VCE Literature

The study of Literature enables students to consider the power and complexity of language, the ways literary features and techniques contribute to meaning and the significance of form and structure. They develop their capacity to read and interpret texts and reflect on their interpretations and those of others, and in turn reflect on their personal experience and the experiences of others, cultivating an awareness that there are multiple readings of texts and that the nature of language and text is dynamic. They are encouraged to be independent, innovative and creative, developing the ability to read deeply and widely and to establish and articulate their views through creative and analytical responses. 

VCE Literature enables students to: 

• develop an enjoyment of language and literature through reading deeply, widely and critically 

• appreciate the stylistic and aesthetic qualities of texts and develop an understanding of and sensitivity to nuances in the English language 

• read closely, developing the ability to engage in detailed critical analysis of the key literary features of individual texts and to make relevant connections between them 

• demonstrate an understanding that the context and perspective of both author and reader influence the reading experience 

• develop the capacity for critical thinking and understanding of the relationship between literature and society 

• develop an understanding of literary criticism 

• develop the capacity to engage with and contest complex and challenging ideas to develop their own interpretation informed by a range of literary criticism 

• develop the capacity for creativity and self-expression, and the ability to write confident analytical and creative responses to texts

In this unit, students consider how language, structure and stylistic choices are used in different literary forms and types of text. They consider both print and non-print texts, reflecting on the contribution of form and style to meaning. Students reflect on the degree to which points of view, experiences and contexts shape their own and others’ interpretations of text. Students closely examine the literary forms, features and language of texts. 

Students explore the concerns, ideas, style and conventions common to a distinctive type of literature seen in literary movements or genres. Students engage with the ideas and concerns shared by the texts through language, settings, narrative structures and characterisation, and they experiment with the assumptions and representations embedded in the texts.

Areas of Study:

1.  Reading Practices

2. Exploration of Literary Movements and Genres

In this unit students explore the voices, perspectives and knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and creators. They consider the interconnectedness of place, culture and identity through the experiences, texts and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including connections to Country, the impact of colonisation and its ongoing consequences, and issues of reconciliation and reclamation.

Students focus on the text and its historical, social and cultural context. Students reflect on representations of a specific time period and/or culture within a text. They explore the text to understand its point of view and what it reflects or comments on. Students identify the language and the representations in the text that reflect the specific time period and/or culture, its ideas and concepts. Students develop an understanding that contextual meaning is already implicitly or explicitly inscribed in a text and that textual details and structures can be scrutinised to illustrate its significance.

Areas of Study:

1.  Voices of Country

2. The Text in its Context

In this unit students consider how the form of a text affects meaning, and how writers construct their texts. They investigate ways writers adapt and transform texts and how meaning is affected as texts are adapted and transformed. They consider how the perspectives of those adapting texts may inform or influence the adaptations. Students draw on their study of adaptations and transformations to develop creative responses to texts.

Students explore the different ways we can read and understand a text by developing, considering and comparing interpretations of a set text.

Areas of Study:

1.  Adaptions and Transformations

2. Developing Interpretations

In this unit, students focus on the imaginative techniques used for creating and recreating a literary work. Students use their knowledge of how the meaning of texts can change as context and form change to construct their own creative transformations of texts. They learn how authors develop representations of people and places, and they develop an understanding of language, voice, form and structure.

Students focus on a detailed scrutiny of the language, style, concerns and construction of texts. Students attend closely to textual details to examine the ways specific passages in a text contribute to their overall understanding of the whole text. Students consider literary forms, features and language, and the views and values of the text. 

Areas of Study:

1. Creative Responses to Texts

2. Close Analysis of Texts

Mr Davide Angelo - dangelo@cmc.vic.edu.au 

Mrs Mary-AnnTonini - mtonini@cmc.vic.edu.au