AustLit
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Contents
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We Called Him 'Ally' for Short,
single work
short story
humour
The narrator's vicious dog chases away the ghost of a convict.
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The Mystery of Dave Regan,
single work
short story
Dave Regan is frequently being reported as dead, but usually turns up again. When the narrator, Jim, sees him in dry, dusty clothes after a drenching thunderstorm he becomes convinced he has seen Dave's ghost.
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Settling on the Land,
single work
short story
humour
Lawson gives a graphic, if humorous, account of the hardships faced by settlers and the rivalry between them and squatters.
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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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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.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Comfort Discs
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July-August no. 323 2010; (p. 39)
— Review of The Bush Poems of A. B. (Banjo) Paterson 2008 selected work poetry ; The Campfire Yarns of Henry Lawson 2009 selected work short story ; The Sentimental Bloke, The Poems of C. J. Dennis 2010 selected work poetry ; The Battlefield Poems of A.B. (Banjo) Paterson 2010 selected work poetry -
Jack Lends Lyrical Voice
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 16 September 2009; (p. 9) -
The Voice from Snowy River
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 29-30 August 2009; (p. 33) The Age , 5 September 2009; (p. 18) Bruce Elder reports on Jack Thompson's readings of Australian poetry by A. B. Paterson and short stories by Henry Lawson.
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Comfort Discs
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July-August no. 323 2010; (p. 39)
— Review of The Bush Poems of A. B. (Banjo) Paterson 2008 selected work poetry ; The Campfire Yarns of Henry Lawson 2009 selected work short story ; The Sentimental Bloke, The Poems of C. J. Dennis 2010 selected work poetry ; The Battlefield Poems of A.B. (Banjo) Paterson 2010 selected work poetry -
The Voice from Snowy River
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 29-30 August 2009; (p. 33) The Age , 5 September 2009; (p. 18) Bruce Elder reports on Jack Thompson's readings of Australian poetry by A. B. Paterson and short stories by Henry Lawson. -
Jack Lends Lyrical Voice
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 16 September 2009; (p. 9)