Voices of Dissent · Term 3

Post-Colonial Re-writings

Analyzing how writers from marginalized backgrounds reclaim and subvert Western literary canons.

About This Topic

Post-Colonial Re-writings examines how writers from marginalized backgrounds reclaim and subvert the Western literary canon. Students analyze 'intertextual' works that take a classic story (like 'Jane Eyre' or 'Robinson Crusoe') and retell it from the perspective of the 'other', the colonized, the enslaved, or the silenced. This topic is essential for Year 11, aligning with ACARA standards for exploring how cultural perspectives and historical contexts shape the creation and reception of texts.

By shifting the 'center' of the story, these writers challenge Western concepts of history, time, and 'civilisation.' In the Australian context, this includes looking at how First Nations writers use English to assert their own cultural identity and sovereignty. This topic benefits from 'Collaborative Investigations' where students can compare the 'original' text with its post-colonial 're-writing' to see what has been changed and why.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how a post-colonial text reinterprets a canonical Western text by altering character perspectives and narrative focus.
• Explain the specific linguistic strategies First Nations writers employ in English texts to assert cultural identity and sovereignty.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of subverted narrative structures in challenging Western historical and temporal frameworks.
• Compare and contrast the thematic concerns and stylistic choices of original and re-written literary works.
• Synthesize findings from textual analysis to construct an argument about the political and cultural significance of post-colonial literature.

Before You Start

Introduction to Literary Analysis

Why: Students need foundational skills in identifying literary devices, themes, and authorial intent to analyze complex post-colonial texts.

Understanding of Colonialism and its Impact

Why: A basic comprehension of the historical context of colonialism is necessary to grasp the motivations and effects of post-colonial re-writings.

Key Vocabulary

Canonical Text	A work considered to be a standard or authoritative example of a particular genre or literary tradition, often reflecting dominant cultural values.
Intertextuality	The relationship between texts, where one text references, echoes, or transforms another, creating layers of meaning.
Subversion	The act of undermining or overthrowing established norms, power structures, or traditions, often through creative or indirect means.
Cultural Hegemony	The dominance of one cultural group over others, often achieved through the widespread acceptance of its values, beliefs, and practices.
Sovereignty	The supreme power or authority of a state or governing body, particularly in the context of self-governance and independence.

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: The Perspective Shift

Groups are given a scene from a classic colonial text. They must identify a 'background' character who is silenced or stereotyped and then 're-write' the scene from that character's perspective, giving them a voice and a history.

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

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Think-Pair-Share: Reclaiming Language

Students read a passage where an Indigenous author uses traditional words without a translation. In pairs, they discuss how this 'forces' the reader to respect the author's culture and how it challenges the dominance of English.

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

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Gallery Walk: Subverting the Canon

Display covers and summaries of famous post-colonial re-writings (e.g., 'Wide Sargasso Sea' or 'The Yield'). Students move in groups to identify which 'classic' is being challenged and what the 'new' version is trying to say about history.

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

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Real-World Connections

Indigenous Australian authors like Alexis Wright and Melissa Lucashenko use their novels to challenge historical narratives and assert First Nations perspectives, influencing public understanding of Australia's past and present.

The work of post-colonial scholars and literary critics, such as Edward Said and Gayatri Spivak, has shaped academic discourse globally, informing fields from literature and history to political science and cultural studies.

Filmmakers and playwrights adapt classic stories through a post-colonial lens, creating new interpretations that resonate with contemporary audiences and address issues of representation and identity, as seen in productions like 'The Convert'.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Post-colonial writing is just about 'complaining' about the past.

What to Teach Instead

It is about 're-writing' the future. Use peer discussion to show that by reclaiming their stories, these authors are asserting their right to define their own identity and culture in the modern world, which is an act of support.

Common Misconception

You have to hate the 'original' book to appreciate the re-writing.

What to Teach Instead

Actually, most post-colonial writers have a deep, complex relationship with the canon. Through the 'Perspective Shift' activity, students see that re-writing is a form of 'conversation' with the original text, not just a rejection of it.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'How does shifting the narrative perspective from the colonizer to the colonized fundamentally alter our understanding of historical events?' Facilitate a class discussion where students cite specific examples from texts studied.

Quick Check

Provide students with short excerpts from both a canonical text and its post-colonial re-writing. Ask them to identify one key difference in characterization or plot and explain its significance in challenging the original text's message.

Peer Assessment

Students work in pairs to analyze a specific instance of linguistic innovation in a First Nations text (e.g., use of Indigenous words, altered syntax). They present their findings to another pair, who offer feedback on the clarity and persuasiveness of the analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'intertextuality' in this context?

Intertextuality is the relationship between texts. In post-colonial re-writings, the new book 'talks' to the old one. The reader needs to know a bit about the original story to fully understand how the new author is subverting or changing it.

Why do some authors use Indigenous languages in their English books?

This is a political and cultural choice. It asserts that English is not the only 'valid' language and reminds the reader that they are on someone else's Country. It also forces the reader to do the work of learning, rather than the author always 'translating' themselves for a Western audience.

How can active learning help students understand post-colonial re-writings?

Post-colonialism is about 'power.' Active learning strategies like 'The Perspective Shift' allow students to physically experience what it's like to take power back. When they have to give a voice to a silenced character, they realize how much of 'history' is just a matter of who got to tell the story first.

What are some Australian examples of post-colonial re-writing?

Look at 'Terra Nullius' by Claire G. Coleman, which re-writes the 'invasion' story as a sci-fi dystopia, or 'The Yield' by Tara June Winch, which uses a dictionary format to reclaim the Wiradjuri language and history.