Length: 1000 words
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 includes in-text references and direct quotations. It excludes the cover page and reference list.

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, at least one of which must be drawn from the unit materials.

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)

AI Assessment Scale: Level 2

You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

1. Close Reading: Identifies and analyses specific textual elements — literary devices, language choices, and narrative techniques — with precise and well-selected textual evidence.
2. Modernist Understanding: Demonstrates accurate recognition and comprehension of key modernist features present in the passage, as discussed in the unit.
3. Theoretical Contextualisation: Demonstrates an emerging ability to connect close reading observations to broader modernist principles and historical context covered in the unit so far.
4. Presentation and Referencing: Presents ideas in clear, well-structured prose with appropriate academic language and paragraph organisation; adheres to submission guidelines including proper formatting, meeting word count requirements, evidence of editing and proofreading, and a minimum of three (3) scholarly references with at least one drawn from the unit materials, in Harvard (author-date) style.

Length: 1500 words
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 includes THE PITCH, in-text references and direct quotations. It excludes the cover page and reference list.

You may select one (1) text from the Text List for this assessment.
IMPORTANT: You cannot use this text again 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
Westerly 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, at least one of which must be drawn from the unit materials.

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)

AI Assessment Scale: Level 2

You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

1. Literary Analysis: Demonstrates well-developed understanding and analysis of the text's major themes, literary techniques, and narrative elements, supported by specific textual evidence.
2. Historical and Cultural Context: Shows comprehensive understanding of the text's historical, social, and cultural context, including its position within modernist or postmodernist literary movements.
3. Critical Evaluation: Presents a cogent and evidence-informed evaluation of the work's literary significance, artistic merit, and contribution to its genre, integrating relevant scholarly perspectives to support the assessment.
4. Presentation and Referencing: Adheres to submission guidelines, including the pitch component, proper formatting, meeting word count requirements, evidence of editing and proofreading, and a minimum of two (2) scholarly references with at least one drawn from the unit materials, in Harvard (author-date) style.

Length: 2000 words
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 includes in-text references and direct quotations. It excludes the cover page and reference list.

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

Task: Write a 2000-word essay responding to one (1) of six 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
• Accurate citation and referencing of the primary texts (these are additional your minimum scholarly sources)
• Proper use and citation of secondary sources (minimum 6 scholarly sources, at least two of which must be drawn from the unit materials)

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.*
   
   Note: Australian literature, identity, and cultural context are explored in greater depth in the Term 2 unit LITR13042 Australian Literature and Identity. Students are welcome to engage with Australian texts here, but should be aware that the available Australian texts on the list are limited to two per movement.
   
   
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 (any combination) 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.
   
   
6. Writers from colonised or postcolonial contexts have frequently used magic realism to articulate experiences that conventional realist forms cannot adequately represent. With reference to two texts (any combination), analyse how magic realist techniques serve as a form of postcolonial resistance, examining how authors use the interplay of the magical and the real to engage with questions of cultural identity, historical trauma, or colonial legacy.

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

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)

AI Assessment Scale: Level 2

You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

1. Literary Analysis and Theory: Demonstrates sophisticated engagement with modernist and postmodernist literary techniques, analysis of major themes and narrative elements, supported by detailed and well-selected textual evidence.
2. Comparative Analysis: Develops insightful and well-reasoned connections between the two selected texts, demonstrating understanding of how each represents and responds to its respective literary tradition.
3. Historical and Cultural Context: Demonstrates nuanced understanding of the relevant historical, social, and cultural contexts that inform the chosen texts, including their position within modernist and postmodernist movements.
4. Argument and Scholarly Engagement: Constructs a sustained, well-supported argument that directly addresses the essay question, integrating a range of scholarly sources to develop and substantiate claims.
5. Presentation and Referencing: Adheres to submission guidelines, including proper formatting, meeting word count requirements, evidence of editing and proofreading, a minimum of six (6) scholarly references with at least two drawn from the unit materials, and accurate citation of primary texts, all in Harvard (author-date) style.