The story behind ‘1984′

If you think 1984 is challenging to read, imagine trying to write it!
This article talks about Orwell’s writing of the novel in an isolated Scottish farmhouse in 1948. And how it just about killed him.  Students studying the novel might find this article interesting, especially about his thinking on the title of the novel.
From the [...]

Three practice prompts on “Look Both Ways”

Ignore the conventional advice and … try these at home!
1. The male characters in the film are more fragile and vulnerable than the female characters Do you agree?
2. How does Sarah Watt convey the connections and various views between her characters in the film, Look Both Ways?
3. Many of Sarah Watt’s central characters seem preoccupied [...]

2008 Examiners Report

The report from the examiners who marked last  year’s paper went online yesterday and should be considered essential reading for VCE students.  It’s particularly interesting this year because last year was the first of the new course and just how the context, for example, would exactly look, was a bit unknown.
The examiner’s report goes through [...]

The Orwell Diaries

If you’re studying 1984 this year you might be intersested in following the Orwell Diaries.  Since August last year the Orwell Prize has been blogging George Orwell’s 1938 diaries, each diary entry published on the blog exactly seventy years since Orwell wrote it.
You won’t hear much about 1984, he hadn’t written it yet, but it’s [...]

Look Both Ways

For those students doing the film text Look Both Ways, the good news is that SBS are going to be screening the film at 9PM on Sunday, August 24th as part of their Australian film festival. Take the opportunity to tape it if you haven’t already got your own copy.

Spotlight on “Look Both Ways”

It’s such a popular text for study that I’m sure this session of the forthcoming Melbourne Writers Festival will be popular. Get in quick!
Spotlight on Look Both Ways,
with William McInnes & Sarah Watt
Look Both Ways was written and directed by Sarah Watt and stars William McInnes in the leading role. Gain a privileged insight into [...]

1984 (as a pulp novel)

Some people will do anything to sell books but this is one of the stranger 1984 covers I’ve seen.
Apparently it’s from 1954. The back cover says:
Which One Will YOU Be In the Year 1984?
There won’t be much choice, of course, if this book’s predictions turn out to be true. But you’ll probably [...]