Linguistic individuation in the plays of Shakespeare and his peers, 1576-1599. The question of how differently each speaker or writer uses language is important in everything from plagiarism to the definition of artistic genius. The project makes Shakespearean drama before 1600 a definitive test case of this wider problem of individuality in language. Australians are inheritors of the Western tradition of individual self-determination and self-expression; the project will help clarify one of the ....Linguistic individuation in the plays of Shakespeare and his peers, 1576-1599. The question of how differently each speaker or writer uses language is important in everything from plagiarism to the definition of artistic genius. The project makes Shakespearean drama before 1600 a definitive test case of this wider problem of individuality in language. Australians are inheritors of the Western tradition of individual self-determination and self-expression; the project will help clarify one of the main assumptions behind this tradition. Australia is also an inheritor of the English-language culture of which Shakespeare is a key element, and the project will enrich the understanding of this culture through new light on his beginnings.Read moreRead less
Early modern women and the poetry of complaint, 1540-1660. This project aims to discover how early modern women used the widespread, powerful and diverse mode of complaint to voice expressions of protest and loss during the English Renaissance. The project will highlight women’s roles as writers, patrons and textual producers and consumers of the mode of complaint. The project expects to uncover how the imagined voices of the disempowered shaped the literary and political cultures of early moder ....Early modern women and the poetry of complaint, 1540-1660. This project aims to discover how early modern women used the widespread, powerful and diverse mode of complaint to voice expressions of protest and loss during the English Renaissance. The project will highlight women’s roles as writers, patrons and textual producers and consumers of the mode of complaint. The project expects to uncover how the imagined voices of the disempowered shaped the literary and political cultures of early modern England. Reconceptualising a mode in Renaissance literature will benefit Australia's standing at the forefront of research in early modern studies.Read moreRead less
American Literary Celebrity and Contemporary Identity. In post-war America, the writers James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams were all assumed to be homosexual in the days before this became relatively "safe," yet they all attained celebrity status. This project aims to examine the effect that the presence of these literary celebrities had on the formation of contemporary gay identity. In doing so, the project aims to demonstrate the inadequacy of the analytic categorie ....American Literary Celebrity and Contemporary Identity. In post-war America, the writers James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams were all assumed to be homosexual in the days before this became relatively "safe," yet they all attained celebrity status. This project aims to examine the effect that the presence of these literary celebrities had on the formation of contemporary gay identity. In doing so, the project aims to demonstrate the inadequacy of the analytic categories of the open secret and the closet, conventionally used in sexuality studies to explain gay identity in the post-war years before gay liberation. The project endeavours to contribute to our understanding of two vital and interrelated aspects of contemporary society: celebrity culture and gay identity.Read moreRead less
Making a career of it: the literary and cultural production of Tom Keneally. Is being a 'national living treasure' compatible with being a serious literary figure? The project examines who actually reads what of Tom Keneally's fiction and whether facts accord with critical assessments of his work, both in Australia and overseas. Answers will clarify how Australia constructs its literary culture and writes literary history.
