The Common Module (English Prescriptions 2019-23)

Prose Fiction Options
In total there are four prose fiction titles to pick from.

• Three of these are novels and one is a novella (Vertigo). 
• Two of the texts are new to the English Prescriptions list (All the Light We Cannot See and Past the Shallows). 
• Two of the texts are written by Australians (Vertigo and Past the Shallows).

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

What is it: Anthony Doerr's Pullitzer Prize-winning novel is a 500+ page opus that tracks the experiences of two children on opposite sides of World War II. The chapters are short and episodic (they average 3 pages each) and mostly take place from the perspectives of a French vision-impaired girl and a German orphan boy drafted into the Hitler Youth. It's very well-written; each sentence is a little work of poetry, and the scope of events and themes covered by the narrative is ambitious, to say the least.

Scope for Study: Students with an interest in Modern History, or World War II fiction, will find a lot to like in this novel, as will those who have a real interest in reading literature. The chapter-lengths and style allow for a surprisingly brisk read provided that the students are interested. In relation to the Common Module's rubric, the book is perfect for examining the paradoxical nature of humanity in the face of war. The author's unique but accessible style also allows for involved study of figurative language, grammatical structure, and literary value.

NESA Annotations: The 2019-23 Annotations point out the impressive array of awards that American author Doerr has picked up for All the Light We Cannot See, and the historical significance of the events covered within the novel's narrative. The document also points out the challenging nature of dichotomising people into categories of 'good' or 'evil', and the way that the text provokes discussion around this and the motif of 'light' as a symbol of hope. The non-linear plotting, the use of science and intertextuality, and the perspective of the character of Marie-Laure, are also pointed out as fodder for provocative teaching and learning.

Verdict: Alas, this is a novel of terrifying length and it would be a very brave teacher that dares to teach it in the space of a term to 17 year-olds. I could only see it working with an Advanced English class but even with students of this ability I think it would be a big ask for them to read something of this length and read it deep enough for purposes of study. The text itself is also, from the viewpoints of some, quite problematic (if it wasn't for the length, I would say these issues provide great scope for discussion with higher ability classes, but not all teachers may feel this way if they take personal offence).   

Vertigo by Amanda Lohrey

What is it: Luke and Anna are a young couple who decide to move to a coastal country town as an escape from the pollution and pace of life in Sydney. Lohrey's novella is compact but thematically dense and lyrical, gradually bringing the alarming danger of bushfire closer whilst teasing the audience with the presence of an unnamed boy who continues to haunt and flit about the edges of the narrative.

Scope for Study: The novella provides scope for discussion of the way a narrative is constructed, with particular attention potentially paid to the use of foreshadowing and (if you read the blurb, which gives things away a bit) dramatic irony. The coastal/rural setting is somewhat personified throughout the text, with its salience rendering it as equally important as the characters. Lohrey writes in a deceptively accessible way, seeming to 'skate' over the top of her characters and their journey as they deal with rather weighty and complex issues.

NESA Annotations: The 2015-2020 Annotations highlight the evocative imagery of Lohrey's descriptive and largely dialogue-free writing, and the motif of 'the boy' is similarly identified as a force that drives the reader's curiosity in relation to the narrative. The annotations also imply that the text could be considered multimodal (there are several photographs interspersed throughout the book), and students are encouraged to engage with this aspect during their study.

Verdict: Whilst the length of Vertigo is a lot less daunting than All the Light We Cannot See, there are certain thematic considerations that could prove very challenging when teaching this text to teenagers. Vertigo is quite typical as far as Australian literature goes: set in the bush, concerned with a thirty-something couple who have experienced a late term miscarriage, and largely free of dialogue or memorable secondary characters. To be frank, I'm not sure how well teenagers would be able to connect with a text that is far more likely to appeal to the upwardly mobile, middle-aged, book-buying crowd. 

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

What is it: Orwell's dystopian classic needs no real introduction. The story of Winston Smith's struggle for individuality and privacy under the oppressive eye of Big Brother has become the stuff of pop culture legend. It's also the only science fiction text in the Common Module, and one of the few science fiction texts across the entire English Prescriptions list.

