Week 4 Questions ^_^

Robin Hyde, ‘In the Lane’, ‘The Last Ones’, ‘At the Beaches’

1. Horses occur in Robin Hyde’s poems ‘In the Lane’ and“The Last Ones’. Compare and contrast how these animals function in each of these poems.

2. What euphemisms and other indirect techniques does Hyde use in the ‘The Beaches IV’ to refer to the couple’s romantic activities and her own desire?

Dennis Glover, ‘The Magpies’, ‘extracts from ‘Sings Harry’

3. What is the rhyme schema of Dennis Glover’s‘Tom and Elizabeth’? (Represent as letters by stanza, i.e. ABBA, etc).

4. Based on your reading of ‘Tom and Elizabeth’ and the extract from ‘Sings Harry’, what common themes does Glover draw out of life on New Zealand farms?

Week 3 Questions ^_^

Worksheet 4: Short Story II/ Prose Extract

Witi Ihimaera: ‘The house with the Sugarbag Windows’

1. List adjectives and other linguistic features used to contrast the genteel dinner
party in the colonial house in Kelburn with the poverty-stricken house of the
narrator’s upbringing.

2. What similarities or differences are there between the depiction of race
relations in this story and Stead’s ‘A short history’?


C.K. Stead: ‘A short history of New Zealand’

1. This text divides into sections that relate to different layers of the narrative
(such as the narrator’s voice, the story within the story, the tapescript, etc).
Decide which layers each section of text relates to.

2. What is the ‘meta-fictional’ relationship between the writer of ‘A short history of New Zealand’ and the young writer in the text, and how does Stead use it
as a literary device?


Emily Perkins: ‘The Shared Experience’

1. In what sense is the title of this story ironic?

2. How would you characterise Perkins’ use of language? Illustrate with specific
examples.






Janet Frame: extract from An Angel at my Table

1. Identify five texts that Frame mentions having read during her time with Frank
Sargeson.

2. Identify at least passages in the text where Sargeson gives specific Frame
stylistic and related literary advice about her writing.

3. Underline three further examples of vivid imagery that Frame brings to
everyday objects or situations

Week 2 Questions ^_^

Worksheet 2: New Zealand Short Stories (1)

‘The Garden Party’, Katherine Mansfield:

1. Identify the major passages in the text that deal with the relationship between social classes, and especially Laura’s reaction to working class people.

2. What do their reactions to the accident ‘down the lane’ reveal about the different characters of Laura, Jose, Mother (Mrs Sheridan), Father (Mr Sheridan) and Laurie?

3. It is well known to critics that Mansfield often uses flowers and plants as romantic symbolism in her works, with The Prelude being perhaps the most

studied example. Can you find a possible example in ‘The Garden Party’?

4. Why do Laura and Laurie agree at the close of the narrative that life is ‘simply marvellous’, given the story’s tragic conclusion?

 ‘A Great Day’, Frank Sargeson:

1. What link do the two men in the story have?

2. Are there class distinctions between them?

3. Frank Sargeson was gay, though readers didn’t know this at the time. Does this affect your interpretation of ‘A Great Day’?

4. What motivates Fred to do what he does at the close of the story?

Week 1 Questions ^_^

Try to answer the following questions in the 'Comments' area

(Please do not put up your own 'posts', it gets too messy!)

The Aotea Waka Saga 

First, some factual questions analysing the story:

1. Why did Turi leave his island homeland of Hawaiki?

2. What role did Kupē play in the voyage?

3. Identify two acts of naming of the new land found in the text.

4. Identify three cases of intra-tribal fighting described in the story.

Now, more of a discussion point:

5. How would you describe Turi’s character?

6. What impression do you get of Maori tribal customs?

Cook’s and Banks’ Journals

7. Can you identify any descriptions of Māori culture or customs in the text still

practiced today? (google can help you with this)

8. Identify four passages where Cook or Banks describe New Zealand with a view to settlement or exploitation.

Now, more of a discussion point:

9. How are the Maori and European 'narratives of discovery' similar but different?

Remember, don't worry about making mistakes, but do try to answer the questions as best you can.

Have fun and create as much conversation as you can!

Welcome!!

Welcome, everyone, to the special paper Reading New Zealand!

The format here is very simple. Each week there will be questions posted.

To find answers, you have several resources.

1. The primary stories, poems etc, in the Reader for each week.
2. The brief little articles I've written for each week explaining the context.
3. The Powerpoints for each week which summarize the readings.
4. Each other!!

Blogs are about discussion, about having a conversation online.

Don't worry about making mistakes, what we are interested here is your interpretation of the texts we're studying.

However, where you can, try to support you ideas through specific references to the source texts, including page numbers, so that other can follow your trail!

I'm looking forward to joining in the conversation with you, and to meeting you all in Auckland,

best
Paul

_____________________
Dr Paul Mountfort
Programme Leader
BA English and New Media Studies
Chair, Centre for Creative Writing
AUT University
pmountfo@aut.ac.nz