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Issue Details: First known date: 1911... no. 143 August 1911 of The School Paper for Classes V and VI est. 1898 The School Paper for Classes V and VI
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Notes

  • Only literary material by Australian authors individually indexed.

    Other material in this issue includes:

    • First Page: 'Letter from the King' copy of letter dated 2nd July 1911, signed George R.J., [97].
    • Poetry: 'How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix', by Robert Browning (1812-1889), 99-100; 'Kubla Khan' (illustration of author included), by Samuael Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), 104-105; 'The Death of Napoleon at St. Helena' by McLellan, 109-111.
    • Prose: 'King's Fete to Children', Description of the King's entertainment of 100,000 children at the Crystal Palace, London. 97-98; 'The Value of Character' from an address by Lord Selborne to the boys of Winchester College, England, 111;'The Evil Effects of Smoking Cigarettes' including sketch and facsimile of a letter by Major-General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, 112.
    • Fiction: 'Beating Off a Pirate' from 'Hard Cash' by Charles Reade (1814-1884),
  • Preceding or following each piece is a short glossary of words, as well as notes about people or places mentioned.

Contents

* Contents derived from the 1911 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Drover's Wife, Henry Lawson , 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. 

(p. 106-109)
Note: Illustration by E. R. Rix. Caption: 'She has an eye on the corner'.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Notes:
Literary material by Australian authors in this issue:
Last amended 16 Mar 2009 12:02:24
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