Scope for Study: Students will (and do) find quite a few alarming points of similarity between Orwell's nightmare vision of the future and our own current state of affairs. The appointment of Donald Trump as American President and his rhetoric of 'alternative facts' and 'fake news' hits a little too closely to the way the Party manipulates information and history in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell's use of rhetoric, careful sentence construction, and disturbing imagery also allows students to attack the text at a micro-level whilst simultaneously examining the big questions it raises.

NESA Annotations: Notes for Nineteen Eighty-Four can be found in the 2015-2020 Annotations, albeit as part of the 'Intertextual Perspectives' module. Orwell's hugely influential novel is deemed significant due to its impact on the English language (and Western culture in general). It's legitimacy as a 'canon' text for classroom study is supported by the role that context plays in its construction, with students able to draw upon Orwell's political, social, cultural and historical background to deepen their understanding of the novel.

Verdict: Orwell is intellectually challenging but also very relevant, and I've found that many students respond quite passionately to the concepts portrayed in Nineteen Eighty-Four. I will note, however, that it's perfectly pitched for an Advanced English class and, as such, I'm not sure it would be a successful teaching-and-learning experience in a Standard English context.

Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett

What is it: Past the Shallows tells the story of two brothers, Miles and Harry, who live on the south-east coast of Tasmania with their difficult father. Much like Vertigo, this is a text heavily informed by the environment - an arresting story that's as enigmatic and bracing as the great Southern Ocean that hugs the Tasmanian coast and looms so large as a threat to Harry. Past the Shallows is the first award-winning novel from Australian author Favel Parrett, who previously wrote zines.

Scope for Study: Past the Shallows is wonderfully evocative of place and features memorable, finely-sketched characters that will stay with the reader long after they've finished with the novel. Students won't find it difficult to read, and Parrett's background as a zine-writer means that she is able to craft poetic yet accessible imagery that will appeal to teenagers and adults alike. The use of the southern-most parts of Australia as a setting also gives the text an edge over the many similar pieces of literature that focus on the country or outback.

NESA Annotations: The annotations describe the text as 'powerful', 'poignant', and 'traumatic', and it's hard to disagree. Note is also made of the 'distinctive voices' of the two protagonists, Miles and Harry - essentially highlighting the strength of characterisation in Parrett's writing. Suggestion is also made in regards to exploring the genre of bildungsroman and the way the novel touches on elements of this storytelling tradition, and the way Parrett mimics the 'rhythms of the ocean' through her use of grammar and figurative language.

Verdict: I love this book and would absolutely love the chance to teach it. The text is beautifully written, the characters are engaging and raise lots of questions, and there are some big themes around family, loss, neglect, etc. Most of all, the perspective of the two adolescent brothers provides the perfect way-in for teenage readers!

Poetry / Drama / Shakespearean Drama Options

There are five options to choose from here, with a few notes:

• The Merchant of Venice gets counted as a Drama option if chosen for Standard English, but a Shakespearean Drama option if chosen for Advanced English.
• None of the options here are entirely new to the prescriptions list, although I think it's been a while since The Merchant of Venice was a prescribed text.
• Both poets are Australian, as is the playwright Jane Harrison (who is also Muruwari).

Collected Poems by Rosemary Dobson

• Young Girl at a Window
• Over the Hill
• Summer's End
• The Conversation
• Cock Crow
• Amy Caroline
• Canberra Morning

What is it: Whilst Dobson has been on the prescriptions list before, it's worth noting that the suite of poetry chosen by NESA is not exactly the same as the selection in previous years - only two of the above poems ('Young Girl at a Window', 'Cock Crow') were in the prior prescriptions. Dobson's poetry spans a full lifetime, she wrote as a child and was first published at the age of 17 in the 1930s, and released her last collection of poetry in 2008 just four years before her death. The poetry itself shies away from the political and the personal, instead offering artistic observations of what Dobson called 'the fugitively glimpsed'.

Scope for Study: Dobson's poetry was previously placed as a prescribed text for Discovery, and it's easy to see her observations of the enigmatic as a window into the role of the artist as an explorer. As a text in the Common Module, the suite of selected poetry allows for students explore the role of perspective in creating a relationship between the subject and observer, and the figurative language used to express this. Dobson eschews the use of difficult language in much of her poetry, which is welcome considering the obscurity that permeates the subjects she describes.

