AustLit
Texts
-
y
The Darkening Ecliptic
Melbourne
:
Reed and Harris
,
1944
Z339108
1944
collected work
poetry
(taught in 4 units)
-
y
The Hand that Signed the Paper
St Leonards
:
Allen and Unwin
,
1994
Z828685
1994
single work
novel
(taught in 2 units)
'The brothers Kovalenko...did not kill Jews just because they were poor and Ukrainian, and did not know any better. They killed Jews because they believed that they themselves were savages.'
'The Hand that Signed the Paper tells the story of Vitaly, a Ukrainian peasant, who endures the destruction of his village and family by Stalin's communism. He welcomes the Nazi invasion in 1941 and willingly enlists in the SS Death Squads to take a horrifying revenge against those he perceives to be his persecutors.
'This remarkable novel, a shocking story of the hatred that gives evil life, is also an eloquent plea for peace and justice.' (Publication summary)
Description
In 1944 two Australian poets devised what has been called the twentieth century's greatest literary hoax. So many hoaxes have ensued in this country that they can be linked to the national psyche. This unit examines the history, theory and poetics of the literary hoax before exploring its key Australian manifestations, and questioning the relative weight of Australian and international factors (e.g. the postmodern interrogation of authenticity) in their generation.
Assessment
One 1500 wd essay, one 3000 wd take-home exam, tutorial presentation
Supplementary Texts
Resource Book will be available, containing selections and excerpts from Psalmanaazar, Swift, Chatterton,Macpherson, W.H.Irelend, Floupette, The Spectra Poems, and other Australian hoaxes.
R.K.K.Ruthven, Faking Literature
David Brooks, The Sons of Clovis
Michael Hayward, The Ern Malley Affair
Ian Hayward, Faking it:Art and the politics of forgery
Jost, Totaro er al. The Demidenko File
William Jay Smith, The Spectra Hoax
Other Details
Levels:
Undergraduate
Coordinator:
Categories:
