Spectrum Two
Melbourne, Longman Cheshire, 1970
The Rinehart Book of Short Stories,
(alternative ed.)
Decade
Personal Best
The Bay of Contented Men
The Rip
My Hard Heart: Selected Fictions
Postcards from Surfers
The Yellow Wallpaper
Once Upon A Time (1989)
published in Jump and Other
Stories
Rinehart, 1952, (OP)
Glass Reptile Breakout and other
Australian Speculative Stories
Sixteen Modern Short Stories
Perth, UWA, 1990
Reading the Signs*
Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 2003
The Interpreter of Maladies: Stories
The Penguin Best Australian Short
Stories
London, Flamingo, 2000
Penguin, 1991
Points of View
Mentor, 1966
Gendered Fictions
Investigating Texts
Reading Fictions
Cottesloe, WA, Chalkface Press, 1995
Cottesloe, WA, Chalkface Press, 1996
Scarborough, WA, Chalkface Press, 1991
Reading Stories
Perth, Chalkface Press, 1988
Baynton, Barbara*
Bennett, B. Cowan, P. and
Hay, J. (eds)*
Bennett, B. Cowan, P. and
Hay, J. (eds)*
Cline, C.L., (ed.)
Coffey, B.R., (ed.)*
Disher, Garry (ed)*
Drewe, Robert*
Drewe, Robert*
Garner, Helen*
Garner, Helen*
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins
Gordimer, Nadine
Grenville, Kate*
Ikin, V. (Ed.)*
Jennings, W.R. (Ed.)
Jolley, Elizabeth*
Kafka, Franz
Kavanagh, Michael and
Kavanagh, Mary (Eds)
Lawrence, D.H.
Lawson, Henry*
Lessing, Doris
Lahiri, Jhumpa
Lord, M. (Ed.)*
Mansfield, Katherine
McElheny, H., and Moffett, J.
(Eds)
Mellor, B. and Martino, W.*
Mellor, B. and Patterson, A.*
Mellor, B. Patterson , A. and
O’Neill, M.*
Mellor, B., O'Neill, M., and
Patterson, A.*
Melbourne, Longman, 1970
Fremantle Arts Centre, 1982
Pymble, NSW, HarperCollins, 1997 (out of print?)
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 2001
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin Books Australia, 2008
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 1998
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 1996 (out of print?)
New York, Penguin, 1992
Pitman, 1982
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
22
Author/Editor(s)
Title
Mistry, Rohinton
Moon, Brian*
Morgan, Wendy*
Naipaul, V.S.
Orwell, George
Poe, Edgar Allan
Phillips, Glen and van Loon,
Julienne (Eds)*
Saki
Scott, B. (Ed.)
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander
Tlali, Miriam
Tales from Firozsha Baag
Studying Literature
Borderland
Miguel St.