NESA Annotations: This text is covered in the 2015-2020 document but not in the most recent annotations, which means that the notation provided is about the text's use in regards to Discovery and therefore concerns the previous selection of poetry. That said, the annotations aren't really that specific, so it's still relevant in terms of providing some information on the author's value in terms of study. The annotations do tend to highlight the intertextual dimensions of Dobson's work in relation to art, literature and mythology though, with an emphasis on imagery and allusion. The techniques will still be there in the new collection listed above but in their selection of these poems NESA have somewhat de-emphasised the intertextuality of Dobson's oeuvre, so this element is not as applicable. 

Verdict: I'll just say it straight up - Dobson is about as Anglo-Australian as you can get. Her work is described by NESA as 'interrogating connections between Australian and European traditions in art and culture'. I would keep that in mind when looking at the socio-economic nature of my cohort, as there are a lot of students in NSW's metropolitan and outer suburban areas who won't appreciate where she's coming from as much as some teachers will. The poetry is fairly accessible nonetheless, and the poet's attempts to capture mood, memory, and place will hold some interest for more creatively-minded students.

Selected Poems by Kenneth Slessor

• Wild Grapes
• Gulliver
• Out of Time
• Vesper-Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden
• William Street
• Beach Burial

What is it: Kenneth Slessor was a journalist, editor, and war correspondent who left his mark as one of Australia's most significant 'modern' poets. The bulk of his poetry was written in the 1920s and 1930s, and helped inaugurate Australia's shift away from the balladry of 19th century poetry to sharp, intense and contradictory explorations of emotion, death, place, and time. Slessor is also noted for his flexibility in style and content, from the tragedy of 'Beach Burial' to the jokey tone of 'Wild Grapes'.

Scope for Study: Students will be able to drill down not just into individual poems but also into single lines and specific word choices as the poet's expertise in crafting dense imagery is perfectly suited for Stage 6 study. Slessor's mastery of language is both cajoling and disruptive to the reader, and forces attention rather than asks for it. Students will able to examine the overall themes of his work, as well as the way that verse can be employed to these ends.

NESA Annotations: There are currently no available NESA annotations for this text.

Verdict: With only 6 poems, and none more than a single page in length, this is possibly the shortest of the poetry options on offer in the English Prescriptions 2019-2023. I think Slessor's poetry would work best with an inquisitive Standard English class, and the brevity of the text on offer here will offer breathing space for teachers wanting to provide lots of scaffolding and room for curiosity. It also helps that the poems are excellent.

Rainbow's End by Jane Harrison

What is it: Jane Harrison's play about three generations of Aboriginal women living in 1950s rural Victoria has been a popular teaching option since its introduction as part of the 2009-2014 prescriptions. Drawing upon an Australian context of acute disparity between Aboriginal people and their European-descended neighbours, Rainbow's End is essentially a character study that mixes comedy with tragedy to capture the voices of marginalised generations in our recent past.

Scope for Study: Harrison has become a much-loved writer in the past decade or so, and her inclusion on this list makes her the only Indigenous Australian author in the Common Module. Rainbow's End is the most 'obvious' option in this section of the list, and it explores the vernacular of a class system in a rapidly disappearing era with an engaging sense of energy and pace that's achieved, in large part, through sharply memorable characterisation.

NESA Annotations: Both the 2015-2020 and 2009-2014 Annotations contain (differing) notes on the text, with some attention paid to the valuable social and historical contexts provided by its study. Irony, 'gentle humour', and characterisation are highlighted as key dramatic techniques used by Harrison to deal with complex themes in a deceptively simple way. 

Verdict: I like this play a lot, and I think it works well as a Standard English text due to the fact that it builds on mandatory content that NSW students will have covered in the Rights and Freedom topic from Year 10 History. Sequencing this easily-appreciated drama as a follow-up to study of the Stolen Generations, generational inequity via the missions, and pre-1967 Referendum society in Australia, allows for students to construct a truly valuable understanding of Rainbow's End that should contribute to life-long learning. 

