AustLit
Latest Issues
Contents
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The Union Buries Its Dead,
single work
short story
humour
Describes a bush funeral.
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Rats,
single work
short story
humour
Three travelling shearers encounter a swagman, 'Rats', having a fight with his swag.
-
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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Mitchell on Matrimony,
single work
short story
Mitchell and Joe are on their way home to Sydney after the shearing season. They camp for the night and Mitchell gives his views on marriage.
- Joe Wilson's Courtship, single work short story (p. 32-56)
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An Oversight of Steelman's,
single work
short story
humour
Steelman sends his mate, Smith, into a pub to buy what beer he can with their remaining fourpence. He coaches Smith on what to say and how to act, but there is a fatal flaw in his plan.
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Going Blind,
single work
short story
Tells the story of a bushman who is losing his sight and his attempts to remain optimistic.
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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.
- 'Water Them Geraniums', single work short story (p. 71-93)
-
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'.
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How Steelman Told His Story,
single work
short story
humour
Steelman praises Smith, telling him he is nearly as good to talk to as an intelligent sheepdog, then reveals much of his life story in the form of counsel about life.
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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.
-
Steelman,
single work
short story
humour
Describes how Steelman would inflict himself on a family and resist all efforts to dislodge him.
- Send Round the Hat, single work short story humour (p. 125-139)
-
Telling Mrs Baker,
single work
short story
Two drovers, Andy and Jack, watch their boss drink himself to death. They lie to his wife about the cause of his death to spare her unnecessary pain.