Length: 1000 words

Task: For this assessment, you will analyse a short modernist passage (will be provided in the Assessment tile in Moodle) demonstrating your understanding of modernist literary techniques and your developing close reading skills.

Aim:

Your analysis should:
- Examine the passage's key literary devices and narrative techniques
- Identify and discuss specific modernist characteristics
- Support your analysis with precise textual evidence
- Connect your close reading to broader modernist principles covered in the first four weeks of the unit

Your response should demonstrate clear academic writing, careful attention to textual detail, and an emerging understanding of modernist literary conventions. While detailed research is not required, you should discuss key concepts and ideas discussed in study guides, the e-reading list, and tutorials, and include a minimum of three (3) scholarly references.

Pro-tip: you might find all the references you need just within the resources provided in weeks 1-4.

Key Components:

• Close reading analysis of a provided modernist passage
  • Identification of key modernist elements
  • Discussion of narrative technique
  • Analysis of language and literary devices
  • Specific textual evidence
• Brief contextualisation
  • Connection to early modernist principles covered so far
  • Brief discussion of historical/cultural context

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows: 

- Gen AI may only be used within the constraints that are specified in individual assessment instructions within Moodle. Please refer to the unit website for those details.

- You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission.

- You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.

Word Count:

The word count excludes the cover page and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

Assessment Criteria: 

1. Close Reading Skills: Demonstrates ability to identify and analyse specific textual elements including literary devices, language choices, and narrative techniques with precise textual evidence.
2. Understanding of Modernist Characteristics: Shows clear comprehension of key modernist features as discussed in the unit.
3. Academic Writing Clarity: Presents ideas in clear, well-structured prose with appropriate academic language, correct grammar, and proper paragraph organisation.
4. Basic Theoretical Understanding: Demonstrates emerging ability to connect close reading observations to broader modernist principles and historical context covered in the first four weeks.
5. Presentation and Referencing: Adheres to submission guidelines, including proper formatting, meeting word count requirements, evidence of editing and proofreading, and minimum three (3) scholarly references in Harvard (author-date) style.

Length: 1500 words + references

You may select one (1) text from the Text List for this assessment.
IMPORTANT: The text you select for this assessment cannot be used in Assessment 3.

Task: Writing and publishing book reviews can enhance your professional profile and may be an item you could add to your portfolio. For this assessment you are required to source a literary newspaper or journal that accepts book reviews, then write a Book Review targeted at that publication based on a close reading of your selected text, demonstrating your understanding of either modernist or postmodernist literary conventions. Ensure you review the study guide and tutorial about writing a literary book review to ensure you are confident in the requirements of this task. 

Details:

You should model your review on the kind of book reviews you find in your selected literary newspaper or journal (irrespective of whether they only accept current titles). DO NOT model your review on the kinds of reviews you might find on the GoodReads or Amazon.com websites. These reviews tend to be solely focused on whether the book is enjoyable to read or not; in your review, you will be thinking much more broadly about the strengths and weaknesses of the book and its contribution to literary culture.

Some examples of appropriate publications include (but are not limited to): 

Review section of the Weekend Australian
Weekend supplements to The Age or the Sydney Morning Herald
Australian Book Review
Sydney Review of Books
New York Review of Books
London Review of Books
Times Literary Supplement
Kirkus Reviews
TEXT Journal
ISLAND Magazine

Your Book Review should follow the model/guidelines of your chosen publication, as applicable, but for the purposes of this assessment it should comply with the specified 1500-word count and cover the following points (at minimum):

• A brief pitch to the publication outlining how/why it fits their review section (no more than 250 words, included before Book Review)
• A concise summary of the content/plot - do not just retell the story.
• A brief discussion of the historical, social and/or literary context - how did this impact on the novel? Demonstrate your understanding of the literary movement.
• An analysis of the main themes - what was the writer trying to convey, and were they successful?
• An evaluation of the significance or contribution - for whom does this book matter and why?
• Inclusion of two (2) scholarly sources.

This assessment will require you to use the reflection and critical analysis skills you developed in Assessment 1. You will be expected to read your selected text and develop your own thesis, analysis and evaluation about its themes and significance, support this with evidence from the text, and also to do some further research about the history of the book and the way it has been viewed by other readers and critics. 

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows: 

- Gen AI may only be used within the constraints that are specified in individual assessment instructions within Moodle. Please refer to the unit website for those details.

- You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission.

- You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.