Winterson, Jeanette
Winton, Tim*
Winton, Tim*
Wolfe, Tobias
Publication Details
Scarborough, WA, Chalkface Press, 1990
Penguin, 1971
Lines in the Sand
Cottesloe, WA, Fellowship of Australian Writers
(WA), 2008
Impressions on a Continent
Heinemann, 1983
Footprints in the Quag: Stories
and Dialogues from Soweto
Cape Town, David Philip Publishers, 1989
Minimum of Two
The Turning
The Night in Question
Ringwood, Vic, Penguin, 1998
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 2006
New York, Random House, 1997
Novels
* Australian writers/texts are indicated with an asterisk
Author/Editor(s)
Title
Publication details
Achebe, Chinua
Adiga, Aravind
Ali, Monica
Allende, Isabelle
Allende, Isabelle
Allende, Isabelle
Andric, Ivo
Angelou, Maya
Astley, Thea*
Astley, Thea*
Astley, Thea*
Atwood, Margaret
Atwood, Margaret
Atwood, Margaret
Atwood, Margaret
Atwood, Margaret
Atwood, Margaret
Austen, Jane
Austen, Jane
Austen, Jane
Boll, Heinrich
Boll, Heinrich
Broderick, Damien*
Bronte, Charlotte
Bronte, Emily
Camus, Albert
Camus, Albert
Carey, Peter*
Carey, Peter*
Things Fall Apart
White Tiger
Brick Lane
Eva Luna
The House of Spirits
Of Love and Shadows
The Bridge on the Drina
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A Kindness Cup
Drylands
It's Raining in Mango
Oryx and Crake
Surfacing
Cat’s Eye
The Blind Assassin
The Penelopiad
The Handmaid's Tale
Northanger Abbey
Pride and Prejudice
Persuasion
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
Striped Holes
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
The Outsider
The Plague
Bliss
The True History of the Kelly Gang
London, Penguin, 2006
India, Harper Collins, 2008
New York, Scribner, 2003
London, Penguin, 1995
New York, Random House, 1985
London, Black Swan, 1988
University of Chicago Press, 1977
New York, Bantam, 1997
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 1989
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 2000
Ringwood, Vic, Penguin, 1989
London, Bloomsbury, 2003
New York, Anchor, 1998
New York, Anchor, 1998
London, Virago, 2001
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 2005
London, Vintage, 1996
London, Penguin Classics, 2003
London, Penguin Classics, 2003
London, Penguin, 2006
London, Vintage Classics, 2000
UK, Minerva, 1993
Port Melbourne, Vic, Mandarin, 1990
London, Penguin, 2006
London, Penguin, 2006
London, Penguin, 2000
London, Penguin, 2000
Melbourne, Vintage, 2005
Melbourne, Random House, 2005
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
23
Author/Editor(s)
Title
Publication details
Carey, Peter*
Carey, Peter*
Chatwin, Bruce
Chevalier, Tracy
Chopin, Kate
Coetzee, J.M.
Coetzee, J.M.
Conrad, Joseph
D’Aguiar, Fred
Deane, Seamus
Desai, Kiran
Dickens, Charles
Drewe, Robert*
Emchetta, Buchi
Faulkner, William
Fitzgerald, F.S.
Flanagan, Richard*
Foer, Jonathon Safran
Foer, Jonathan Safran
Forster, E.M.
Fowles, John
Franklin, Miles*
Fugard, Athol
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel
Gardam, Jane
Garner, Helen*
Goldbloom, Goldie*
Golding, William
Goldsworthy, Peter*
Grenville, Kate*
Grenville, Kate*
Hardy, Thomas
Hawthorne, Nathaniel
Hemingway, Ernest
Hemingway, Ernest
Herbert, Xavier*
Illywhacker
Oscar and Lucinda
On the Black Hill
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Awakening and Other Stories
Disgrace
Waiting for the Barbarians
Heart of Darkness
The Longest Memory
Reading in the Dark
The Inheritance of Loss
(Any title)
The Drowner
Second Class Citizen
As I Lay Dying
The Great Gatsby
The Sound of One Hand Clapping
Everything Is Illuminated
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
A Passage to India
The French Lieutenant’s Woman
My Brilliant Career
Tsotsi
