Citation: Kent, H. (2013). Burial Rites. Pan McMillan.

Summary of Literature – Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

This novel is a quality text that belongs to the genre of historical fiction. Burial Rites is based on a true story that recounts the last public execution that took place in Iceland 1829. This novel is highly acclaimed and won the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, and the Victorian Premier’s People’s Choice Award. It has been included on the prescribed text list compiled by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and is taught in Senior English in Queensland. The powerful concepts of the text include truth, women and violence, power, poverty, disempowerment and justice, and is a deeply moving and engaging text that allows students the opportunity to consider life in another time, place and culture and understand the significant historical and cultural context of the time, meeting syllabus objectives in Senior English (ACEEN060, ACEEN061, ACEEN062, ACEEN063, ACEEN065, ACEEN068, ACEEN076, ACEEN077) and History (ACHMH047, ACHMH048, ACHMH058) (ACARA, 2018).

Format, features and suitability

Originally published in 2013 in print text, the ebook of Burial Rites became available in 2015. This text will be reviewed via the Wheelers ePlatform Application, a program that integrates with all library management systems (LMS) (Wheelers, 2010). The free application, ePlatform App, is a free service available to users whose school subscribes to Wheelers and is available for free download on iOS, Android and Windows platforms with a single log on. Once the ebook is borrowed, it is available off-line. Burial Rites is a digital text and can be read on any device and as Edwards suggests, students are more comfortable reading digital devices (2013). This ebook provides a range of features that can accommodate readers with different reading preferences and abilities. Students can customise their reading experience by altering the font size and style, background colour and character line/spacing, allowing students to manipulate the text to suit their needs. Further, there are settings available for dyslexic readers, OpenDyslexic font (colour, font and background colour) that assists and enhances reading rate, accuracy and experience (Wery & Dilberto, 2016). As a text in Senior English, there are a range of features available that enhance the reading experience and demands of the curriculum. These include the ability to highlight text, create/add notes, access to a dictionary and thesaurus, and links to Google based on search results for selected words. These are all positive features that enhance the comprehension of unknown words (Ward et al., 2016) and assist English students in the task of unpacking and deconstructing a text. Additionally, it is these interactive features that allow immediate access to supplementary information, which affords greater engagement and has the propensity to encourage a renewed enthusiasm for reading (Edwards, 2013).

Burial Rites is an engaging novel that draws readers into a harsh world of injustice and humanity. As the text uses Icelandic names and several Icelandic references, the dictionary feature is incredibly beneficial and allows for an uninterrupted reading experience. This text may be considered a challenging text for some readers, in terms of some of the sophisticated vocabulary and powerful and confronting concepts it contains. As noted by Edwards, students learn language more effectively using devices that incorporate interactive components (Edwards, 2013), and the fact that students can read this text on any device, and with the additional features available makes this ebook a highly suitable digital text that meets both curriculum and leisure reading goals. Quality digital literature should consist of a well-written story with complementary digital features (Walsh, 2013; Yokota & Teale, 2013), and this ebook, Burial Rites, certainly delivers digital features that enhance and support the reading experience. Previous studies have confirmed that digital reading practices promote new literacy practices, such as digital note-taking, and students experience greater autonomy and control in how they engage with a text (Larsen, in Lamb 2011). The additional features of the ebook Burial Rites supports the reading experience, which only motivate students to engage in their reading practices in a meaningful way.

Resource Integration

Wheelers ePlatform App is an excellent addition to the LMS of any school, as its features allow users to experience and read the book in new ways (Parrot, 2018). Students can be immersed in the learning experience, and use the highlighting, notetaking and dictionary features without having to put the book down, allowing greater focus and less interruption to the learning experience (Edwards, 2013). As noted by Parrot, an effective app should offer customisable features within settings and accessibility options (Parrot, 2018), as this text does.

Burial Rites via the ePlatform App aligns seamlessly with technology infrastructure of any LMS, however an adequate budget would be required to support the Wheelers digital ebook collection (O’Connell et al., 2015). Burial Rites addresses curriculum needs across Senior English and History and student learning, but also meets recreational reading needs, which suggests that this is a valuable inclusion to any school’s digital collection.

Wheelers provide a linear platform access, which allows for single use at one time and supports the availability of the text for students’ personal reading choices (O’Connell et al., 2015). Should multiple use be needed, consideration would need to be given to the costs associated with this (O’Connell et al., 2015).

The digital affordances of the ebook Burial Rites supports students’ engagement with historical fiction and reading practices and would be a suitable text to be included in both a digital collection and as a featured text in the Senior curriculum. This ebook expands and enhances the traditional reading experience (Parrot, 2018), and is a valuable digital text for both teaching and leisure purposes.

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. 2010. Senior Secondary Curriculum. Retrieved from Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority website:  https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/senior-secondary-curriculum/english/

O’Connell, J., Bales, J., & Mitchell, P. (2015). Literature in digital environments: Changes and emerging trends in Australian school libraries. In L. Das, S. Brand-Gruwel, K. Kok, & J. Walhout (Eds.), IASL 2015 Conference Proceedings: The School Library Rocks: Living it, Learning it, Loving it (pp. 356-369). International Association of School Librarians

Edwards, J. T. (2013). Reading beyond the borders: observations on digital ebook readers and adolescent reading practices (ch. 9). In J. Whittingham, & IGI Global (Eds.), Technological tools for the literacy classroom (pp. 135-158). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and leading with technology. 39(3), 12-17.

Parrot, K. (2018) Five questions to ask when evaluating apps and ebooks. https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2011/07/5-questions-to-ask-when-evaluating-apps-and-ebooks/

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2010). Prescribed Text List. https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/portal/snr_english_eal_prescribed_texts_list_2019-21.pdf

Walsh, M. (2013). Literature in a digital environment. In L. McDonald (Ed.), A literature companion for teachers. (pp. 181-194). Marrickville, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA). Retrieved from https://doms.csu.edu.au/csu/file/863c5c8d-9f3f-439f-a7e3-2c2c67ddbfa8/1/ALiteratureCompanionforTeachers.pdf

Wery, J. J., & Diliberto, J. A. (2017). The effect of a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, on reading rate and accuracy. Annals of Dyslexia, 67(2), 114-127. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1007/s11881-016-0127-1

Wheelers Books. (2020). The World of Books at your fingertips. Retrieved from https://www.wheelersbooks.com.au/info/ebooks

Yokota, J. & Teale, W.H. (2014). Picture books and the Digital World: Educators Making Informed Choices. The Reading Teacher, 34(6). Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/3886534/Picture_Books_and_the_Digital_World_Educators_Making_Informed_Choices