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Each episode, host Clare Mackie discusses a different text from the VCE English text list with a passionate and knowledgeable teacher. The conversation is more than just a plot summary and character profile, rather, teachers discuss textual interpretation, authorial intent, views and values - the complex and deeply interesting aspects of studying literature.
34 Episodes
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In this episode, Clare speaks with Sonia Murr about Trevor Noah's memoir, 'Born A Crime'. The text is a wild ride, careering from absolutely hilarious to gut-wrenchingly heart-breaking in the turn of a page, and it provides a unique vantage point to interrogate the impacts of apartheid in South Africa. Sonia's reflections and insights into the novel are thoughtful and considered, especially around political correctness and engaging with this text meaningfully in a classroom. If you are i...
In this episode, Clare speaks with Philip Thiel about Chinua Achebe's critically acclaimed novel, 'Things Fall Apart'. Together, they discuss the importance of understanding a post-colonial lens as a means of exploring this text, and how Achebe invites his reader into this narrative through his decision to write the novel in English. Further, this conversation centres on the significance of gender, and not just masculinity, but femininity too, and how Achebe interrogates these construct...
Kat from BEAR Learn returns in this episode, flipping the script and putting Clare in the hot seat to answer questions about Much Ado About Nothing. Having recently authored analysis of 50 key quotations from the play in collaboration with BEAR Learn, this conversation dips into some of the key ideas and concerns of Shakespeare, and how students can streamline their study by honing in on high utility quotations that can do heavy lifting in analysis. The conversation gives a little taste of wh...
Clare is joined by Melinda Keyte in this conversation, to discuss Toni Jordan's novel, 'Nine Days'. The discussion is rich and broad, as Melinda speaks knowledgeably and passionately about the text, including ideas of women's emancipation, the symbolism of the house on Rowena Parade, Jordan's rich characterisation and the importance of love in upholding social values in difficult times. The novel itself traverses a period of significant change in Australia, and so there is much to explore. Ev...
Teachers Talk Texts is BACK! After a brief hiatus, Clare is back in the recording chair, accompanied by new baby Scarlett, ready to talk texts. In this episode, she is joined by Ashleigh Cavalin to discuss one of the new films to the Year 12 text list - Billy Wilder's 'Sunset Boulevard'. The conversation delves into the symbolism of the film, and how Wilder used this film as a mechanism to criticise and condemn the Hollywood industry of the time. From fancy cars to rats in the pool, listen in...
...and Teachers Talk Texts is back for Season 3! Have you missed me? In this episode, Clare speaks with Punita Mistry about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. If you are looking for a critically feminist reading of the text, this is your episode. If you are a bit unsure about critically feminist readings of texts, have a listen anyway, because Punita's arguments are so well evidenced and articulated that even Clare was swayed into questioning the absolute nature of Lizzy and Darcy's love (sho...
In this final episode of the 2021 season, Clare is joined by Lisa Wilks-Beasy to discuss David Malouf's mythological reimagining, 'Ransom', and Stephen Frears' film, 'The Queen'. The conversation explores a range of points of connection and disconnection, as Lisa confidently moves from text to test, identifying pertinent analytical points. Malouf's rich storytelling and description is placed in comparison with Frears directorial style, including acknowledging his use of real historical footag...
Clare is joined for the second time by the knowledgeable and insightful Sophia Marsden-Smith for a conversation that explores the big ideas of Arthur Miller's pivotal play, 'The Crucible', and Rosalie Ham's dark novel, 'The Dressmaker'. Together, Sophia and Clare explore the elements of Australian Gothic, in the case of 'The Dressmaker' and the historical allegory of Miller's play, and the underlying fear that is inherent in the communities of both texts. Fundamentally, these texts are import...
In this episode, Clare speaks with Tahnee Dwyer about Christine Piper's 'After Darkness'. The conversation spans the entire text, as Tahnee expertly weaves through the three interwoven plotlines, culminating in a rather contentious epilogue. Piper's incredible skill in characterisation and use of setting to reflect a character's inner mind is explored, as well as the text's capacity to evoke empathy in the reader, to better understand the experience of individuals placed in impossible positio...