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Old Filth
Monkey Grip
The Paperbark Shoe
The Inheritors
Maestro
Joan Makes History
The Secret River
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Scarlet Letter
A Farewell to Arms
Fiesta
Poor Fellow, My Country
Melbourne, Random House, 2005
Melbourne, Random House, 2005
London, Vintage, 2005
New York, Penguin, 2003
London, Random House, 2005
New York, Penguin, 2005
London, Vintage, 2004
London, Penguin, 2000
London, Vintage, 1995
London, Vintage, 1997
London, Hamish Hamilton, 2006
Hesse, Hermann
Hesse, Hermann
Hesse, Hermann
Hosain, Attia
Hospital, Janet Turner*
Huxley, Aldous
Jolley, Elizabeth*
Jolley, Elizabeth*
Jones, Gail*
Jones, Gail*
Jones, Gail*
Jones, Lloyd
Kafka, Franz
Siddhartha
The Glass Bead Game
The Prodigy
Sunlight on a Broken Column
Charades
Brave New World
The Well
Miss Peabody’s Inheritance
Sixty Lights
Dreams of Speaking
Sorry
Mr Pip
Metamorphosis [Anthology title:
Metamorphosis and Other Stories]
Camberwell, Vic. Penguin, 2001
New York, George Braziller, 2002
New York, Random House, 2000
London, Penguin, 2000
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 1998
USA, Houghton Mifflin, 2002
London, Penguin, 2006
London, Penguin, 2005
London, Vintage, 2004
Pymble, NSW, HarperCollins, 2001
Melbourne, Text Publishing, 2006
London, Penguin, 2001
London, Chatto & Windus, 2004
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 1995
Perth, Fremantle Press, 2010
London, Faber, 2005
Melbourne, HarperCollins, 1995
St Lucia, Qld, University of Queensland Press, 2002
Melbourne, Text Publishing, 2006
London, Penguin, 2003
New York, Random House, 2000
London, Vintage, 1999
London, Vintage, 2000
North Ryde, NSW, Collins/Angus & Robertson,
1990
London, Pan Macmillan, 1998
London, Ebury Publishing, 2000
London, Peter Owen, 2002
New York, Penguin, 1989
St Lucia, Qld, University of Queensland Press, 2003
New York, HarperCollins, 2006
Ringwood, Vic, Penguin, 1987
St Lucia, Qld, University of Queensland Press, 1984
London, Vintage, 2005
Melbourne, Random House, 2006
North Sydney, NSW, Vintage Books, 2007
Auckland, Penguin, 2006
London, Penguin, 2007
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
24
Author/Editor(s)
Title
Publication details
Keneally, Thomas*
Keneally, Thomas*
Kenneally, Thomas*
Kingsolver, Barbara
Kingston, Maxine Hong
Bring Larks and Heroes
Towards Asmara
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
The Poisonwood Bible
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a
Girlhood Among Ghosts
English Passengers
Sons and Lovers
The Australian Fiance
The Left Hand of Darkness
Small Island
The Wife of Martin Guerre
Fly Away Peter
An Imaginary Life
Ransom
Remembering Babylon
The Life of Pi
The Child in Time
Saturday
Atonement
The White Earth
Amongst Women
Black Swan Green
The Orchard
Beloved
The English Patient
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Bel Canto
The Chosen
Coonardoo
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 1989
Sydney, Hachette Livre, 2002
Melbourne, HarperCollins, 2004
New York, HarperCollins, 2005
New York, Random House, 1989
Northern Lights
The Fountainhead
Wide Sargasso Sea
The God of Small Things
Midnight’s Children
The Reader
True Country
London, Scholastic, 2007
London, Penguin, 2007
London, Folio Society, 1993
London, HarperCollins, 1998
London, Vintage, 2006
London, Orion, 1998
Fremantle, WA, Fremantle Arts Centre Press,
1993
Fremantle, WA, Fremantle Arts Centre Press,
1999
Picador, Australia, 2010
Allen and Unwin, 2007
Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin, 1992
Crows Nest, NSW, Allen and Unwin, 2009
Fremantle, WA, Fremantle Arts Centre Press,
2004
London, Penguin, 2000
Kneale, Matthew
Lawrence, D.H.