From Thesis to Book: issues in commercial publication of scholarly work. Commercial trade and scholarly publishers constantly receive book proposals based on research theses, yet still struggle to find non-fiction manuscripts with both sales potential and high writing and research quality. What are the characteristics of such manuscripts? How are they developed? How might universities be involved? This project will address these issues through an integrated programme of research and research tra ....From Thesis to Book: issues in commercial publication of scholarly work. Commercial trade and scholarly publishers constantly receive book proposals based on research theses, yet still struggle to find non-fiction manuscripts with both sales potential and high writing and research quality. What are the characteristics of such manuscripts? How are they developed? How might universities be involved? This project will address these issues through an integrated programme of research and research training, awarding a scholarship for doctoral research into Australian non-fiction publishing, and writing residencies for recent PhD graduates. Outcomes will include manuscripts for publication by the industry partner, discussion papers, public lectures and intensive training seminars.Read moreRead less
Dreams: A Cultural History, 1840-1940. This project will produce a groundbreaking history of the emergence of the dream as a fundamental aspect of identity in the period 1840-1940, when the contours of modern psychology were being dramatically transformed. By tracking the vital relationship between an emerging science of the mind and the rapidly evolving cultural arts in this crucial period, this project will ensure Australia's place at the forefront of innovative interdisciplinary research acro ....Dreams: A Cultural History, 1840-1940. This project will produce a groundbreaking history of the emergence of the dream as a fundamental aspect of identity in the period 1840-1940, when the contours of modern psychology were being dramatically transformed. By tracking the vital relationship between an emerging science of the mind and the rapidly evolving cultural arts in this crucial period, this project will ensure Australia's place at the forefront of innovative interdisciplinary research across the humanities and sciences. The enduring popular and scholarly fascination with dreams will stimulate broad discussion about an area of psychic life that continues to inform the relationship between a science of the mind and everyday cultural life.Read moreRead less
Minds, Bodies, Machines: a cultural and intellectual history of technologies in the 21st century. This project benefits the intellectual and cultural life of the nation by establishing a unique dialogue between the I.T. community and University researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Using an
interdisciplinary methodology to explore technologically-driven social change across a period of more than two hundred years, the project will generate new and fresh ways of thinking about emerg ....Minds, Bodies, Machines: a cultural and intellectual history of technologies in the 21st century. This project benefits the intellectual and cultural life of the nation by establishing a unique dialogue between the I.T. community and University researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Using an
interdisciplinary methodology to explore technologically-driven social change across a period of more than two hundred years, the project will generate new and fresh ways of thinking about emerging areas of intense debate and controversy, such as humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence. The dialogue we propose will foster an environment of enhanced innovation, one in which knowledge translates directly and indirectly into social and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Noise, Technology, Literature. 21st century life is pervaded by fears of sensory and information overload, the deafening interference of data generated by a digitalised global economy, as well as the literal noise of everyday life. These fears transcend national boundaries, connecting the experiences of contemporary Australians to a common global experience. It is this inter-connected trans-national history of the profound impact of noise on our lives that this project will begin to chart. Stre ....Noise, Technology, Literature. 21st century life is pervaded by fears of sensory and information overload, the deafening interference of data generated by a digitalised global economy, as well as the literal noise of everyday life. These fears transcend national boundaries, connecting the experiences of contemporary Australians to a common global experience. It is this inter-connected trans-national history of the profound impact of noise on our lives that this project will begin to chart. Stretching back to the nineteenth century and into the present, this project is necessarily collaborative and ambitious in its engagement not only with ideas of noise as they are discussed within the confines of academia but also in the broader community. Read moreRead less
Frank Hurley: The Making of a Modern Cultural Icon. I propose to write a book about Frank Hurley (1885-1962) dealing comprehensively for the first time with his photography, cinematography and writing from the perspective of the new humanities disciplines, and to make an original argument about the significance of his career for modern Australian culture in its international contexts. The book will exemplify a new theory and practice of interdisciplinary research. A second objective is to publis ....Frank Hurley: The Making of a Modern Cultural Icon. I propose to write a book about Frank Hurley (1885-1962) dealing comprehensively for the first time with his photography, cinematography and writing from the perspective of the new humanities disciplines, and to make an original argument about the significance of his career for modern Australian culture in its international contexts. The book will exemplify a new theory and practice of interdisciplinary research. A second objective is to publish an edition of Hurley's diaries. Melbourne University Press have formally expressed interest in both books. The text of the diaries will also be made available on the internet by the Mitchell Library and National Library of Australia. Read moreRead less
Modernism and the Early Middle Ages. This project aims to understand how Modernist writers engaged with early mediaeval thought and texts.Literary Modernism draws heavily on medieval literature and thought, particularly Anglo-Saxon poetry, the Provençal poetry of the Troubadours, and Dante’s Divina Commedia – but little attention has been paid to their influence on Modernist writers. This project will use the transmission of late classical thought and such textual practices as linear commentarie ....Modernism and the Early Middle Ages. This project aims to understand how Modernist writers engaged with early mediaeval thought and texts.Literary Modernism draws heavily on medieval literature and thought, particularly Anglo-Saxon poetry, the Provençal poetry of the Troubadours, and Dante’s Divina Commedia – but little attention has been paid to their influence on Modernist writers. This project will use the transmission of late classical thought and such textual practices as linear commentaries and glossatory techniques to study Modernism and the High Middle Ages. The project expects to provide a foundation for and counterpart to the newly vibrant field of Modernism and the High Middle Ages.Read moreRead less