AustLit

'Teaching Australian Gothic as a system of literary analysis can be challenging. Often linked to imprecise concepts that are difficult to identify, Australian Gothic is regularly reduced to 'something weird' or 'just a feeling'. However; the Gothic mode in Australia has established itself as an effective approach and developed some clear strategies for tackling some aspects of colonial legacy which are otherwise difficult to articulate. There is also within the Australian Gothic genre an opportunity to explore the dark side of the Australian experience. The landscape of Australia, the vastness of the continent, the perceived hostility of its natural environment, the violence of the European invasion, the experience of exile from Europe, the feelings of alienation faced by the early settlers, and the fear of the racial other (Doolan, 2019) combine to create the perfect tensions for the Gothic genre. The research presented here synthesises various authorities on this subject, driven by a broad review of recent fiction and theory on the topic, and provides a succinct list of guiding questions to use in the classroom. A selection of texts that may prove helpful to teachers seeking new sources to inform classroom discussion of contemporary fiction and film is also discussed.' (Publication abstract)

''Moving Day' captures slanted light, anxiety, understanding and love amid the minutiae of a relationship. There is so much intensity in these poems, such vivid imagery such caustic hurt, such clarity about great loss that they drill down into the reader. Drop bear is poetry that stays with you, beauty and power, anger and wit, pain and love, long after you have closed its pages.' (Publication abstract)

'Poppy Nwosu has made an art form of the teen romance, with realistic characters and dialogue that capture that aching self-consciousness and dramatic up and down of adolescent life. Making friends with Alice Dyson (reviewed in English in Australia 54.2 (2019) was the first and Alice, its conscientious protagonist, works hard with not much in her life but study. A brief dance with school troublemaker, Teddy Taualai, goes viral and the reader watches with delight as Alice's initial rebuffs slowly morph into a dance as their friendship grows and changes. Reputation and stereotyping are part of the appeal of this entertaining novel with bullying, identity and anxiety hovering in the wings.' (Introduction)