Lazaroo, Simone*
LeGuin, Ursula
Levy, Andrea*
Lewis, Janet
Malouf, David*
Malouf, David*
Malouf, David*
Malouf, David*
Martel, Yan
McEwan, Ian
McEwan, Ian
McEwan, Ian
McGahan, Andrew*
McGahern, John
Mitchell, David
Modjeska, Drusilla*
Morrison, Toni
Ondaatje, Michael
Orwell, George
Patchett, Anne
Potok, Chaim
Pritchard, Katharine
Susannah*
Pullman, Philip
Rand, Ayn
Rhys, Jean
Roy, Arundhati
Rushdie, Salman
Schlink, Bernard
Scott, Kim*
Scott, Kim*
Benang
Scott, Kim*
Scourfield, Stephen*
Shelley, Mary
Silvey, Craig*
Silvey, Craig*
That Dead Man Dance
Other Country
Frankenstein
Jasper Jones
Rhubarb
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander
One Day in the Life of Ivan
Denisovich
The Man Who Loved Children
For Love Alone
Stead, Christina*
Stead, Christina*
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
London, Penguin, 2001
London, Penguin, 2006
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 2001
London, Little, Brown Book Group, 1981
Sydney, Headline, 2004
London, Penguin, 1996
London, Vintage, 1998
London, Vintage, 1999
Vintage, 2010
London, Vintage, 1994
Edinburgh, Canongate Books, 2003
London, Vintage, 1997
London, Vintage, 2006
London, Jonathan Cape, 2001.
St Leonards, NSW, Allen & Unwin, 2005
London, Faber, 2000
London, Hodder & Stoughton, 2006
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 1995
London, Vintage, 1999
London, Picador, 1992
London, Penguin, 2004
New York, HarperCollins, 2005
London, Penguin, 1975
Pymble, NSW, HarperCollins, 2002
Pymble, NSW, HarperCollins, 1994
Bondi Junction, NSW, ETT Imprint, 1999
25
Author/Editor(s)
Title
Publication details
Steinbeck, John
Steinbeck, John
Steinbeck, John
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Stow, Randolph*
Stow, Randolph*
The Grapes of Wrath
Tortilla Flat
Cannery Row
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea
To the Islands
Swift, Jonathon
Toibin, Colm
Toibin, Colm
Tolstoy, Leo
Wells, H.G.
Wharton, Elizabeth
Wharton, William
White, Patrick.*
Wilde, Oscar
Winton, Tim*
Winton, Tim*
Winton, Tim*
Winton, Tim*
Winton, Tim*
Wood, Charlotte*
Woolf, Virginia
Woolf, Virginia
Woolfe, Sue*
Zusak, Marcus*
Gulliver’s Travels
The Blackwater Lightship
The Heather Blazing
Anna Karenina
Island of Doctor Moreau
The Age of Innocence
Birdy
A Fringe of Leaves
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Breath
An Open Swimmer
Cloudstreet
The Riders
Dirt Music
Submerged Cathedral
To the Lighthouse
Jacob’s Room
Leaning Towards Infinity
The Book Thief
London, Penguin, 2000
London, Penguin, 2000
London, Penguin, 2000
London, Penguin, 2006
New York, Morrow, 1966
St Lucia, Qld, University of Queensland Press,
2002
London, Penguin, 2003
London, Pan Macmillan, 2000
London, Pan Macmillan, 2001
London, Penguin, 2006
London, Orion, 2004
Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin, 1989
New York, Knopf, 1992
London, Vintage, 1997
London, Penguin 2006
London, Picador, 2008
Camberwell, Vic, Penguin, 1998
Melbourne, Penguin, 1992
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 2004
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 2004
Melbourne, Random House, 2004
Harmondsworth, UK, Penguin, 1992
London, Penguin, 1992
Melbourne, Random House, 1999
South Yarra, Vic, Pan Macmillan, 2005
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
26
Appendix 3 – Glossary
This glossary is provided to enable a common understanding of the key terms in this syllabus.
Aesthetic
A sense of beauty or an appreciation of artistic expression. For example, some
poems might be aesthetically pleasing because of their sound, rhyme and rhythm
and those poems might or might not be intellectually pleasing as well, depending
on the meaning readers take from them. If we appreciate the way a text has been
put together, for example, its language, its style, its tone, its use or adaptation of
generic conventions etc., then we are possibly focusing on the aesthetic qualities
of the text. If we focus on the meaning or the theme or the ideology or our
reading of the text, then we are possibly focusing on the intellectual rather than
the aesthetic. Of course, many would argue that the aesthetic and the intellectual
are inseparable.
Appreciation
The act of discerning the quality and value of literary texts.
