how history is written
Historiography is the study of how History (as a disicipline) is created. Many texts use historial characters and events to communicate a particular viewpoint; but historiography actually analyses the way they interpret and "make" history. This is very useful for English because histroiography is a continual process of re-discovery of the event through different "lenses" as each new perspective forces us to re-evaluate the past we thought we knew.
These texts all begin with a historical event and use language and visuals to re-interpret and discover new ideas about past people and societies.
These texts all begin with a historical event and use language and visuals to re-interpret and discover new ideas about past people and societies.
Plays
Shaw, Bernard. Saint Joan (822.9 SHA) This play rediscovers the life of famous military leader Joan of Arc from the first moment she reveals that God sent her to save France from the evil English through military victories to her trial before the English inquisition and eventual canonisation by the Catholic church. Focus on the alternation of Joan’s acceptance and rejection by other characters and the way the author satirises the fact that she was made into a saint. Look for irony in the plot and the dialogue. Ms Carmyn has an (old) film version.Plays
French, Jackie. Hitler’s Daughter (A822 FRE) this play begins with a group of school children discussing the fate of Heidi, Hitler’s hypothetical daughter, and takes us into WWII Berlin. It examines the impact of social fears and prejudices on an individual’s experience of belonging. Although this play is aimed at young people, the structure and staging give you lots of techniques to talk about in your essays. Further information about the Monkey Baa production can be found at http://www.monkeybaa.com.au/hitlers-daughter.html .
Film
Coppola, Sophia. Marie Antoinette. An interpretation of the frequently vilified historical figure of Marie Antoinette, focusing on her transformation from a family-oriented Austrian princess into a materialistic Queen setting trends in for the French court. Pay particular attention to the way the soundtrack, costumes and setting are used to reflect Marie’s transformation from a homesick child to trend-setting adult and final alienation from her populace. You may also like to consider why the film ends before the historical moment for which she is so famous. Use the commentaries to find out the composers’ intentions, but make sure you relate them to belonging. An excellent review can be found at http://www.dvdinmypants.com/reviews/H-N/marie_antoinette.php
Herman, Mark. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. A chilling portrayal of the power of society to define belonging, this film depicts the holocaust from the point of view of a young German boy who develops a friendship with a Jewish boy the other side of a barbed wire fence (Auschwitz). Discuss the way the soundtrack (detailed analysis available at http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/boy_striped.html), lighting and camera angles frame the innocence of the protagonists. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=50113 has an interview with the director and http://www.scribd.com/doc/17366679/Boy-in-Striped-Pyjamas-film-viewing-worksheets has a viewing guide.
Sondheim, Steven. Into the Woods. [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. This is a reinterpretation of fairy tales, not historical events, but I have includecd it here because it could be used to unpack commopnly held interpretations in the same way. A musical version of the ultimate postmodern fairytale: Cinderella, Red riding hood, Rapunzel, and Jack of Beanstalk fame journey into the woods to achieve their ‘wishes.’ Like some scenes in The Tempest, the woods are dark and dangerous, but they do teach each of the characters that caring about each other is the only way to achieve happiness. Analyse the stage set and soundtrack as well as lyrics such as “You are not alone”. Recommended for advanced students who are using a feminist or psychoanalytical approach to interpretation and standard students who are looking at the archeotypes using in Life of Pi.
Gadsby, Hannah. (2013). Hannah Gadsby’s Oz - Episode 1 Comedian Hannah Gadsby unpacks the historical record of Australia's past through early Wuriopean and contemporary Australian artists. this diocumentary is brilliant from an Art and and English point of view because she focuses on "how" messages are created or critiqued. You could discuss the episode as a documentary or focus on a single painting. Read the review at No Award [http://no-award.net/2014/04/17/hannah-gadsby-oz-1/] and watch the copy on the TV4 Education drive.
Novels
Hill, Anthony. Soldier Boy. This biography begins with Jim Martin’s death at Gallipoli, aged 14. Even though the ending comes first in this story, tension is built through the Jim’s changing relationships with his family and with his soldier mates. Describe the impact of the ‘flash-forward’ at the beginning and the historical documents included in the text, as well as the emotive language that develops the theme of discovery. Recommended for standard students.
