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Contents
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The Drover's Wife,
single work
short story
First appearing in The Bulletin in 1892, Henry Lawson's short story 'The Drovers Wife' is today regarded as a seminal work in the Australian literary tradition. Noted for it's depiction of the bush as harsh, potentially threatening and both isolated and isolating, the story opens with a simple enough premise: an aggressive--and presumably deadly--snake disrupts the working life of a bushwoman and her young children. Brave but cautious, the woman resolves to protect her children since her husband is, characteristically, away from home and of no help.
As time passes within the story, tension builds, and the snake's symbolic threat takes on layers of meaning as the sleepless heroine recalls previous challenges she faced while her husband was away. A series of flashbacks and recollections propel the story through the single night over which it takes place, and by the time the climax arrives--the confrontation with the snake--readers have learned much about the heroine's strengths and fears, most of the latter involving the loss of children and dark figures who encroach upon her small, vulnerable homestead. To be sure, this "darkness" is highly symbolic, and Lawson's use of imagery invokes Western notions of good and evil as well as gendered and racial stereotypes.
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The Bush Undertaker,
single work
short story
An old shepherd discovers his mate, Brummy, dead and mummified in the bush. Saddened, he feels compelled to bury him.
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In a Dry Season,
single work
short story
Lawson describes the scenes observed as a train traveller to western N.S.W.
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The Union Buries Its Dead,
single work
short story
humour
Describes a bush funeral.
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Hungerford,
single work
short story
humour
Lawson writes about the remote town of Hungerford, which straddles the N.S.W. and Queensland border. Lawson's story is derived from his visit to Hungerford in January 1893, when he and James Gordon (and possibly Ernest de Guinney) walked there from Torale shearing shed, near Bourke.
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Rats,
single work
short story
humour
Three travelling shearers encounter a swagman, 'Rats', having a fight with his swag.
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An Old Mate of Your Father's,
single work
short story
The narrator remembers how his father would be visited by old mates and how they sit together talking about their days on the Ballarat and Bendigo goldfields.
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Mitchell : A Character Sketch,
single work
short story
humour
Mitchell does some clever talking to replenish his supplies.
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On the Edge of a Plain,
single work
short story
A swagman arrives home to discover the family in mourning for him, after having been told he is dead.
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Irgendwann
Some Day,
single work
short story
Mitchell tells of a girl he once loved.
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Shooting the Moon,
single work
short story
humour
Mitchell reveals his loyalty to a publican who caught him trying to leave the pub without paying.
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Our Pipes,
single work
short story
humour
Mitchell relates how he began to smoke a pipe and his mother's efforts to stop him.
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Bill, the Ventriloquial Rooster,
single work
short story
humour
Mitchell relates the sorry tale of Bill, a rooster mystified by the echo of his crowing.
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The Geological Spieler,
single work
short story
humour
Steelman poses as a geologist, with Smith as his offsider. They are offered accommodation in a railway camp and stay for several days, but decide to move on when they discover they are not the only tricksters in the camp.
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The Iron-Bark Chip,
single work
short story
humour
Dave Regan and his gang of workers try to pass off a girder as ironbark, as specified in their contract, but the government inspector seems suspicious.
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The Loaded Dog,
single work
short story
humour
Dave and Andy create a bomb to blast fish out of the waterhole. However their dog picks the bomb up and begins a deadly, yet hilarious, game of 'fetch'.
- Brighten's Sister-in-Law, single work short story (p. 103-122)
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A Double Buggy at Lahey's Creek,
single work
short story
Joe Wilson puts off buying a buggy for his long-suffering wife Mary. A trip to town and an encounter with Mary's former lover changes his mind.
- 'Water Them Geraniums', single work short story (p. 142-167)
- Joe Wilson's Courtship, single work short story (p. 168-195)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also braille, sound recording.
Works about this Work
- y The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2011 9018860 2011 single work criticism
- y The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2011 8997147 2011 single work criticism
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A Lawson for Our Times
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 311 2009; (p. 11-14) Brian Matthews discusses some of the stories in The Penguin Henry Lawson: Short Stories. Matthews comments, too, on John Kinsella's introduction to the 2009 edition and on John Barnes's introduction to the original 1986 edition. -
In Short : Fiction
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 28-29 March 2009; (p. 30)
— Review of The Rainy Season 2009 single work novel ; The Penguin Henry Lawson : Short Stories 1986 selected work short story -
Untitled
1986
single work
review
— Appears in: Fremantle Arts Review , November vol. 1 no. 11 1986; (p. 14-15)
— Review of The Penguin Henry Lawson : Short Stories 1986 selected work short story ; Disquiet and Other Stories 1969 selected work short story ; Night Animals 1986 selected work short story
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Untitled
1986
single work
review
— Appears in: Fremantle Arts Review , November vol. 1 no. 11 1986; (p. 14-15)
— Review of The Penguin Henry Lawson : Short Stories 1986 selected work short story ; Disquiet and Other Stories 1969 selected work short story ; Night Animals 1986 selected work short story -
In Short : Fiction
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 28-29 March 2009; (p. 30)
— Review of The Rainy Season 2009 single work novel ; The Penguin Henry Lawson : Short Stories 1986 selected work short story -
A Lawson for Our Times
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 311 2009; (p. 11-14) Brian Matthews discusses some of the stories in The Penguin Henry Lawson: Short Stories. Matthews comments, too, on John Kinsella's introduction to the 2009 edition and on John Barnes's introduction to the original 1986 edition. - y The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2011 8997147 2011 single work criticism
- y The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories Essendon North : Radiant Heart Publishing , 2011 9018860 2011 single work criticism