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

What is it: Miller's intense dramatisation of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century follows the story of Abigail Williams, a young girl who uses accusations of witchcraft to wield power over an ignorant and puritanical society. The object of her scorn is John Proctor, a local farmer whose affair with the young Abigail will spell certain doom. 

Scope for Study: The Crucible stands tall as a damning allegory for McCarthyism in the 1950s, reflecting Arthur Miller's thinly-shrouded criticism of the House of Un-American Activities at that time. Miller himself would go on to face the wrath of Senator Joe McCarthy, who targeted the playwright as a potential communist sympathiser. The Crucible is a complex, dark, and ultimately rage-inducing indictment of mob mentality and the misuse of power. 

NESA Annotations: Notes for the play can be found in the 2015-2020 Annotations, extensively referencing the importance of the text as a window into context. The duality of themes such as 'good and evil, love and malice, respect and respectability' are also mentioned but the focal point remains largely contextually-driven, with commentary highlighting the play's role as a political instrument for its past, present, and future.

Verdict: The historical cadence of the language and the significance of context make The Crucible undoubtedly suited to an Advanced English class. As such, teachers would be crazy not to team it up with Good Night and Good Luck, a Module B text for Advanced English that deals more directly with McCarthyism. The marrying of these two texts together across multiple modules will only serve to strengthen the field of knowledge that Advanced students can draw upon for in-depth contextual understanding. 

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

What is it: The Merchant of Venice is perhaps one of Shakespeare's more famous comedies and also one of the more controversial when viewed from a modern context. The play remains somewhat challenging due to its depiction of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who becomes consumed with the need to collect a 'pound of flesh' from the Venetian merchant Antonio when a debt isn't paid on time. There's also a bunch of stuff about various foreign suitors having to solve a puzzle so they can win the hand of a much-desired Venetian noblewoman, and the usual gender-bending that often shows up in Shakespearean comedy, but no one tends to remember that stuff due to Shylock's unreasonable compulsion to extract actual flesh from Antonio.

Scope for Study: Like the other older texts on this list, The Merchant of Venice provides ample scope for the study of historical context - particularly the values of the Elizabethan era in regards to race, commerce, and gender (Shakespeare pretty much conflates these three big themes into one interwoven depiction of Venice as a potential future for his English audience). Eagle-eared students will also do well in picking up the differences in dialogue-styles employed by characters from very different backgrounds, with Shylock sounding quite unlike any other character in Shakespeare's body of work. 

NESA Annotations: There are currently no available annotations for this text, possibly because it was added late to the 2019-2023 Prescriptions list.

Verdict: I've had difficulty teaching Shakespearean comedies in the past, however, I think there's quite a bit in The Merchant of Venice that lends itself to contemporary discussion. Sure, there's the obvious stuff like the antisemitism of the character of Shylock and his apparent greed, but there's also a lot of to talk about in regards to the themes of commerce and commodities. And whilst everyone is very aware of Shylock as a Jewish stereotype, there's perhaps even more racism in the depiction of the Moorish Prince who seeks Portia's hand in marriage.

Non-Fiction / Film / Media Options
There are five options in this section; two non-fiction novels, a fictional film, and two documentaries (1 film, 1 TV series).

• There are three new texts - The Boy Behind the Curtain, I Am Malala, and Waste Land.
• Of the texts, two are Australian - The Boy Behind the Curtain and Go Back to Where You Came From.
• Both Go Back to Where You Came From and Waste Land make partial use of subtitles.

The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton

• Havoc: A Life of Accidents
• Betsy
• Twice on Sundays
• The Wait and the Flow
• In the Shadow of the Hospital
• The Demon Shark
• Barefoot in the Temple of Art

What is it: Tim Winton, Australia's contemporary 'golden child' of home-grown literature, turns his sharp lyricism onto himself in this highly personal memoir of growing up in Albany, Western Australia. Each chapter is a non-fiction essay, covering topics such the motor vehicle accidents that shaped Winton into an adult, the impact of being part of a strict sect of the Christian Church, and a plea for the conservation of sharks.

