Strathmore Secondary CollegeUnit 1 and 2 Literature 2013

Student RollCourse Handouts

Submission of homeworkIntro to Literature

Welcome to Year 11 Literature!

Why did you choose to study Literature?

1. Write down 5 reasons2. Discuss with the person beside you

What is Literature???

Write down your definition.Find a different person to compare your ideas

with

Literature – a definition:(Write this in your books)

Writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or

essential features.

1. Underline the key words of this definition.2. Use this definition to come up with 10 texts

that you would categorise as literature

Literary Fiction Popular FictionCan have a strong plot, but this feature is not necessarily dominant

Develops the plot with a strong sense of narrative forward movement

Requires more concentrated, sustained attention when reading

Requires less concentrated type of reading than Literary fiction

Is interested in the nuances and complexities of language and the human experiences

Is less inclined to dwell on the minutiae of experience or the description of a landscape

TASK 1: Look at your list of literary texts again.Do they fit the ideas from the table?

TASK 2: Now make a list of the texts you read/viewed in the holidays. Put a mark beside the ones that you would class as literature.

Now we know what it is, why do we study it???

1. List 5 reasons why the study of literature is important.2. Share you 5 reasons with 2 other people (not the same people as last time)

Circle activity – double circle discussionsForm an outer and inner circle – facing each

other.2 minutes for each discussion point

1. What is your favourite piece of literature?

2. What literary character best represents you?

3. What literary character would you most aspire to be like? Why?

4. What literary character do you dislike the most? Why?

1. What are your strengths in English?2. What are your weaknesses in English3. What do you hope to get out of the

Literature course?

Learning Goal:To understand the context of Louis Nowra and

‘Cosi’

LOUIS NOWRA

Cosi

Louis Nowra:

• Born on December 12th 1950 • One of Australia’s leading playwrights• He is a significant cultural commentator

CONTEXT

What does the word CONTEXT mean??What is Louis Nowra’s context?

Write down your definition

Context: Yours and Nowra’s

• Context: environment, surroundings, circumstances, time period……

• When we think of context, we think of ‘where’ and ‘when’ a text was created. This impacts the meaning of the text.

• Remember – the context of the texts, writer and audience can be different!

Context Definition:

Copy the definition into your workbook

1. The parts surrounding a written or spoken word or passage that can throw light on its meaning

2. The interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs

Your Context…• What is your context? Consider the era in

which you are born and live, the place you live, social and political issues that impact you, family influences…?

• What influences your life and your view of the world?

Write these ideas in your book

‘Cosi’Reflect on your holiday homework…

• What was Nowra’s context??• When did he write ‘Cosi’?• Why did he choose the setting?• What were the major social and political issues

presented in ‘Cosi’

TASK: Discuss with the person beside you. Take notes in your workbook.

Quotes from the introductory notes that might help you…

• autobiographical re-construction • Myriad collection of differently and

imperfectly remembered situations• Nowra investigates our culture through

metaphor, parable and influence• Details with frightening precision the tragedy

and humour of every day lives

Nowra’s Context

• When he wrote the play he was going through one of his most difficult periods in life

• The character of Lewis is loosely based on Nowra himself. At 21 he took a job of directing a play in an institution. He felt terror and responsibility.

• Nowra felt 21 was a major turning point in his understanding of people.

• Both of his grandmothers suffered from mental illness. He was interested in peoples’ perception of the mentally ill and the treatment they received

Your Perceptions…

Discuss the following in groups:

• How did people view the mentally ill 100 years ago? 50 years ago? Today?

• What has changed? What is similar?

• How do you view the mentally ill? Why do you hold these perceptions?

• Do you know someone with a mental illness? What are their experiences?

Think back to last year and your study of ‘Curious incident of the dog in the night time’

• How does he see the world?• How does society view him?• How did studying this text alter your perceptions of

people with a mental illness?

TASK: Discuss these ideas with the person beside you.

Write down 2 ideas for each dot point

• http://youtu.be/RGRD6JBnHrU

‘One flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ clip

http://youtu.be/JNkwGVl_a-MHomeland clip

Use of humour in ‘Cosi’

• In ‘Cosi’ humour is used to move the play along and to reflect critically on what is often a tragedy of human suffering.

• The play exposes weaknesses and stupidity, it ridicules our prejudices and popular institutions.

• The comic element links the suffering and the existence of a range of individuals.

Importance of Setting

• Setting – the burnt out stage. This is a metaphor for the world at large.

• The Vietnam war (1962-1975) frames the drama – war, anti war beliefs. Shows the madness on the outside.

• The play says just as much about life outside the institution as it does about life inside.

Theatre and Life

• Metaphor for the real world torn apart by the chaos of war. It implies that theatre not only has a political role in the real world, but also that it’s potentially as powerful as a moratorium in voicing an opposition to war.

• The merging of real and illusory worlds thus draws strong parallels between art and life, highlighting the importance of art in our lives

‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ – the Opera

• The Play within the play – Cosi Fan TutteThis creates ironies – juxtaposition of moral/immoral behaviours, sanity and insanity

Task:

Use the introductory notes in your text, ‘Frankenstein’s Mozart: The making of Cosi’ and ‘Trial by Madmen’, to develop your understanding of the play.

Use the handout to take notes. Due next lesson.

Things to consider when studying a play

Brainstorm!

1. What creates meaning for us when we see a stage performance?

Obviously reading and watching a play are very different.2. How do we respond when we read the script, compared to

when we watch it being acted out?

