Literature
Why children’s stories are full of orphans, evil stepmothers and boarding schools
While ideas of family are changing, from Dickens to Rowling, absent parents are an enduring element of kid's books says University of Melbourne experts.
Homicide on Hydra
A new book by a University of Melbourne expert explores the more-or-less forgotten crime novels of one of Australia’s most successful authors, George Johnston.
Did Charles Dickens invent Christmas?
While Charles Dickens didn’t actually invent Christmas, he did renew and redefine its generous spirit in A Christmas Carol, says University of Melbourne expert.
Using music and words to bridge dementia
An international trial led by University of Melbourne is showing how home-based music and reading activities can help families care for dementia sufferers.
Poetry as a surveillance survival guide
Amid pervasive surveillance and social media, it is poetry that can help us navigate our technologically-led society, says a University of Melbourne expert
How literature helps us interpret the human face
New University of Melbourne research looks at how the human face and our emotions are represented in literary texts from the medieval to the contemporary eras.
If our animals could speak
Dr Laura Jean McKay, winner of the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for literature and University of Melbourne graduate discusses writing her first novel
Rescuing Australia’s lost literary treasures
A new University of Melbourne project is digitising some of Australia’s most important lost books and getting them into libraries for authors and readers alike.
Australian literature’s great silence
A new University of Melbourne study says we must question the very white stories told in our classrooms and the lack of Indigenous authors in the curriculum.
How have plagues and pandemics influenced the arts?
University of Melbourne experts describe how throughout history, writers and artists have explored the impact of plagues and pandemics on humanity.