Scope for Study: Whilst certainly economical at times, Winton's writing could never really be accused of being dry. Each sentence reads as carefully crafted, and students will be able to examine the role of synonyms, wide vocabulary use, and connotation in controlling the relationship between reader and writer. Winton's use of both non-linear plotting and the essay form to explore his own past will also allow students to gain an understanding of the way the truth can be bent to fit a narrative.

NESA Annotations: As a fairly recent release, Winton's memoir is addressed in the new annotations for 2019-2023. In terms of the 'needs and interests of the students', the focus is described as being on Winton's representation of human experiences and the ways that these have informed his art and life. Winton's masterful control of language and a wide variety of literary techniques are also mentioned as grist for the student mill. 

Verdict: Look, I love Winton, but some of the pieces selected from his memoir would be incredibly difficult for certain Stage 6 students to fully comprehend (I'm primarily thinking of the religion essay, 'Twice on Sundays'). Winton's use of obscure language whilst also simultaneously playing with grammatical and literary forms of expression may stretch some students beyond patience. As such, I could only really see this text working with a high-performing Advanced English class. The full resonance of The Boy Behind the Curtain may also be lost on students who A) Don't have a working knowledge of who Winton is, and/or B) Aren't old enough to fully appreciate the meditative nature of a middle-aged artist reflecting on his own life.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

What is it: Malala Yousafzai recounts the story of her life as a teenager growing up on the Pakistani / Afghanistan border in the years following 9/11 and the American invasion of Afghanistan. Although politically enclosed within the comparatively moderate nation of Pakistan, the remote community that Malala grew up in was heavily-influenced and partially-controlled by Taliban theocrats from Afghanistan, meaning that Malala's education in her father's school came under direct ideological and physical attack from terrorists. This memoir follows her tumultuous journey from student to passionate campaigner for female rights to education across the entire world.

Scope for Study: Placed from within a prism of current affairs that will be familiar to students, I Am Malala builds off ideas that many Stage 4 and Stage 5 English classes will have already explored; namely advocacy, agency, gender stereotypes, protest, and non-Anglo cultural perspectives. Malala's memoir reflects her youthful optimism and resilience, and the smattering of localised language throughout helps to extend students in their understanding of Afghan/Pakistani region.

NESA Annotations: The 2019-2023 Annotations emphasise the text's credibility in order to convince the teacher of its worthiness, highlighting Malala's status as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the impressive credentials of her co-author, the British foreign correspondent Christina Lamb. The way that memoirs construct and re-structure narrative will give students room for analysis but the main point made by the annotations is that I Am Malala provides a welcome insight into the experiences of women and girls in the Muslim world.

Verdict: The danger and survival of Malala's story will be impressive to just about anyone. I could see this text working really well (with supporting material from the teen edition of the book) for a lower/mixed ability Standard English class or an English Studies group, and the ongoing nature of Malala Yousafzai's story (she recently just signed up to Twitter) means that there is considerable scope for students to draw connections between the text and the significant themes that it discusses.

Billy Elliot, directed by Stephen Daldry

What is it: Set against the backdrop of the UK miners' strike of 1984, Billy Elliot depicts the coming-of-age of a working class boy who swaps his boxing gloves for a pair of ballet shoes. The film arrived as part of the wave of working class British comedy/drama films that came into popularity with The Full Monty in 1997, and remains a finely-acted and well-scripted piece of cinema that successfully blends context and characterisation to build a meaningful connection with its audience.

Scope for Study: The 1980s coal miners' strike may seem like an obscure context for 21st century Australian students but there is a lot of common ground that can be forged in regards to themes of class and labour. Stephen Daldry's relatively straight-forward construction of a dramatic narrative also allows for a lot of discussion around themes, characterisation, and setting.

NESA Annotations: Billy Elliot is covered by the 2015-2020 Annotations with a particular focus on its inclusion as a Discovery text. Even with the demise of the Area of Study the arcs of growth for Billy, his family, and the wider community all remain relevant as highly teachable elements of the text. The annotations highlight the thematic core of the film, being the fact that the narrative is largely driven by Billy's subversion of gender norms. 

