Search results

Refine by learning area

Refine by topic

Main topic Specific topic Related topic
Listed under:  Language  >  Text types  >  Persuasive texts  >  Literary criticism  >  Reviewing (Texts)
Video

Q+A: To curtsey or not to curtsey?

Newspapers had a field day when the Queen visited Australia in 2011. Prime Minister Julia Gillard chose to bow to her, while the Governor General, Quentin Bryce AC CVO, curtseyed instead. This Q&A clip explores several perspectives on this event. Note how each panellist's non-verbal language reflects their attitude toward ...

Video

Romeo and Juliet: Growing up in a hurry

Act 3.2 in 'Romeo and Juliet' is a pivotal moment in Juliet's character development. Shakespeare manages to compress months of growing up into a single potent scene. Join James Evans as he explores Juliet's soliloquy from the beginning of this scene, and what it reveals about her coming of age, with Miranda Tapsell and ...

Video

Hamlet: Torment and tragedy

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most tormented tragic heroes. Unlike the protagonists of most other tragedies, Hamlet begins the play in a state of anguish. In this early soliloquy, the audience learns why. Tom Conroy from Bell Shakespeare realises Hamlet's agony in this moving excerpt from Act 1, scene 2.

Video

Macbeth: Realisation and regret

'Macbeth' is a play drenched in bloodshed and death. In this haunting soliloquy, delivered after Macbeth hears of his beloved wife's death, Macbeth seems to emerge from his bloodlust and reflect on what it has achieved. Join Bell Shakespeare's Ivan Donato as he infuses Macbeth's final soliloquy with pathos and regret.

Video

Julius Caesar: Comprehending Cassius

Cassius from Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' is a very complex character! Although conspiring to overthrow Julius Caesar, the motivation to do so appears to stem from patriotism to Rome. Or does it? Join Bell Shakespeare's James Evans as he discusses Shakespeare's characterisation of this historical figure with actors Kate ...

Video

Hamlet: The depth of Ophelia's despair

Ophelia is the most piteous character in 'Hamlet'. It seems that everyone wants to use her for their own gain. Here, Eryn-Jean Norvill and John Bell from Bell Shakespeare explore this fragile character as they answer questions put to them by interviewer James Evans.

Video

Julius Caesar: Conspiracy and crime

In this early scene from Shakespeare's historical tragedy, Brutus and Cassius discuss Julius Caesar's right to rule. It acts as a prelude to the infamous conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. This performance by Hazem Shammas and Kate Mulvany of Bell Shakespeare reveals the persuasive power of language in Cassius' clever tongue ...

Video

Hamlet: Mischievous or mad?

The question of whether Hamlet is mad or just pretending to be has plagued critics and theatre-goers alike. In this excerpt from 'Hamlet', the audience is confronted with this very question. Watch Eryn-Jean Norvill and Tom Conroy from Bell Shakespeare as they present the encounter between Hamlet and Ophelia from Act 3, scene 1.

Online

What is Shakespeare Unbound?

Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this. Actors from Australia’s famous Bell Shakespeare Company, including Artistic Director John Bell, present key scenes from six of Shakespeare’s best-known works before joining conversations to dissect the playwright’s use of character, plot and language. Custom-made for Australian ...

Video

Modernism and Woolf's 'Mrs Dalloway'

Mrs Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf is a modernist novel. What makes it so? Think of how it contrasts with Edwardian and even 19th century novels. How does consciousness, or internal reality, as well as multiple perspectives play a part in modernist literature like 'Mrs Dalloway'?

Video

Jennifer Byrne Presents: Anything's possible

What are writers of Young Adult (or YA) fiction seeking to achieve? What obligations do they have to their audience, if any? In this clip, listen as four successful authors share their ideas on these things.

Video

Heywire: This isn't English, it's Australian English!

Mara Zeissig had a hard time understanding what was going on when she first went to school in Australia after moving from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In her Heywire audio story, explore the importance of language in our social interactions.<br /><br />Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? ...

Video

Jane Eyre: Who is Bertha Mason?

What do Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason have in common? In what ways are they different? How do you react to Bertha's character? Listen carefully as Professor John Bowen shares his thoughts about the significance of Bertha in Charlotte Bronte's classic novel. This clip is one in a series of four.

Video

Jane Eyre: Tapping into childhood

How was childhood depicted in English literature in the mid-nineteenth century? In this clip from The British Library, two experts in the works of the Bronte sisters discuss the manner in which children were regarded in the 1800s and consider the significance of Charlotte Bronte's accounts of childhood in Jane Eyre. This ...

Video

Great Expectations: The fortunes of happiness

Does wealth bring happiness? Can people transcend their upbringing? Professor John Bowen from the University of York considers the manner in which these questions are addressed in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. As you listen, think not only about the references to Dickens' classic novel, but also about your life and ...

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: The lost and the missing at Hanging Rock

Joan Lindsay's 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is often considered a classic of Australian literature. But what makes it so well-regarded? And does everyone agree? Join in this panel discussion and explore why one person's literary masterpiece is another's turgid pot-boiler.

Video

Jennifer Byrne Presents: Should some YA novels be banned?

Ever since Mark Twain's 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' was published in 1884, books for teenagers have come under close scrutiny by adults concerned about their appropriateness for younger audiences. Why are some adults so worried about what teenagers read? Are they right to be concerned? Explore the tricky topic of censorship ...

Video

Representing Sydney's suburbs, 1965

In this clip from the mid-60s, explore how words and images can be combined to encourage particular interpretations and influence audience response. Explore how some of the inner suburbs of Sydney have been represented in history.

Video

The Book Club: Class and gender roles in 'Wuthering Heights'

'Wuthering Heights' is considered by many to be a great romance novel. Jeanette Winterson, however, thinks it is anything but. What does she think the book is about? Do you agree?

Video

George Orwell’s '1984'

1984 is a novel by British author George Orwell, published in 1949. How has that period - the late 1940s - shaped the novel? What world event and its consequences led to Orwell writing such a dystopian novel? Professor Bowen claims the Senate House, formerly Ministry of Information, is the basis for the novel's Ministry ...