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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'This anthology, unprecedented for its subject, gathers together twenty-nine of the sharpest and most entertaining stories written by Australian women from the early nineteenth century to the late 1990s. Selected by acclaimed critic and writer Kerryn Goldsworthy--editor of the highly successful Australian Love Stories--the stories cover a wide range of styles and subject matter. Included in the collection are the works of well-known writers such as Henry Handel Richardson and Christina Stead, those of contemporary authors Elizabeth Jolley, Beverley Farmer, Kate Grenville, Carmel Bird, and Beth Yahp, and a generous selection from the work of Asian, Aboriginal, and European Australian writers. With a strong local or regional emphasis the volume vividly moves readers from Thea Astley's North Queensland and Carmel Bird's Tasmania to Helen Garner's Carlton and Fitzroy. This volume is sure to be the definitive introduction for years to come to the rich and accomplished tradition of fiction by Australian women.' (Publication summary)
Contents
- Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology : Introduction, single work criticism (p. 1-9)
-
The Illumined Grave,
single work
short story
(p. 10-32)
Note: Published in this source under the name 'Mary Fortune'.
-
Monsieur Caloche,
single work
short story
satire
A Frenchman seeks work and ends up at a cattle station, where he has trouble settling into his new role.
-
The Chosen Vessel,
single work
short story
Following a similar thread to Henry Lawson's "The Drover's Wife" (and many believe, a direct response to it), "The Chosen Vessel" follows a young mother left alone in her outback hut who becomes growingly concerned for her own safety following the arrival of a menacing swagmen. The story also follows for a short time a man riding in to town to place his vote and his struggles with religious guilt.
-
The Grown-Up Ball
'And Women Must Weep',
single work
short story
(p. 61-67)
Note: Epigraph: For men must work
- The Carrying of the Baby, single work short story (p. 68-72)
-
Peronel McCree, and the Sin Called Pride: The Arch-Sin
A Study in Pride,
single work
short story
(p. 73-93)
Note: With title Peronel McCree, and the Sin Called Pride : The Arch-Sin
- The Flight, single work short story (p. 94-108)
- The Persimmon Tree, single work short story (p. 109-112)
- The Old School, single work short story (p. 113-122)
- 'Twenty Strong', single work short story (p. 123-128)
- Under the House, single work short story (p. 129-141)
- The Christmas Parcel, single work short story (p. 142-159)
- Mai, single work prose children's Indigenous story (p. 160-161)
- My Father's Moon, extract novel (p. 162-181)
-
It's Raining in Mango,
single work
short story
For Aboriginal man, Billy Mumbler, life in north Queensland offers a precarious existence, particularly under the watchful eye of the law. Trying to live peacably and protect his family proves almost impossible.
- The Woman at the Window, single work short story (p. 200-210)
- Butterfly, single work short story (p. 211-214)
- My Sister's Funeral, single work short story (p. 215-222)
- The Hair and the Teeth, single work short story (p. 223-228)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
A Jolley Memorable Extract Tops a Host of Notable, Diverse Stories
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 26 February 2000; (p. 11)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
Moments of Subversion
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , February-March no. 218 2000; (p. 40-41)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
Beyond the Personal
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22-23 January 2000; (p. 11)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
Australian Womanhood and Identity
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 2 January 2000; (p. 13)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
[Review] The Penguin Century of Australian Stories
Sian Prior
(interviewer),
2000
single work
criticism
biography
interview
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 220 2000; (p. 42-44)
-
Poignant Voices
1999
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 4 December 1999; (p. 23)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
Australian Womanhood and Identity
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 2 January 2000; (p. 13)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
Beyond the Personal
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22-23 January 2000; (p. 11)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
Moments of Subversion
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , February-March no. 218 2000; (p. 40-41)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
A Jolley Memorable Extract Tops a Host of Notable, Diverse Stories
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 26 February 2000; (p. 11)
— Review of Australian Women's Stories : An Oxford Anthology 1999 anthology short story extract -
[Review] The Penguin Century of Australian Stories
Sian Prior
(interviewer),
2000
single work
criticism
biography
interview
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 220 2000; (p. 42-44)