3. What are the positives and negatives of the stage?

4. How is it different to the form of film?

Some theatre devices that create meaning…

• Stage directions and performance aspects• Props and sets• Costumes and characters’ physical appearances• Stage positions and movement• Dialogue• Lighting• Sound effects• Characterisation• Narrative structure

As we read the play, consider how these devices help to create meaning.

Act 1 Scene 1 - Characters• Lucy• Nick• Lewis• Roy• Justin• Doug• Cherry• Julie• Ruth• Zac

‘

‘Cosi’ Act 1 Scene 1

Aspects to consider

Learning Objective:To understand how meaning is created in

Act 1, Scene 1

You will need to discuss the following discussion points in groups and take notes.

Leave a space under each of your answers to add to your notes later

What does the theatre represent?

• How is light and darkness used?• What does the darkness symbolise?

• How are the characters introduced? • How do they interact with each other?• What do they represent in this Act?• What is revealed about them?

Characters• The opening scene is very practical: it introduces us to

Lewis and his role in the play; to each of the patients, and to Mozart’s opera. (This is almost a character in itself!)

• We see how these characters relate to the opera, and what these relationships represent about each character.

• Lucy and Nick represent Lewis’ knowledge and experience from the outside world

• Lewis is the central character – but is so lacking in confidence that Lucy initially takes control

Theatre

• It is a physical setting for the play and also a symbolic space for the narrative to inhabit.

• It is a burnt out theatre – as mentioned in your introductory notes

Darkness• The darkness represents the nature of the theatre and of

performance: until a theatrical work has been rehearsed and put together, it is nothing but an idea and there is no light or sound.

• At this moment of the play, all that exists is possibility. So far we are at the beginning and there is not magic.

• The darkness also represent Lewis’ lack of knowledge, preparedness and inspiration – he is ‘in the dark’ about what to expect from the patients and from his role.

• The stage direction ‘a chink of daylight enters’, is perhaps symbolic of Lewis bringing with him a glimmer of the outside world into the institution

Reading Journal

Task:Imagine you are a theatre reviewer. What would

you say about the opening scene of the play?

Try to comment on:Characterisation – how were the characters

introduced and presented?Setting – what does it symbolise?

Key ideas – what were the key issues?Language – why was it used?

Act 1 Scene 1

In Act 1 scene 1 Nowra introduced key ideas of mental illness, institutions, social workers, love and fidelity and the importance of the Arts, war, reality and illusion (a

lot for one scene!!)

TASK: You are going to write a detailed paragraph on 1 of these key idea

You need to write about HOW the key idea is conveyed. How do we know what Nowra’s opinions are about this

key idea?

In your paragraph include discussion of the theatrical techniques we have discussed, and how they develop meaning

• Characterisation: how characters behave, interact, dialogue, appearance (Consider stage directions!)

• Setting: what it symbolises in relation to the key idea

• Language: what impact does the language have? How does it help create meaning?

• Tone: what is the mood of the opening scene? How does this develop the key idea?

To write this paragraph, you need to ‘jump in’! No introduction – just a paragraph. Choose your focus idea and start writing about how it is

developed.

Eg. In Act one Scene one of Louis Nowra’s play ‘Cosi’, the issue of mental illness is quickly introduced. Nowra relies on his own context to develop his central character ‘Lewis’, who is cast into a ‘burnt out’ and ‘pitch black’ theatre. This darkness symbolises…….Nowra emphasises the stigma placed on the mentally ill through Nick’s offhand comment that mad actors are bad enough, but madmen…’ The negative attitude towards those with a mental illness is further conveyed by Justin and his use of the negative connotation of the word queasy. …….Nowra uses black humour, especially through the characterisation of Doug, to provide relief from the seriousness of the issue. Doug’s offhanded comment that when you want a lobotomy you just can’t get it, allows the audience to relate to the characters through their humour.The play is naturalistic in style. Doug’s colloquialisms of poofter and dunny engage the audience as it is Australian and contemporary.

Description of Setting pg. 1A burnt out theatre. It is day outside but pitch black inside the theatre. A heavy door opens, a chink of daylight enters, as do three people: Lewis, Lucy and his friend.

Comment on Nowra’s choice of setting. What does it represent? Consider the idea of:

• the darkened, destroyed theatre• use of light• tone

KEY VOCAB THAT YOU NEED TO INCLUDE Context Key ideas

Views and values Tone Beliefs Narrative structure

Represents SymbolicIrony

What is wrong with this paragraph about the setting? The opening setting is of a theatre; in a theatre. This shows that the theatre is a stage for society and the world. Louis shows there isn’t any hope because it is dark, but maybe some hope will come because there is a chink of light.

SAMPLE RESPONSE TO THE SETTINGLouis Nowra’s choice of the opening setting in his play ‘Cosi’ introduces his cynical views on key social issues of the 1960s and modern society. The ironic use of the ‘burnt out theatre’ that is ‘pitch black’ is a metaphor of the world as a stage, conveying a bleak tone of moral destruction and hopelessness in regards to both war and the mentally ill. This tone is contrasted however, as it is revealed that ‘a chink of daylight enters’, symbolising the hope and possibilities that Lewis may bring to the patients, and revealing a sense of change regarding perceptions of Australia’s involvement in war.

Where does it

come in the text?

Use adjectives

to describe his views Comment

on tone. Describe it.

Look for contrasts

What is being symbolised?

Opening line: author’s name, title, context, significance of where it falls in text.

Sentence Starters…• The ‘burnt out theatre’ is symbolic of ……• Contrasting the ‘day outside’ and ‘pitch black inside’

represents…(what is implied about mental illness and war?)

• Nowr’s view of society’s perception of war is evident through…

• The tone alters as a ‘chink of daylight enters’, revealing that…