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Home > English > Standard > Module A: Experience Through Language > Elective 1: Telling Stories > Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson short stories
This unit was written by Lynne Marsh, Fairfield High School
Analysing short stories
Meeting Henry Lawson
Telling stories
Different perspectives of the bush
Authenticity of the text
Links with Australian art
Links to other authors
Henry Lawson's stories
The stories prescribed for study for the 2003-6 HSC Standard
course are:
Analysing short stories
The four main elements in developing an understanding of characters are:- physical descriptions
- response and reactions of other characters in the story
- emotions and feelings expressed by a character
- actions of the character/s
We can also develop an understanding of the character/s by considering the composer's opinion of that character.
Characters are important elements in short stories because often there is little plot development and the story relates to a single event. The characters often 'tell their stories' through dialogue (two or more people talking) using a dialect, which provides insight into their geographical locations around the world.
Setting establishes the time and place of the event. Developing an understanding of the setting provides the opportunity to reflect on the importance of time and place in other texts as well as the short stories set for study. Students need to develop an awareness of how the setting impacts on the characters by contributing to their development and conflicts.
The plot is a chain or linked series of events that make up a short story. Not all short stories have plots. In studying the set texts and other texts, such as film or novels, a narrative structure can be used as a guide to establish if the set text and other related texts tell their stories through a plot.
The composer's point of view is possibly the most important element in comparing and contrasting Lawson's stories and other related texts to "consider how narrative shapes perceptions of others and the world."
The action in a story can be considered through three main elements:
- Omniscient where the narrator knows all the emotions and feelings of every character. They are an internal element in the story and takes part in the action of the story.
- Observer where the narrator can describe the characters, their actions and what they but is unable to intimately define their emotions and feelings. They are an external element in the story and are removed from the actions of the events.
- First person the main character tells their own stories. The use of the personal pronoun "I" is always used.
The theme gives a basic meaning to a text. Often the theme is inferred from other elements in story. However, it presents a belief in what is important and unimportant in life.
Short stories are often told in past tense. The Lawson stories set for study are written in present tense and it was this element that instilled the belief of people across the bush that he was telling "their" story/stories. His characters, "the drover's wife", for example, could have been any woman living on her own in the bush waiting for her man to come home. The ability for his readers to twist themselves into his stories and understand the feelings and emotions of the characters created the opportunity for many of his readers to become omniscient in their response to what he wrote.
Meeting Henry Lawson
Lawson was born at Grenfell, NSW on 17 June 1867. His first published poetic work was in 1887 'A Song of the Republic' in The Bulletin. Lawson's first published short story, 'His Father's Mate' was published in The Bulletin in 1888. He led a roving life, mostly unhappy, which included Australia, New Zealand and a trip to London. His marriage to Bertha in 1896 ended in separation in 1903 when he was hospitalised for alcoholism. He spent periods of time in jail for non-payment of maintenance for his children, Joseph and Bertha, until his death at Abbotsford, Sydney on 2 September 1920. Lawson spent much of his time in hospital for alcoholism or imprisoned for maintenance arrears. Historian, Manning Clark said of Lawson "he had the gift… to use words that could make people cry." (Clark, Manning: Henry Lawson the Man and the Legend", Melbourne University Press, 1995)
Telling stories
Henry Lawson tells stories of the Australian bush and its early settlers. His stories and poems were published in The Bulletin which became known as "The Bushmen's Bible". His view of the bush focused on the hardships that resulted in men and women becoming "mates" and stoical (suffering great difficulties without showing one's feelings) heroism. Lawson used humour to "soften" the harshness of the bush. He saw women as totally loyal to their men, able to make sacrifices to their own comforts and life styles to follow their men into the bush.'The Drover's Wife' is atypical of Lawson's point of view of women in the bush. She is the wife, any wife with no identity of her own. She could be any wife, anywhere in the bush. This is one of the features of Lawson's writing and why so many people can relate to his stories, even today. It is told in the present tense which gives the feeling that the reader is almost a voyeur watching the events as they happen.
Different perspectives of the bush
Intertexuality is the result of our cultural, religious and societal beliefs influencing the way in which we relate too and understand any text. This intertextuality of values affects composers and this is evident in the different stories that are told of the Australian bush settlers in the late 1800's and early 1900's.Lawson's bush
- He was born in the bush. He lived the poverty, loneliness and the hardships that were the themes in his writing.
- He wrote from the heart about what he knew.
