y separately published work icon Victorian Readers : Fifth Book anthology   poetry   prose  
Issue Details: First known date: 1930... 1930 Victorian Readers : Fifth Book
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Contents

* Contents derived from the Melbourne, Victoria,:Victoria Education Department , 1930 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Pioneersi"We are the old-world people,", Frank Hudson , single work poetry (p. 1-2)
An Adventure with the Blacks, Samuel Carter , extract autobiography prose (p. 2-6)
Flindersi"He left his island home", J. B. O'Hara , single work poetry (p. 6-8)
Note: Illustration: 'A Hundred Years Ago', sketch of Flinders by W. S. Wemyss (q.v.).
At the Flooded Creek, Conrad H. Sayce , extract children's fiction children's (p. 9-19)
Note: Illustrations by Allan T. Bernaldo (q.v.).
The Ballad of the Droveri"Across the stony ridges, across the rolling plain,", Henry Lawson , single work poetry (p. 19-23)
Note: Illustrations by Allan T. Bernaldo (q.v.).
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. 24-29)
Note: Epigraph: "On the frontiers of the nation live the women of the west" (George Essex Evans, q.v.).
The Old Australian Waysi"The London lights are far abeam", A. B. Paterson , single work poetry (p. 30-32)
An Adventure with a Snake, Conrad H. Sayce , extract children's fiction children's adventure (p. 32-35)
Granny Sullivan Old Granny Sullivani"A pleasant shady place it is, a pleasant place and cool -", John Shaw Neilson , single work poetry (p. 35-39)
Note: Illustrations by W. S. Wemyss (q.v.).
The Old Bush School, Mary E. Fullerton , extract autobiography (p. 40-43)
The Fire at Ross's Farmi"The squatter saw his pastures wide", Henry Lawson , single work poetry (p. 44-48)
Note: Illustrations by Allan T. Bernaldo (q.v.).
An Australian Scene, Henry Kingsley , extract novel (p. 49)
Note: Epigraph: Extract from the poem 'Wattle and Myrtle' by J. L. Cuthbertson (q.v.).
Laughing Maryi"With cheeks that paled the rosy morn", 'John O'Brien' , single work poetry children's (p. 50-51)
Walking Outi"I never take my hat and swing", Myra Morris , single work poetry children's (p. 58-60)
Note: Illustration by W. S. Wemyss (q.v.).
The Champion, Ethel Turner , extract children's fiction children's (p. 60-63)
Romancei"When I was but thirteen or so", W. J. Turner , single work poetry (p. 66)
The Youngster, C. E. W. Bean , single work prose travel (p. 67-70)
Note: Illustrations by Allan T. Bernaldo (q.v.).
Fairy-Talesi"I chanced on an old brown book to-day,", Will H. Ogilvie , single work poetry (p. 76-77)
Note: Illustrated.
A Rescue, Mary Grant Bruce , single work extract children's fiction children's (p. 78-83)
Note: Illustrations by Allan T. Bernaldo (q.v.).
The Hero of the Flooded Mine, single work prose children's (p. 129-134)
Note: Illustrations: 'The Diver to the Rescue', and 'Diver Hughes reaches the Italian' by Allan T. Bernaldo (q.v.).
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