Attitude
A stance regarding a situation, idea, character, event or issue. For example, an
author or audience may be supportive of, disinterested in or antagonistic towards
something or someone.
Audience
The group of readers, listeners or viewers that it is presumed the writer, or
speaker is addressing. Audience includes students in the classroom, an individual,
the wider community, review writers, critics and the implied audience.
Author
The composer or originator of a work.
Context
The environment in which a text is produced or received. Context can include the
general social, historical and cultural conditions in which a text is produced or
received or the specific features of its immediate environment.
The term is also used to refer to the wording surrounding an unfamiliar word that
a reader or listener uses to understand its meaning.
Convention
An accepted practice that has developed over time and is generally used and
understood, for example, the use of specific structural aspects of texts to develop
meaning. Conventions often come to be associated with particular genres.
Critical perspectives
Critical perspectives are formed by students when they make meaning from
literature by engaging with aspects of the text(s) studied. In the Literature ATAR
course, students discuss and debate aspects of texts establishing their views
through logical argument. Students reflect on the aesthetic qualities of literary
texts, appreciate the power of language and inquire into the relationship between
texts, authors, readers, audiences and contexts, thereby forming their own critical
perspectives. Critical perspectives can be informed by various reading practices
and strategies.
Dialogue
Dialogue refers to the conversation between two characters in a literary text.
Dialogue also refers to the process by which readers engage with texts over time.
In the construction of meaning, readers are in a dialogue or conversation with the
text.
Discourse
In general terms, the term, ‘discourse’ refers to the language or terminology used
in the discussion of a subject or field of study. For example, the terms defined in
this glossary belong to a literary discourse; laws about contracts belong to a legal
discourse; a debate about the best ways to remove a skin cancer belongs to a
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus
27
medical discourse. Within literary theory, it is argued that meaning is constructed
through discourse, that nothing has any meaning outside of discourse. Every idea
belongs to at least one discourse. For example, it would be reasonable to conclude
that some ‘nature’ poems and their themes belong to a discourse of ecological
sustainability. Discourses are involved in the distribution of social power, favouring
different people, institutions and ideologies. For example, a discourse condoning
the expansion of an empire favours some people and institutions over others; it
has a very different language and ideology from a post-colonial discourse.
Figurative language
Word groups or phrases used in a way that differs from the expected or everyday
usage. They are used in a non-literal way for particular effect
(for example, simile – ‘white as a sheet’; metaphor – ‘all the world’s a stage’;
personification – ‘the wind grabbed at my clothes’).
Forms of texts
The shape and structure of texts (for example, poetry, novels, short stories, plays).
Genre
The categories into which texts are grouped. The term has a complex history
within literary theory and is often used to distinguish texts on the basis of their
subject matter (for example, detective fiction, romance, science fiction, fantasy
fiction), form and structure (for example, poetry, novels, short stories and plays).
This Literature course uses the term ‘genre’ to mean prose fiction, poetry and
drama. Within those genres are other genres or ‘sub-genres’ for example, in prose
fiction: crime fiction, romance, or the epistolary novel; in drama: absurd theatre,
comedy and tragedy; in poetry, forms like elegy, sonnet and ode.
Ideology
A system of attitudes, values, beliefs and assumptions.
Intertextuality
The process by which a reader makes connections between texts,
for example, texts read previously and the text being read at present. Readers
might see connections in terms of the representations of ideas or groups of
people; in terms of the generic conventions used; in terms of the language, form
or style; in terms of the ideologies promoted; or in terms of the plots or characters
or themes. Some texts allude to others, sometimes directly, sometimes subtly.
While reading one text, readers might notice resonances with another text. By
reading intertextually, we can examine how a text might position readers by
inviting them to draw on ways of thinking they have encountered in other texts.
Language features
The features of language that support meaning, for example, sentence structure,
noun group/phrase, vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language. Choices in
language features and text structures together define a type of text and shape its
meaning. These choices vary according to the purpose of a text, its subject matter,
audience and mode or medium of production.
