AustLit logo
y separately published work icon The Penguin Henry Lawson : Short Stories selected work   short story   humour  
Issue Details: First known date: 1986... 1986 The Penguin Henry Lawson : Short Stories
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Ringwood, Ringwood - Croydon - Kilsyth area, Melbourne - East, Melbourne, Victoria,:Penguin , 1986 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. 19-26)
The Bush Undertaker, Henry Lawson , single work short story
An old shepherd discovers his mate, Brummy, dead and mummified in the bush. Saddened, he feels compelled to bury him.
(p. 27-34)
In a Dry Season, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Lawson describes the scenes observed as a train traveller to western N.S.W.
(p. 37-39)
The Union Buries Its Dead, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Describes a bush funeral.
(p. 40-44)
Hungerford, Henry Lawson , 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.

(p. 45-48)
Rats, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Three travelling shearers encounter a swagman, 'Rats', having a fight with his swag.
(p. 51-53)
An Old Mate of Your Father's, Henry Lawson , 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.
(p. 54-57)
Mitchell : A Character Sketch, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Mitchell does some clever talking to replenish his supplies.
(p. 58-60)
On the Edge of a Plain, Henry Lawson , single work short story
A swagman arrives home to discover the family in mourning for him, after having been told he is dead.
(p. 61-62)
Irgendwann Some Day, Henry Lawson , single work short story
Mitchell tells of a girl he once loved.
(p. 63-65)
Shooting the Moon, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Mitchell reveals his loyalty to a publican who caught him trying to leave the pub without paying.
(p. 66-68)
Our Pipes, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Mitchell relates how he began to smoke a pipe and his mother's efforts to stop him.
(p. 69-72)
Bill, the Ventriloquial Rooster, Henry Lawson , single work short story humour
Mitchell relates the sorry tale of Bill, a rooster mystified by the echo of his crowing.
(p. 73-77)
The Geological Spieler, Henry Lawson , 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.
(p. 81-88)
The Iron-Bark Chip, Henry Lawson , 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.
(p. 89-93)
The Loaded Dog, Henry Lawson , 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'.
(p. 94-100)
Brighten's Sister-in-Law, Henry Lawson , single work short story (p. 103-122)
A Double Buggy at Lahey's Creek, Henry Lawson , 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.
(p. 123-141)
'Water Them Geraniums', Henry Lawson , single work short story (p. 142-167)
Joe Wilson's Courtship, Henry Lawson , single work short story (p. 168-195)
X