AustLit
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Contents
-
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'.
- Dead Man's Lode, single work short story (p. 19-31)
- Starting the Selection, single work short story (p. 32-36)
- White-When-He's-Wanted, single work short story (p. 37-45)
-
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.
- Squeaker's Mate, single work short story (p. 57-76)
- Dave's Snake-Bite, single work short story humour (p. 77-83)
- Send Round the Hat, single work short story humour (p. 84-104)
- Romance of Bullocktown, single work short story (p. 105-116)
- 'Water Them Geraniums', single work short story (p. 117-153)
- Baptising Bartholomew, single work short story humour (p. 154-162)
- The Conquering Bush, single work short story (p. 163-167)
-
The Union Buries Its Dead,
single work
short story
humour
Describes a bush funeral.
- The Grown-Up Ball 'And Women Must Weep', single work short story (p. 184-191)
- When the Wolf Was at the Door, single work short story humour (p. 192-197)
-
Going Blind,
single work
short story
Tells the story of a bushman who is losing his sight and his attempts to remain optimistic.
- A Visit to Scrubby Gully, single work short story humour (p. 205-216)
- The Oracle at the Races, single work short story humour (p. 217-223)
- A Dreamer, single work short story (p. 224-232)
-
That There Dog O' Mine,
single work
short story
Injured in a drunken brawl, a shearer refuses treatment in a hospital unless his dog, also injured, is allowed to stay as well.