Language patterns
The arrangement of identifiable repeated or corresponding elements in a text.
These include patterns of repetition or similarity (for example, the repeated use of
verbs at the beginning of each step in a recipe, or the repetition of a chorus after
each verse in a song). The patterns may alternate (for example, the call and
response pattern of some games, or the to and fro of a dialogue). Other patterns
may contrast (for example, opposing viewpoints in a discussion, or contrasting
patterns of imagery in a poem). The language patterns of a text contribute to the
distinctive nature of its overall organisation and shape its meaning.
Marginalise
Alienate the views of, or underplay the significance of groups or individuals.
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Medium
The resources used in the production of texts, including the tools and materials
used (for example, digital text and the computer; writing and the pen or
typewriter or tablet; the resources and materials used in creating live theatre; the
technologies involved in recording and transmitting performances). Put more
simply, live theatre is a different medium from television which is a different
medium from the printed page.
Mode
The various processes of communication: listening, speaking, reading/viewing and
writing/creating. Modes are also used to refer to the semiotic (meaning-making)
resources associated with these communicative processes, such as sound, print,
image and gesture.
Multimodal text
A text that combines two or more communication modes (for example, print,
image and spoken text, as in computer presentations). A multimodal literary text is
a multimodal text that is predominantly literary, for example, in its use of literary
conventions, its tone or its style. A multimodal literary text could also be referred
to as a literary text that is multimodal, as per the definition of ‘multimodal’.
Multiple readings
A literary text is open to interpretation, can be read in a number of ways,
depending on the reading strategies that readers are employing. In that sense,
because different reading strategies are being used by different readers, then
multiple readings of the text are possible. For example, if the reader focuses on
the representation of gender in a text then that might lead the reader to certain
conclusions, for example, the text is ‘politically incorrect (or correct)’, ‘feminist’ or
‘chauvinist’. Another reader might focus on class, for example, the class to which
the writer belonged and the effects that had on the construction of the text; such
a reading might focus on the representation of class in the text that privileges one
class over another or that objects to the treatment of a class by the wider society.
A third reader might focus on the writer’s adherence to or adaptation of
conventions of a genre; and on the writer’s choice of language and the implied
ideologies of that language. Three very different ‘readings’ of the same text might
be created and each would be assessed on its merits. A single reader might also be
able to create more than one reading of a text, for example, by explaining, “One
reading of the text is that…..” and “Another reading of this text might be that….”
Narrative
A story of events or experiences, real or imagined. In literary theory, narrative
includes the story (what is narrated) and the genre (how it is narrated).
Narrative point of view
The position or vantage-point from which the events of a story seem to be
observed and narrated to the reader. For example, the narrator might take the
role of first or third person; omniscient or restricted in knowledge of events; and
reliable or unreliable in interpreting what happens. Some texts have multiple
narrators and therefore, of course, multiple narrative points of view.
Naturalise
If writers or texts frequently represent an idea or group of people in a certain
stereotypical way, then readers might assume that that’s the way things are.
Readers might jump to the conclusion that it is ‘natural’ to think of that idea in
that way or for that group of people to behave that way. For example, if
Australians are always represented as uneducated and loudmouthed, then readers
might come to expect those characteristics of Australians or Australian characters
in texts. The characteristics have become ’naturalised’. When we assume that a
particular representation of a group of people is ‘natural’ or that their behaviour is
‘natural’, we are probably forgetting that their behaviour is ‘cultural’, as in
belonging to a particular culture or sub-culture and that there is nothing ‘natural’
about it at all. See Moon’s chapter on the culture/nature binary.
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Perspective
The way a reader/viewer is positioned by the author through the text, or how a
particular ideology is embedded in a text, for example, a feminist perspective. The
term ‘perspective’ may also refer to the ideological perspective, the values and
attitudes that the reader brings to the text; and it may refer to the reading
practice or ‘lens’ used to read the text, for example, a feminist perspective,
a post-colonial reading practice, a Marxist perspective, a psychoanalytical reading
of a text.