- He wrote in present tense, which also makes his stories relevant today. We can live them (as opposed to re-live)
- His characters were real, his followers felt he was telling their stories.
- His setting was "their" bush and they knew it.
Paterson's bush
- He was born in Orange but left the bush for the city at the age of 10.
- He lived and went to school in Sydney.
- He became a lawyer.
- 'His' bush was remembered from childhood, the stories he was told at the front gate of the men and their exploits.
- The horses are the strength, the beauty and the owners of his bush.
- Lawson wrote about characters. Paterson wrote about horses and the people who rode them.
Baynton's bush
- She was born in Scone in 1875.
- There was harshness and horror of bush life, for women.
- 'The Chosen Vessel' and 'Squeaker's Mate' both represent the male dominated society with more regard for their dog and horse than their women.
- In contrast to the heroic representation of men by Lawson, her stories do not find men to be anything less than rapists and murderers who saw women as objects to be used, abused and cast aside.
Dogs appear in all stories written during this time. They were important for many reasons. Their assistance with cattle and sheep was paramount to the bushmen's survival. The drover often had a better relationship with his dog than with his wife, because he spent more time with his dog/s. The loyalty of the animal for owner is almost as legendary as many other bush legends.
Lawson, depicted the larrikinism in his characters, both human and animal. This is apparent in 'The Loaded Dog.' The dog is symbolic of the characters Jim, Andy and Dave searching for the elusive gold. The dog running around in circles with the dynamite has as much chance of finding the gold as the characters do using the dynamite for their mining. Lawson uses the persona of the yellow dog to ridicule their efforts as miners. Lawson used 'The Loaded Dog' as an ironic slight at the historical, social and cultural environment of the goldfields. His father had been one such miner trying unsuccessfully to find his fortune in gold.
However, in Baynton's stories the dogs take on a dark side, they become both friend and enemy. Squeaker's mate is cared for by her dog who remains loyal to the farm and her. It knew when to care for the sheep and went about doing it when necessary. The dog had "intelligence almost human" in its connection to the woman. In 'The Chosen Vessel' the dog becomes the enemy.
Snakes also re-occur in the works of all three composers. Other themes which are included are waterholes and creeks; alcohol; loneliness and horses. All three composers present these recurring themes through different eyes.
Comparing and contrasting these three writers and their versions of 'telling stories' of the Australian bush myths and legends is an example of how we can read or view the same thing but develop different meaning as a result of the influences surrounding our personal point of view.
Lucy Frost, Professor of English at the University of
Tasmania, discusses how "any construction of identity,
whether individual or collective, relies on narrative to produce
a defining shape. The collective identity we call
'nationality' encompasses narratives endorsed as
'authentic' in a specific social space." (Frost,
Lucy:
Australian Humanities Review 
, 'Fear of Passing',
March 1997)
Lawson, Paterson and Baynton collectively identify with the Australian bush during the same time period therefore the setting defines the same time and place. However, it is their way of presenting this setting through their characters that presents vastly different representations.
Intertexuality: authenticity of the text
What we understand is driven by what we know.Lawson wrote about what he knew, it was a hard life, difficult but the mateship ethos was developing and that supported the way he told his stories. They were his mates and he told their stories.
Paterson wrote about what he knew, a privileged life in the city with childhood memories of the romanticism of the bush. He played polo, he was in awe of the beauty and strength of a horse. Horses are central to the stories he tells.
Baynton was married to a Scottish selector, Alexander Frater for eight years and they had three children. After Frater deserted the family, she moved to Sydney. Her stories are based on her life with Frater. She was a deserted wife, with three children alone in the bush. She wrote about the fear for her safety and for her children's well-being. She later remarried and 'joined society'.
Lucy Frost's article ('Fear of Passing', in
Australian Humanities Review ) is relevant to the
comparative contextual differences between Lawson, Paterson and
Baynton. She states that:
"nevertheless, when individual stories are read within and against competing cultural paradigms, a politics may appear without reference to the conscious intention of the story-teller."
In studying their work today we can note the political directions that Australia was to take through the Labor and Liberal Parties and the Women's Liberation Movement. Yet all three writers were telling stories of their own world and their place in that world.
In 1892 Lawson was desperately short of money and colluded with Paterson to begin a debate in The Bulletin through their poetry.
- Lawson criticised Paterson's optimistic view of the bush.
- Paterson attacked Lawson's doom and gloom of the bush.
- Readers became mediators in the representational transience.