Word Count:

The word count excludes the cover page and reference list. It includes the brief pitch to the publication, in-text references and direct quotations.

1. Literary Analysis and Theme Development
Demonstrates sophisticated understanding and analysis of the novel's major themes, literary techniques, and narrative elements, supported by specific textual evidence.

2. Historical and Cultural Context
Shows comprehensive understanding of the novel's historical, social, and cultural context, including its position within modernist or postmodernist literary movements.

3. Critical Evaluation and Significance
Presents a cogent evaluation of the work's literary significance, artistic merit, and contribution to its genre, supported by scholarly discourse and critical frameworks.

4. Scholarly Engagement and Evidence
Integrates relevant scholarly perspectives and critical interpretations to support arguments, demonstrating effective engagement with academic sources.

5. Presentation and Referencing
Adheres to submission guidelines, including proper formatting, meeting word count requirements, evidence of editing and proofreading, and minimum two (2) scholarly references in Harvard (author-date) style.

Length: 2000 words + references

You may select any two (2) texts from the Text List for this assessment.
Note: The novels you select for this assessment cannot be those used for Assessment 2.

Task: Write a 2000-word essay responding to one (1) of five provided questions. Your essay must analyse two (2) texts from the supplied text list to construct a well-reasoned argument. Questions explore key themes and techniques of modernist and postmodernist literature, including psychological interiority, gender representation, narrative structure, and Australian literary perspectives.

The essay should demonstrate:

• Advanced understanding of modernist and postmodernist literary movements 
• Ability to analyse literary techniques and their effects
• Skills in comparative textual analysis
• Engagement with relevant literary theory
• Clear academic writing and argumentation
• Proper use and citation of secondary sources (minimum 5 scholarly sources)

Pro tip: Pay close attention to whether your question focuses on modernism, postmodernism, or both.

Choose one (1) of the following questions:

1. Australian literature offers distinctive interpretations of modernist/postmodernist literary techniques through its unique cultural and historical lens. With reference to two Australian texts from the reading list, analyse how the authors employ modernist OR postmodernist approaches to explore questions of identity, place, family, and belonging in an Australian context.
   
   
2. "Modernist literature's preoccupation with psychological interiority represents not just individual consciousness but broader social fragmentation." Discuss this statement with reference to two texts from the modernist period, analysing how narrative techniques such as (but not limited to) stream of consciousness and fragmented chronology reflect both personal and societal disintegration.
   
   
3. "Postmodernist literature doesn't merely question gender roles; it deconstructs the very notion of gender itself." Evaluate this claim through analysis of two postmodernist texts, examining how they employ techniques, such as (but not limited to) metafiction, intertextuality, or pastiche to challenge traditional gender narratives.
   
   
4. While modernism sought to represent fragmented reality through new literary forms, postmodernism questions whether any representation of reality is possible. Using one modernist and one postmodernist text, compare how each movement approaches the relationship between form and reality.
   
   
5. Analyse how two texts (either both modernist, both postmodernist, or one of each) use non-linear narrative structures to explore the relationship between memory, time, and identity. Consider how these structural choices reflect the chosen movement(s) philosophical preoccupations.

Acknowledge all sources using the Harvard (author-date) referencing style.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

Within this assessment, the use of Gen AI agents (including but not limited to ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot) is as follows: 

- Gen AI may only be used within the constraints that are specified in individual assessment instructions within Moodle. Please refer to the unit website for those details.

- You must disclose all use of Gen AI in your submission.

- You are expected to reference how and where it has been used using the ALC reference guide as they have defined a mechanism for this.

Word Count:

The word count allows a +/- 10% variation and is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.

1. Literary Analysis & Theory
Demonstrates sophisticated engagement with modernist/postmodernist literary techniques, analysis of the texts' major themes, and narrative elements, supported by detailed textual analysis with specific textual evidence.

2. Comparative Textual Analysis
Develops thoughtful connections between the two selected texts, showing understanding of how they represent and respond to modernist/postmodernist literary traditions.

3. Historical and Cultural Context
Demonstrates clear understanding of relevant historical, social, and cultural contexts that inform the chosen texts, including their position within modernist/postmodernist movements.

4. Argument Development and Evidence
Constructs a clear, well-supported argument that directly addresses the essay question, using specific textual evidence and scholarly sources to support claims.

5. Presentation and Referencing
Adheres to submission guidelines, including proper formatting, meeting word count requirements, evidence of editing and proofreading, and minimum five (5) scholarly references in Harvard (author-date) style.