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Literature of Travel and Discovery (ENGL2648)
Semester 2 / 2008

Texts

y separately published work icon The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific Paul Theroux , London : Penguin , 1992 Z1001724 1992 single work prose travel (taught in 1 units)
y separately published work icon Tracks Robyn Davidson , London : Jonathan Cape , 1980 Z811575 1980 single work autobiography travel (taught in 8 units)

Robyn Davidson tells the story of her 1977 journey across the desert, from Alice Springs to Western Australia. She and a Pitjantjara elder completed their crossing on camel's back. Tracks is the story of her adventure, not only across the desert, but also into self-discovery, and the discovery of the beauty, nobility, and history of the country and its people. (Source: Trove)

Gulliver's Travels!$!Swift!$!!$!!$!
Letters!$!Montagu!$!!$!!$!
Exploration and Exchange: A South Seas Anthology!$!Lamb, Thomas and Smith (eds)!$!!$!!$!
The Odyssey!$!Homer!$!!$!!$!

Description

This unit explores a range of texts, from the Ancient world to the twentieth century, encompassing real and imaginary voyages. The focus will shift from the classic voyages of the western imaginary to works focused on the Pacific region and Australia, as we consider the ways in which generic themes and literary structures find articulation in particular contexts. Students will sample a broad spectrum of narrative modes, complemented by visual resources including maps, illustrations, colonial photographs and film.

Assessment

One 3000 word written assignment and one 1.5 hour examination

Other Details

Current Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Levels: Undergraduate
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