zenger69 said:
I think it's good to have different perspectives but about Malouf:
there is a real OUTSIDER type theme with Malouf's context. During the 1970s these things were happening:
Multiculturalism: people were debating about how to handle the new wave of asian and easter europian immigrants. They were tolerated but not really accepted. Malouf himself was from Lebanon and this would have also affected his view.
Environmental Awareness: The word Ecosystem was invented/being used widely. People started to realise that they were part of the environment rather than dominant species. The idea of "we can bulldoze trees and build whatever we like" started to be replaced by a need to preserve the environment. Green movements started politically.
Jewish Mother and Christian Father: In Malouf's interviews, he always spoke about tension in his family and how his family never got along. His parents marriage wasn't really accepted, only tolerated.
Being a gay writer, homosexuality was banned before. Homosexuality was also tolerated but still marginalised. (Though Malouf does not like to be exclusively as a gay writer and HSC markers hate the angle of gay person who likes little boys (The Child).
This is reflected in the character Ovid, who is tolerated but no accepted. People thought when he planting flowers that he was bizzare.
Also the stark difference in the greener landscape of europe when compared to australia is reflected in ovid's initial attitude to the wild. mentioned by Nekkid is a "very Eurocentric view" according to my teacher a HSC marker. Writing that down caused a mark deduction in my our Module A assessment, so be careful.
Hope all that above helps, also some of it is my viewpoint and you can disagree.
That's a bit stupid of your teacher, because it's a fair point. As long as you've backed it up by analysing some techniques or giving reasons, you shouldn't get marked down. My teacher says that even if the marker disagrees with you, you're still entitled to the marks as long as you've elucidated your claims. I should know, I've written many things my teacher completely disagrees with, but have never been marked down for it.
With regard to Wordsworth and Malouf, it's important to note that they both examine the underlying tension between humanity and nature. Wordsworth, who lost his parents at a young age, sees nature as a benevolent surrogate parent who teaches him the distinctions between right and wrong. Take, for example, 'The Prelude: Book First', where Wordsworth's conscience - what he perceives to be nature - causes a "huge peak, black and huge" to uprear its ominous head, aiming to ensure he doesn't repeat his deed of traversing the landscape in a stolen boat. His surroundings at Hawkshead Grammar School and rural 19th Century England were most suited to the forging of his spiritual interconnection with the wild.
You could also interpret Wordsworth's pantheism as depicting nature as the Christian God. Take, for example, this quotation: "And I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thought".
Compare this to Malouf's Ovid, who says "If the gods are with you there, then it is because you...conjured them up..." - a true reflection of the times.
Malouf writes in a more materialistic and consumerist context where the spirituality touched on by Wordsworth has become de-emphasised, and 'An Imaginary Life' therefore portrays Ovid's physical absorption by the wild - Ovid is at one point "turning into the landscape".
Yes, you should discuss context, but the module is called 'Comparative Study of TEXTS
and Context', so don't get too carried away with it.