Point of view
An opinion or viewpoint.
Reading strategies/reading
practices
Reading strategies (reading practices, ways of reading) are ways readers make
meaning of texts. Often a reading strategy will involve paying attention to the
context of the writer, the language of the text, its generic conventions and/or the
context of the reader. When a reader focuses on the representation of gender,
class, race/ethnicity, cultural identity or other representations or combinations of
these representations, then the reader is employing a reading strategy.
Representation
In literary texts, words, phrases or sentences that re-present (as opposed to
‘reflect’) reality. For example, we can refer to the representation of ‘women’ in a
text; or the representation of ‘love’; or the representation of ‘pre-war Australia’.
Resonances
Aspects of texts that resound or echo for readers.
Rhetorical devices
Language techniques used in argument to persuade audiences
(for example, rhetorical questions, repetition, propositions, figurative language).
Standard Australian English
The variety of spoken and written English language in Australia used in more
formal settings, such as for official or public purposes, and recorded in
dictionaries, style guides and grammars. While it is always dynamic and evolving, it
is recognised as the ‘common language’ of Australians.
Stylistic choices
The selection of stylistic features to achieve a particular effect.
Stylistic features
The ways in which aspects of texts (such as words, sentences, images) are
arranged and how they affect meaning. Style can distinguish the work of individual
authors (for example, Jennings’ stories, Lawson’s poems), as well as the work of a
particular period (for example, Elizabethan drama, nineteenth-century novels), or
of a particular genre or type of text (for example, recipes, scientific articles,
play-by-play commentary). Examples of stylistic features are narrative viewpoint,
structure of stanzas, juxtaposition, nominalisation, alliteration, metaphor and
lexical choice.
Text structure
The ways in which information is organised in different types of texts
(for example, chapter headings, subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and
glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding paragraphs, sequencing, topic
sentences, taxonomies, cause and effect). Choices in text structures and language
features together define a text type and shape its meaning. Examples of text
structures in literary texts include sonnets, monologues and hypertext.
Transformation
Changing the form or shape of a text, for example, by appropriation, adaptation,
subversion or parody.
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Types of texts
Classifications of texts according to the particular purposes they are designed to
achieve. These distinctions are neither static nor discrete and particular texts can
belong to more than one category.
Analytical texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to identify, examine and draw conclusions about
the elements or components that make up other texts. Analytical texts develop an
argument or consider or advance an interpretation. Examples of these texts
include commentaries, essays in criticism, reflective or discursive responses and
reviews.
Discursive texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to engage the reader in a non-fictional or
expository manner but which may digress from one subject to another and which
are not as formal or methodical as analytical texts. Such texts could include
feature articles and journals.
Imaginative texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to entertain or provoke thought through their
imaginative use of literary elements. They are recognised for their form, style and
artistic or aesthetic value. These texts include novels, traditional tales, poetry,
stories, plays, fiction for young adults and children, including picture books, and
multimodal texts such as film.
Persuasive texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to put forward a point of view and persuade a
reader, viewer or listener. They form a significant part of modern communication
in both print and digital environments. They include advertising, debates,
arguments, discussions, polemics and essays and articles.
Reflective texts
Texts whose primary purpose is to reflect on texts and ideas but in a less formal
way than an analytical essay. Such texts could include a series of journal entries
about a literary text or a single piece reflecting on what one hoped to achieve in a
creative production.
Voice
In the literary sense, voice can be used to refer to the nature of the voice
projected in a text, for example, ‘authorial voice’ in a work of prose fiction, the
voice of a persona in a poem or the voice of a character in a monologue.
Useful references include:
M.H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms
Deborah Appleman, Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents
Chris Baldick, The Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms
Martin Gray, A Dictionary of Literary Terms
Jeremy Hawthorn, A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory
Brian Moon, A Glossary of Literary Terms
The New Princeton Encyclopaedia of Poetry and Poetics
Literature | ATAR | Year 12 syllabus