Yr 11 Adv: Critical Study of Literature

Critical Study of Literature is like Close Study of Literature, plus values and context. Everything in close study of text relates to this module. You need to address the textual integrity of what you study, that is, how the component parts contribute to the meaning of the whole text. You will study one text.

This is what the syllabus says.

Module B: Critical Study of Literature

In this module, students develop analytical and critical knowledge, understanding and appreciation of a literary text. Through increasingly informed personal responses to the text in its entirety, students develop understanding of the distinctive qualities of the text and notions of textual integrity.

Students study one text appropriate to their needs and interests. Central to this study is the exploration of how the author’s ideas are expressed in the text through an analysis of its construction, content and language. Students develop their own interpretation of the text, basing their judgements on evidence drawn from their research and reading, enabling the development of a deeper and richer understanding of the text. In doing so, they consider notions of contexts with regard to the text’s composition and reception; investigate the perspectives of others; and explore the ideas in the text, further strengthening their personal perspective on the text.

Students have opportunities to appreciate and express views about the aesthetic and imaginative aspects of a text by composing creative and critical texts of their own. Through reading, viewing or listening they analyse, evaluate and comment on the text’s specific language features and form. They express increasingly complex ideas, clearly and cohesively using appropriate register, structure and modality. They draft, appraise and refine their own texts, applying the conventions of syntax, spelling and grammar appropriately.

Opportunities to engage deeply with the text as a responder and composer further develops personal and intellectual connections with this text, enabling students to express their informed personal view of its meaning and value.

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In Yr 11, some teachers will teach a text that used to be on the HSC list of prescribed texts but is no longer. The good news is that there are lots of resources for these texts.

Approach to Unseen Texts

There is a strategy for approaching unseen texts that you need to respond to in exam situations.

Firstly, read the question before you read the text. Because these tasks are worth few marks, only read to answer the question. Spend your time according to the amount of marks for each question. For two marks you need to answer the question in one paragraph with references to two examples from the text. For three marks, three examples in one or two paragraphs. In the HSC exam, for questions worth five or six marks you need to synthesise and address two texts in relation to each other. This is a mini essay.

In a class assessment task you might be addressing one text at a time. 

There are some literary features which are common to all texts - look for these as your answers. There is no point looking for metaphor or personification if there are no examples in your text. (Of course, if you can comment on metaphor, symbols, imagery, etc, then do so.) Otherwise, look for:
- structure
- voice, persona, tone, point of view
- title
- punctuation (if there is no punctuation, that is noteworthy)
- composer, who constructed a text in context, for audience, a purpose, and to effect a responder
- text type/ genre/ style
- ideas
- literal (exactly what it says)/figurative language (figurative opens up simile, metaphor etc)/inferential (what does it suggest). Every word used falls into these categories. 
- words
- sentences
- layout on the page
- mood/atmosphere
- representations
- how the composer positions the reader and why
- also look for patterns and repetitions - they are noteworthy.

Your answer should address What (describe), How (explain) and Why (analyse). For the question worth the most marks you should evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques, ie, make a judgement.

Yr 11 Adv: Narratives that Shape our World - Resources

Here are some focus questions for this module:

- How does narrative shape our understanding of the world?

- How do representation of cultures, ideas and ideologies in narratives shape our positions in the world?

- How does narrative shape our ideas about identity, belonging and who we are?

- In what ways are characters in texts imaginative rehearsals for ways of living?

- Can an unreliable character be a reliable narrator?

- How is narrative point of view used to create authority in texts?

Teachers can use a range of texts, chosen by a theme or idea. At some schools teachers are using texts that used to be on the HSC prescribed text list but are now no longer. They do this because the texts are available, however, these texts cannot be taught in same way as taught in the old HSC.

For example, if using The Great Gatsby and the sonnets of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the focus must be on the texts as narratives that shape our world, rather than as Mod A: Comparative Study of Texts and Context - Intertextual Perspectives. Both texts can be read in terms of ideas about romantic love, mortality and hope, however, the texts must now be taught in terms of the new rubric. It needs to cover all the core principles of literary devices (more to come!), ie, close study of texts, as well as how stories impact our idea of ourselves. You can relate this to who gets to tell the stories now; how social media had connected people around the world to share their stories; how people appeal to stories of the past for their identity; how this concept has been challenged, and what the political implications are for these ideas

Key is this: In this module, students explore a range of narratives from the past and the contemporary era that illuminate and convey ideas, attitudes and values. They consider the powerful role of stories and storytelling as a feature of narrative in past and present societies, as a way of: connecting people within and across cultures, communities and historical eras; inspiring change or consolidating stability; revealing, affirming or questioning cultural practices; sharing collective or individual experiences; or celebrating aesthetic achievement.

So, in The Great Gatsby and the sonnets of Barrett Browning, what are the values of their contexts, how have their stories been used, and how do they fit with our values today? You can argue that the representation of romantic love in these texts is flawed and damaging. How do these texts tell us about who we are today? What are our views about romantic love, identity, mortality, expectations for happiness in life, and how are these ideas valued according to different contexts? What were the original contexts? For each text, how has context influenced the text? Who was the original audience? How did they react to the text? What values or ideas does the text present? What languages choices are made? How do these language choices create the message of the text? Do these values and ideas change in new or modern contexts? How and why? How do you think your reaction to the texts differs from the original audiences' reaction? (This is called Reception Studies)

Next post....more on resources for Gatsby and Barrett Browning