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y separately published work icon Best Australian Short Stories anthology   short story  
Issue Details: First known date: 1971... 1971 Best Australian Short Stories
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Contents

* Contents derived from the Melbourne, Victoria,:Lloyd O'Neil , 1971 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. 1-8)
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. 9-16)
The Golden Shanty A Profitable Pub, E. G. D. , single work short story humour (p. 17-28)
Note: With title: A Golden Shanty
A Visit to Scrubby Gully, Edward Dyson , single work short story humour (p. 29-37)
The Deeply Poetic Account of a Midsummer Night's Idyll A Midsummer Night's Idyll, Titus Salt , single work short story humour (p. 38-45)
Note: With title: 'The Deeply Poetic Account of a Midsummer Night's Idyll'. Minor variants in text from original version.
Lieutenant Darrell's Predicament, 'Price Warung' , single work short story (p. 46-62)
The Chosen Vessel, Barbara Baynton , 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. 
(p. 63-69)
Billy Skywonkie, Barbara Baynton , single work short story (p. 70-82)
Piety's Monument, Point Blank , single work short story (p. 83-86)
Destiny, Frank Penn-Smith , single work short story fable (p. 87-90)
The Methodical Mr Burr of Majuru The Methodical Mr. Burr, Louis Becke , single work short story (p. 91-95)
Note: With title: 'The Methodical Mr Burr of Majuru'
The Cast-Iron Canvasser, A. B. Paterson , single work short story humour satire science fiction (p. 96-104)
Wharf Labourers, Robert Brothers , single work short story (p. 105-108)
The Outcasts, Norman Lindsay , extract novel humour
Chapter Five of Saturdee
(p. 109-121)
Adventure Adventure : A Fantasy of the Ranges, Hugh McCrae , single work short story (p. 122-123)
Note: With title: Adventure
The Bath : An Aquarelle, Henry Handel Richardson , single work short story (p. 124-127)
The Duel, William Baylebridge , single work short story war literature (p. 128-130)
Mathieson's Wife, Vance Palmer , single work short story (p. 131-146)
The Cooboo, Katharine Susannah Prichard , single work short story
Set on the wide plains of the Murndoo station, 'The Cooboo' is the story of Rose, a Wongana woman, mother, and stockwoman.
(p. 147-150)
The Vine-Dweller, Les Robinson , single work short story (p. 151-154)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Notes:
This anthology is drawn from the earlier collections, Short Stories of Australia : The Moderns (ed. Beatrice Davis, q.v.), and Short Stories of Australia : The Lawson Tradition (ed. Douglas Stewart, q.v. ). Includes brief biographical notes on the authors.

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Last amended 29 May 2024 09:53:20
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