Ray Lawler
Module A - Distinctive Voices
It is amazing to be revisiting this text after nearly forty years. Looking over my notes from the late seventies, type-written notes on fullscap paper without any digital resources, I realise how much teaching has changed in that time. 'Lit Crit' is a much maligned term these days but the quality of the work that was done before 2001 was still evaluative and language focused. It can be difficult to conceptually massage content and style of 2015 texts into rigid criteria such as 'Distinctive Voices'. That said however, 'the Doll' is a fabulous prescribed text for this module elective for its compelling use of vernacular language.
Some of the assertions made in recent academic papers on the play counter Lawler's explicit comments about his dramatic focus, characterisation or use of language. For this reason, it is a good idea to find what the composer has had to say about his text. There are some sound video material that can be examined to form an introductory foundation for study of Lawler's methods for creating distinctive voices within his play. These include the following:
I am enjoying working on the text in preparation for publication of the next round of textbooks and just as the short stories of Henry Lawson and Douglas Stewart's poetry works well for Distinctively Visual, 'Summer of the Seventeenth Doll' works well for Distinctive Voice. Much better than some of the other options for the 2015 HSC. It is crucial that text selection is based on how well students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the text in relation to the elective focus. If the connection is not strong, students can struggle to articulate how language has been manipulated. I hope those teachers considering 'the Doll' as a Module A option, find the above resources useful.
Barbara
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