(The
Bush Controversy )
Readers contributed to the debate, which finally ended because both had run out of ideas. Paterson described The Bulletin "battle" in these words:
"Henry Lawson was a man of remarkable insight in some things and of extraordinary simplicity in others. We were both looking for the same reef, if you get what I mean; but I had done my prospecting on horseback with my meals cooked for me, while Lawson has done his prospecting on foot and had had to cook for himself. Nobody realised this better than Lawson; and one day he suggested that we should write against each other, he putting the bush from his point of view, and I putting it from mine." (The Bush ControversyThe two men recognised that the motivation for the writing came from different social and cultural backgrounds. In analysing the contexts for their work these differences clearly need to be acknowledged.
Barbara Baynton wasn't the only early feminist campaigner. Louisa Lawson, mother of Henry, began her own journal as an opposing view to The Bulletin. Louisa published her journal, The Dawn, using only women to create and publish the journal. She encouraged women to tell their stories as alternate representations of marriage and life in the Australian Bush. The University of SydneyIn exploring these other related, Australian texts the four Lawson short stories set for study must also be explored. The difference and diversity of the related texts cannot be fully understood without knowing the four set texts well. Choosing related texts which tell stories of how narrative shapes perceptions of others and the world should be based around those texts that students find interesting and stimulating to them. The best pieces of writing come from knowing your set texts well and being able to introduce other related texts succinctly and with a solid understanding of how the set and chosen texts relate to the syllabus requirements.
Links with Australian art
Artists of the time also presented different perspectives of the bush they told their own stories on canvas and with watercolours and oils. These artists also presented differing views of the Australian bush. The Heidelberg School was active in Victoria and produced many notable artists. Their canvases produced another form of narrative, which clearly told their stories in a different medium.Artists of this era included:
- Arthur Streeton
- John Glover
- Tom Roberts
- Hans Heysen
- Louis Buvelot
- Clara Southern
- Jane Sutherland
The Jane Sutherland painting, "Obstruction"
Frederick McCubbin's "A bush burial"
Louis Buvelot and Paterson saw the same romanticism in their representations of the bush. Buvelot represented the bush through British eyes. His painting "On the Woods Point Road"
The cultural paradigm is evident in McCubbin's work. He painted images of beauty thwart with danger. "Lost"
Peter Pierce believed that in the nineteenth century the idea of losing one's child to a strange country reflected white settlers' distrust of their new land and its Aboriginal inhabitants (Pierce, Peter: The Country of Lost Children: An Australian Anxiety, Cambridge University Press, 1999).
Henry Lawson, in the four stories set for study, barely acknowledges the danger for children in the bush. 'The Drover's Wife' provides protection for the children through the loyalty of the dog and the bravery of the mother and they are an extension of the drover himself. Barbara Baynton in 'The Chosen Vessel' leaves no doubt in the reader's mind of the horror of the bush and dangers faced by women and children. While McCubbin's paintings have natural lighting that softens the darkness and dangers of the bush, his bush is still overpowering and dangerous, especially to children.
The Australian story-tellers and artists of the time recounted stories that were uniquely Australian. The colloquial language used by the writers, the colours and symbols of nature used by the artists can be clearly identified as Australian. However, the syllabus requires students to develop an "awareness of language and helps them to understand how our perceptions of and relationships with others and the world are shaped in written, spoken and visual language." ( Stage 6 English Syllabus
Links to other authors
Jane Austen was telling stories of British country life that were vastly different to the Lawson stories of the Australian bush settlers. Austen was preoccupied with the notion of marriage in her writing. The danger, for women, in her eyes was confined to the pseudo gigolo and dysfunctional fathers. The countryside was tamed and beautiful. Paterson and Buvelot represented the Australian bush through the eyes of the British perceptions of the countryside they knew and understood from their own surroundings.The characters of a Jane Austen novel, transported to the Australian bush would never understand the courtship rituals of Joe Wilson and Mary. A comparison between the ways in which Joe discusses the relationships that develop between men and women bears little resemblance to the notions of courtship in an Austen story, for example, Sense and Sensibility.
Yet both the Lawson character of Joe Wilson and Austen characters of Elinor and Marianne all determine that courtship is special. It is the social and cultural paradigms that determine the protocols of the courtships.
Perhaps one of the most famous lines in literature is the opening line from Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice: 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife'. Joe Wilson advises young men to 'make the most of your courting days, you young chaps, for they've got a lot more influence on your married life after …' Austen and Lawson use the conventions of their own social and cultural circumstances to explore the notion of courtship and marriage.