Cornish, L. M. The Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling. Rossamund Bookchild leaves the orphanage (where he grew up alienated by his girl’s name and small build) to become a lamplighter whose duty is to light the lamps along the Emperor's highways, and protect all travellers from monsters that live in the wild. Focus on the lavish sensory descriptions and his growing relationship with Miss Europe and slow discovery that not all monsters wear a monstrous face. Winner of young adult and fantasy awards, this text is recommended for students who want to write about the complexities of social relationships.
Book Thief
Time traveller’s wife
Artworks
Gadsby, Hannah. (2013). Hannah Gadsby’s Oz - Episode 1 Comedian Hannah Gadsby unpacks the historical record of Australia's past through early Wuriopean and contemporary Australian artists. this diocumentary is brilliant from an Art and and English point of view because she focuses on "how" messages are created or critiqued. You could discuss the episode as a documentary or focus on a single painting. Read the review at No Award [http://no-award.net/2014/04/17/hannah-gadsby-oz-1/] and watch the copy on the TV4 Education drive.
Poems
Zephaniah, Benjamin. “Civil Lies” in Unheard Voices: a collection of stories and poems to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. ed. Malorie Blackman. Beginning with the twisted pun of the title, this poem is a sarcastic comment about the way that the Western education system teaches the process of discovery (as civilised white people discovering uncivilised black lands). Signed “Mr Africa”, the poem points out that humankind and civilisation began in Africa and paints a quick picture of he utopia that ‘existed’ “before [Africa] suffered slavery. This is a simple text with a very important meaning, so it would work very well for ESL students who are looking for an alternative way to view history. It fits especially well with Go back to where you came from.
Non-Fiction - Books
Menzies, Gavin. (2002). 1421: The Year China Discovered the World. [NF 910.95]. This revisionist history asserts that a fleet of medieval Chinese ships circumnavigated the globe, discovering America, Australia and Antarctica. While this version of history has been well and truly debunked [See The myth of Menzies at http://www.1421exposed.com/], the book is a great resource for looking at the IDEA of discovery and how it has been used by historians and writers. It's a 640 page book, so only use one section - especially useful should be "The Emperor's Grand Plan" which sets "civilised" and "opulent" China against "backward, crude and barabaric" Europe. You might also choose to focus on the author's own voyage of historical discovery as retrieval process, uncovering buried history.
Non fiction - documentaries
Once my mother
Anzac Girls
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/HannahsOz/ Hannah Gadsby – why it’s important to challenge history
Popova, Maria (2015) in Brain Pickings [https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/11/03/only-whats-necessary-peanuts-chip-kidd/]. Charlie Brown was the first comic Strip to include a black character and comment on Black Civil Rights. This blog uses letters between the creator, Charles M. Schultz, and his audience to discuss the genesis and impact of the character, Franklin, a Black child. Focus on the persuasive language used by his fans to convince him to tackle the issue as well as the C21st evaluation of his work. This text would work especially well with Go back to where you came from.
Websites
Gavin Menzies [http://www.gavinmenzies.net/] This revisionist history asserts that a fleet of medieval Chinese ships circumnavigated the globe, discovering America, Australia and Antarctica. While this version of history has been well and truly debunked [See The myth of Menzies at http://www.1421exposed.com/], this site is a great resource for looking at the IDEA of discovery and how it has been used by historians and writers. You might also choose to focus on the author's own voyage of historical discovery as retrieval process, uncovering buried history.
Isay, Dave (2015). "Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear". This collection of vignettes (=short snippets) of people's life stories is presented by the creator of Story Corps. You can listen to him at Ted Talks [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKHk_UiQboA] or visit the Story Corps website [https://storycorps.org/] a huge repository of oral histories which collects conversations between ordinary people telling a meaningful stories from their lives. Both the speech and the website would give you an opportunity to discover how personal narratives enable people to record and discover each other's experiences as unique and memorable. It would work well with biographical texts such as Swallow the Air. Standard students might choose to focus on a particular person's story while Advanced students could focus on the function of Story Corps as a repository of human experience.