Search results

Listed under:  Language  >  Language modes  >  Creating texts  >  Literary styles
Video

Othello: Was Shakespeare a feminist?

Shakespeare seems to have a complicated relationship with his female characters. Some of his heroines are quite timid and compliant while others are complex and strong. Here, James Evans and Kate Mulvany from Bell Shakespeare explore Emilia's impassioned speech to Desdemona in Act 4, scene 3 of 'Othello'. They consider ...

Video

Exploring internal drama with David Malouf

Listen as David Malouf describes the kind of drama he is fascinated by. What is the difference between the 'internal' and 'external' drama he refers to? Try writing a story that explores an internal drama. What kind of discovery will your character make about themselves?

Video

Romeo and Juliet: The language of true love

There are moments of extraordinary light and beauty amid the tragedy of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Join James Evans and actor Damien Strouthos from Bell Shakespeare as they discuss Act 2.2. Damien explains how Shakespeare's use of language reveals the intense passion, as well as frustration, experienced by Romeo and Juliet.

Video

Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 9: Leigh Hobbs as Old Tom

Leigh Hobbs writes and draws the pictures in the Old Tom stories. He describes Old Tom as being ‘sneaky' and ‘sly' and ‘naughty'. What words would you use to describe Old Tom? In the video, Leigh talks about what he was like when he was a child. In what ways are Old Tom and Leigh the same?

Video

Radio National: 'The Great Gatsby' and Baz's blockbuster

Have you ever been drawn into one of those arguments about which is better: the film or the book? In this clip, explore some responses to Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby' and discover some of the factors that influence people's evaluations. It would be boring if we all had the same opinions, but have ...

Video

Wuthering Heights: Landscape

The moorland near the West Yorkshire town of Haworth in northern England shapes the characters, settings and events in Emily Bronte's novel, Wuthering Heights. Professor John Bowen reflects on the significance of the moor and the importance of setting to Emily Bronte and her sisters, Charlotte and Anne. This clip is one ...

Video

Wuthering Heights: Fantasy and realism

Do you think Wuthering Heights is a fantasy novel? Or is it all too realistic in its descriptions of hardship, cruelty and human frailty? John Bowen, Professor of Literature at York University notes, 'Gothic elements ... haunt the edges of the book.' Yet they never compromise the authenticity of the story. In this clip, ...

Video

Ways to tell stories

In this video, student writers Noa and Francis discuss the creative choices they made when writing the short stories they've recently had published. Why might structuring a story as a letter be a good way to tell a story about a personal experience? Why was it important for Francis to use a first person narrative voice ...

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

Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 2: Draw with Bronwyn Bancroft

How do you draw a giant rainstorm? Bronwyn Bancroft loves Australian nature. She knows how to paint the weather, the land, and the animals. In this interview she speaks about what it's like to live in a country town when a storm hits.

Video

Radio National: Is the Great Gatsby 'tilting at windmills'?

Intertextuality is about the process of making connections, either consciously or subconsciously, and can shape the way we interpret a text. In this audio clip, explore the intertextual link between two classic novels: 'The great Gatsby' by F Scott Fitzgerald and 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. This clip ...

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a dystopian novel set in the fictional Republic of Gilead. What are some hallmarks of dystopian novels? What are some similarities and differences between this novel and another dystopian novel mentioned in this video, Orwell's '1984'?

Video

The Book Club: Is 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' a "perfect" book?

What makes 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon such a "perfect" book for many of the panellists? If you have read the book, do you agree? If you haven't read the book, do you think you would feel the same way as the panellists based on how they've decribed the book? When you think of your ...

Video

Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 10: David Williamson's The Removalists

Violence still permeates Australian society, from the actions of sporting figures, to police corruption, to high levels of domestic violence. For these reasons, David Williamson's The Removalists remains as relevant to Australian audiences as when it was first performed. Listen to Williamson speak to Tom Tilley about the ...

Video

Heywire: Tension in the air

In this Heywire audio story, explore how Marguerite Donaldson builds tension as she recounts a nerve-wracking incident that happened while she was flying one day. Find out what this incident has revealed to her and how she shares her thoughts. Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community? ...

Video

Heywire: Woolly holiday

For Genevieve Wright, the first day of school holidays means heading to the shearing shed to spend a day of back-breaking work! As you listen to her Heywire audio story, explore Genevieve's characterisation of herself. How does she reflect her personality through the descriptions of her actions and environment?<br /><br ...

Video

Macbeth: Are you a man or a mouse?

Let's get inside the devious mind of Lady Macbeth! Bell Shakespeare's Kate Mulvany and John Bell explore the methods Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate her husband. This delightfully despicable character knows just which buttons to press! Listen in on the conversation with James Evans and see for yourself.

Video

The Book Club: Solving 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' is described by the panellists as part quest and part detective novel. How do they explain this? What are the two 'cases' that the narrator and protagonist 'solves' in the novel, whether deliberately or inadvertently? What is the effect of having the reader know more than ...

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

Writing London: Discovery and rebirth

How do writers respond to, and write about, the great city of London. Listen as some of London's greatest writers, including Andrea Levy, Jeremy Reed, Ian McEwan and Bernard Kops, reflect on the experience of writing in and about London. Consider what Bernard Kops means when he asks, 'Where was I born after I was born?'