Lawson and Austen both use dialogue as a means of introducing characters so the responder's perception is largely shaped through conversation. The difference in dialects determines the geographical location of the stories being told. Jane Austen's six novels present a very narrow segment or view or angle of the society she was a part of endorsing her stories as authentic in a specific social time and place. Her stories relate to the country, the ordinary social interaction within one group in society. Lawson, Paterson and Baynton write from the vastly different narrow segments or views or angles of the society in which they lived. They all wrote in the same centuries yet tell very different stories because their cultural and societal influences were very different.
Between composer and responder there have been many different points of view or angles from which to develop meaning. There are literary techniques that are used in creating meaning, developing that meaning in context change through the historical, cultural and societal basis of any given text. The techniques do not change, yet are interchangeable in creating meaning from a text.
Responding to the work of Jane Austen is developed through the intertexuality of understanding British society in the nineteenth century, the more formal language structure which is typical of her society and mixing this with the known social and cultural values of our own society. The angles or points of view change because we respond to differing contexts.
Responding to Henry Lawson's stories is developed through the intertexuality of understanding Australian society in the nineteenth century, the informal language structure which is typical of his society and mixing this with the known social and cultural values of our own society. The angles or points of view change because we respond to differing contexts. Exploring and considering these texts in context of the world in which their composer's lived is an important element of understanding the syllabus requirements in relation to the developing of an "awareness of language and [how this] helps them to understand how our perceptions of and relationships with others and the world are shaped in written, spoken and visual language."
Viewing film texts such as The Man from Snowy River and Sense and Sensibility provide the opportunity to explore the notion of genteel courtship in comparison to the courtship of Joe and Mary in 'Joe Wilson's Courtship' where the fight between Joe and Romany is central to the resolution of the courtship and the proposal of marriage.
Writers in America had their own cultural paradigms. Characters were represented through:
Patricia Penrose in American Realism: 1865-1910
- Romanticism, e.g. Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Realists, e.g. Mark Twain
- Naturalists, e.g. Mark Roberts
- Women, e.g. Kate Chopin
- Pioneers, e.g. John Wayne movies such as The Stagecoach.
The legend of the Australian bushmen was born from the literary works of Lawson, Paterson and others of their time. The legend of the American pioneers was propagated through Hollywood and actors such as John Wayne. The film The Stagecoach is an example of how the American pioneers tell their stories. The move to civilise America's west was more organised and controlled than represented in Lawson's stories. Wagon trains where women and children were more protected from the elements of danger tell their own stories of heroism and isolation for families.
Lawson's 'In a Dry Season' is a reflection of the other three stories. The train journey provides snapshots through the train's windows of the characters of the other three stories, including the snake. "In a Dry Season" reminds us we are voyeurs looking in the windows of Australia's early settlers, seeing their life through their eyes. Lawson saw the railway as a symbol of progress and viewed with "some anguish the coming disappearance of all those bush ways, bush conventions, all that making do, the great improvisation …". (Clark, Manning: Henry Lawson the Man and the Legend, Melbourne University Press, 1995 p 29)
Henry Lawson's prescribed stories
There are a number of publications, which act as study guides to the set texts. They offer different points of view and are worthy of exploration. The more depth of understanding on the set texts the more informed a response will be in the HSC Examination. The discussion on related texts offered here provides the opportunity for students to consider text forms and mediums that will extend student knowledge and understanding of how "awareness of language helps them to understand how our perceptions of and relationships with others and the world are shaped in written, spoken and visual language."Below is a brief synopsis of each of these stories.
'The Loaded Dog'
The goldfields were a setting very familiar to Lawson. The main characters Dave Regan, Jim Bently and Andy Page are good-natured bushmen whose intellectual ability to reason is perhaps a little low. The escapades of Tommy, the black retriever dog establish the plot of the narrative. Tommy's good nature and the challenge of a game with his friends build into a chase scene which has become synonymous with bush larrikinism and legend.The male characters hit on an ingenious plan to catch fish, by blowing them out of the creek with a special cartridge made from explosives. The cartridge is retrieved by Tommy who chases the men that are running away from the inevitable explosion.
Tommy, however, is saved by a 'vicious, yellow mongrel cattle dog' a dog despised by all. The cartridge is dropped by Tommy and claimed by the cattle dog when it explodes. The cattle dog dies but Tommy is saved. The chaos at the hotel and absurdity of the whole situation is reflective of the spur of the moment life styles and life decisions that are part of their day to day existence.