In this episode, Clare is joined by Tania Castauro to discuss the comparative text pairing of Robyn Davidson's 'Tracks' and Rolf de Heer's film, 'Charlie's Country'. Tania has a strong understanding of the two texts, and confidently shares her interpretations around the parallels between the path Charlie takes and the trip Robyn embarks upon. Engaging actively with these two texts is a significant undertaking, as the issues and ideas they explore, provoke and condemn serve as critical re...
This week, Clare speaks with the amazing Kat from @bearlearn, who knows these two texts deeply and is therefore able to identify and analyse the fundamental points of comparison between them. This conversation considers the different ways that Szubanski and Lahiri construct their respective texts, and the crucial parallel between them in their advocation of seeking an understanding of one's parents in order to understand one's identity. Kat's ideas and analysis are really interesting and uniq...
Clare is joined by Leon Furze for the first conversation about a text pairing this season - 'Stasiland' by Anna Funder and 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro. The conversation examines the undercurrent of threat evident in both texts, and how each author creates such a mood. While it can be said that 'Never Let Me Go' is comparatively a more basic and simplistic text than 'Stasiland', Leon's insights into Ishiguro's authorial expertise reveal the depth of the novel's message. These two texts...
Clare is joined by Sue Hatton in this conversation today, focusing on Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven. Sue's perspective on the novel is unique, and she provides some interesting observations and reflections about dystopia as a genre, which builds an interpretation of the text, a valuable concept for students to understand for their own writing. Particularly, Sue connects the characterisation of the characters, and their tendency to fade in and out of the narrative, to a broader a...
Clare returns to a favourite text in this episode - Euripides 'The Women of Troy' with Danni (@teachingthevce). While this may be the third episode discussing the text, the direction of the conversation is completely different, beginning with the importance of the text in reflecting the full scope of the human experience - both joy and sadness - and then drilling down into some character studies. After all, who hasn't been a Helen at some point? Support the Show.Follow Teachers Talk Text...
In this episode, Clare speaks with Kirrily MacRaild about Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. Both Kirrily and Clare have a long history with this text, first studying it as teenage students, and continuing to engage with it throughout their lifetimes, resulting in a deep appreciation for the characters and their motivations, but also a capacity to reflect on their changing understanding of these characters. The conversation includes an alternate reading of Darcy, once considered rude and ar...
In this week's episode, Clare speaks with Suzanne Toniolo about Toni Jordan's Nine Days. The conversation considers Jordan's decisions regarding narrative structure and perspective, and how students can build interpretations of the text from these elements, as well as syntactical analysis. Further to this, Jordan's explicit engagement with the hardships that Australians faced during the 20th Century, particularly women, is a topic of interrogation, and the importance of engaging actively with...
This week, Clare is revisiting Euripides' play 'The Women of Troy' with @educatinglaura, who is also a podcaster, hosting 'After the Bell with @educatinglaura'. Laura's perspective on the play is incredibly interesting, and the conversation commences with a discussion of how Euripides is using his platform as a form of propaganda, before a deep dive into the character of Helen and how she functions as a critical character for discussion. The lack of power the gods have is an interesting point...
Clare speaks with the very knowledgeable Sophia Marsden-Smith in this episode, about William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Much of the conversation focuses on Shakespeare's exploration of the function of marriage in his society, and the problematic nature that marriage is positioned as the antidote to the many wrongs inflicted by the men in the text. A number of scenes are discussed closely, so students are encouraged to have a play handy to follow along. A note - Sophia makes referen...
Clare is joined by Emma Ford in this episode, to discuss all things Argument Analysis. The conversation focuses particularly on two past VCE English Exams, from 2016 and 2017, so it is recommended that listeners are familiar with these two texts before listening to get the most out of this episode. The conversation begins by considering the importance of contention, intention, audience and tone, as well as discussing the merits of different structural approaches to this style of task. The imp...
Emma Enticott joins Clare to discuss Rear Window in this episode, focusing specifically on Hitchcock's use of cinematography and mise-en-scene within the film. Emma's interpretation of the film is refreshing, and moves away from the standard examination of Jeff and Lisa's relationship to a deep dive into Hitchcock's message about the social hierarchy of his time, as well as highlighting the paradox that it is tragedy that brings the community of the film together, not happiness. Every charact...
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