Verdict: This film works well as a Standard English text, with a lot of scope for challenging stereotypes and gender roles in relation to generic conventions. The juxtaposition of Billy's tough background and his burgeoning love of dance may also invite students to challenge their own understanding of cultural and socio-economic pressures.

Go Back to Where You Came From (Season 1), directed by Ivan O'Mahoney

What is it: Six participants representing a cross-section of contemporary Australian society embark on a reverse-journey that traces the footsteps of refugees. Part reality TV, part social experiment, Go Back to Where You Came From is a unique television event that explores the Australian metanarrative and challenges viewers to examine their own views on refugees, detention centres, and the context that has created this ongoing 'hot topic'.

Scope for Study: Go Back to Where You Came From is perhaps the ultimate Discovery text, examining six individuals as they confront political issues head-on and undergo transformations to varying degrees. The Area of Study is now a moot point but the text itself is still incredibly relevant in terms of encouraging students to build their own personal response to both the text and the political dimensions that birthed it. Combining a variety of persuasive techniques and documentary tropes, Go Back to Where You Came From is fertile ground for in-depth analysis, and definitely a thought-provoking stimulus.

NESA Annotations: Notes can be found in the 2015-2020 Annotations, although these predominantly concern the text's relevance to the Discovery Area of Study. That aside, there is mention of the usefulness of the final post-series episode, The Response, as a way for students to measure their own evaluations against those offered by the participants. The role of the media in shaping public opinion is also highlighted as a key area for challenging students.

Verdict: Go Back to Where You Came From is a rare beast - a very easily understood and accessible text that's also quite cerebral in its treatment of contentious themes. Students from both the Standard and Advanced courses will quite easily form personal opinions in response to the diversity of perspectives offered by the participants, which range from the refugee-sympathetic far left (Gleny Rae) to the nationalistic and conservative (Darren Hassan, Raye Colby). The use of modern generic conventions associated with the reality TV and documentaries genres are also identifiable to students, and provide ample fodder for student analysis.

Waste Land, directed by Lucy Walker

What is it: In this documentary, director Lucy Walker follows artist Vik Muniz as he embarks upon a new project centering around Jardim Gramacho, one of the world's largest garbage dumps (located in Brazil). Muniz creates huge, room-sized portraits of some of the individuals who make their living from collecting the rubbish; a project that that makes uses of recycled materials and sees Muniz become increasingly involved in seeking agency for these marginalised people.

Scope for Study: The project that Muniz embarks on provides scope for students to investigate the socio-economic issues surrounding the catadores (garbage pickers) and the ingrained poverty of the Rio de Janeiro favelas (slums). In addition to this, there is a twofold opportunity for students to explore the social commentary imbued in Muniz's art, and the documentary techniques used by Walker to affect the viewer's impressions of her constructed narrative of this subject.

NESA Annotations: The 2019-2023 Annotations identify Waste Land as "an engrossing and uplifting documentary that celebrates the dignity of the human spirit" whist also highlighting the sheer wealth of awards that it attracted in 2011. The motif of garbage is mentioned as a prompt for discussion of the paradoxical nature of Muniz's art, which is simultaneously beautiful and depressing. The annotations are also careful to establish the constructed nature of Walker's documentary as a piece that deliberately focuses on individuals rather than the wider political issues of Brazil.

Verdict: A 'big' documentary with significance, Waste Land encompasses themes of shame, pride, making a living, the cycle of 'rubbish', and advocacy. The fact that Muniz makes the pickers partners in his artistic process (whereby he transforms their images into huge portraits constructed from garbage and recyclable materials) goes a long way towards engaging the viewer in a narrative that moves beyond the idiosyncrasies of the art. This text would most likely work well with either Advanced or Standard classes, with fantastic (in the original sense of the word) imagery of pickers scaling mountains of moving trash as it pours from the back of trucks, and Walker and Muniz working together to draw out stories and pathos from these individuals - the woman who fell in love with a married truck driver, the man who found Machiavelli's The Prince in the trash and began reading it, the uneducated ageing picker who is proud to represent 2500 other pickers, and the young man who becomes a inspirational mouthpiece for his fellow catadores.