'The Drover's Wife'
The drover is forced to leave his wife and four children in a 'shanty on the main road'. The hardships forced on the drover's wife (who is symbolic of all women in this position) and children who are left to cope with geographical isolation and the natural elements of the environment.Lawson uses the dialogue and dialect of the characters to provide authenticity and the overpowering personal will to survive the bush.
Time passing through the night is a structural device used by Lawson to allow the drover's wife the opportunity to reflect on the loneliness of her life and the only way she can now achieve any of her dreams is by living vicariously through a magazine.
The dog and its loyalty to the family is significant. A loyalty so devout that the dog is prepared to give up its own life to save that of the family, and is expected that some day he will be bitten by a snake and die.
The drover's wife maintains a sense of humour and is not lost in a world of self-pity. The anecdotes of her ability to cope with anything nature can hurl at her should be considered a measure of her inner strength.
The snake is finally killed and another threat to the well-being of her family is overcome.
'Joe Wilson's Courtship'
'Joe Wilson's Courtship' is one of a series of stories written by Lawson about Joe Wilson, his life, his mates, his courtship, his marriage and his family.Lawson uses Joe as his omniscient narrator providing a greater insight into the emotions, feeling and motivations of the character. We develop empathy and understanding for a young man and follow his hopes and dreams through life as if we are immersed in the actions ourselves.
The story tells of the burgeoning relationship between Joe and Mary. Joe's mates take an active role in moving the relationship along and a series of convenient random happenings evolve.
The story tells of a young man maturing and trying to find his place in the world and the woman who will share that place. He fights for Mary's honour after a Sydney Jackaroo insults her.
In keeping with the notion of mateship and looking out for your mates Joe's mate Jack organises a meeting between Joe and Mary where he can propose. The proposal is gauche and uncultured but in keeping with the his life experiences.
Joe formally asks for Mary's hand in marriage from her guardian Mr Black who gives his consent. Character reflection is a common structural device used by Lawson to allow his characters more voice than the story itself provides. Black falls into reverie by remembering his own courtship of Mrs Black.
'In a Dry Season'
Snapshots or images as seen through the window of a train allow Lawson to take his reader's on this journey with him. He sees the bush through his own eyes and writes about the things that appeal to him. The 'bush liar' is the city-dweller trying to impress the bushman. The irony of Banjo Paterson as the city-dweller trying to embellish and impress the bushman is not lost on the bush liar.The story sketches the features and characters of the land that Lawson knew well. The 'taking-down' of the bush liar shows the romantic notions of the bush to be false and misleading and heightens the integrity and strength of Lawson's bushmen. An acknowledgement of the creation of the bush myths and legends and their various contextual sources in Australian literature.
The narrator tells the story of sameness about the bush and the towns with their Railway Hotels. He explores change through the characters he sees along the way and uses their dress as a social commentary on the people he sees on the journey.
The journey ends at Bourke, the end of the railway line. Lawson's personal belief that the progress of change as the result of the railway signalled the end of the life as his characters knew it is symbolised by the journey.
Resources and references
Narrative:
- Austen, Jane: excerpts from Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, any editions
- Baynton, Barbara: Bush Studies, Angus and Robertson, 1989
- Facey, A.B.: A Fortunate Life, any edition, Chapter 9 'A Snake Bite'
- Lane, Maggi: Jane Austen's Word, Carlton Books Limited, 1989
Poetry:
- Esson, Louis: 'The Shearer's Wife'
- Lawson, Henry: 'Up the Country'; 'Will Yer Write it Down for Me?'
- Paterson, A.B: Any publication of 'The Man from Snowy River'; 'Clancy of the Overflow'
Biography:
- Clark, Manning: Henry Lawson the Man and the Legend, Melbourne University Press, 1995
Film:
- On Our Selection
- Pride and Prejudice
- Sense and Sensibility
- Stagecoach
- The Man from Snowy River
- We of the Never Never
Artworks:
- Buvelot, Louis: "On the Woods Point Road"
- McCubbin, Frederick: "Lost"; "A bush burial"
- Sutherland, Jane: "Obstruction"
Websites:
- American Realism 1865-1910
- Lost
- On the Woods Point Road
- A bush burial
- Obstruction
- Some Leading Articles from The Dawn
- The Bush Controversy
- Lucy Frost "Fear of Passing"
- Henry Lawson's Life and Background
- Henry Lawson Essays and collected texts
- The Works of Banjo Paterson
- John Wayne Place
- Jane Austen
- Jane Austen Society of Australia
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