Module A: Telling Stories Henry Lawson Short Stories Henry Lawson is one of Australias favourite writers and is well

honoured for his literary achievements. His poetry was very popular but it was his stories that made him one of the most loved writers of his period. He received generous help from editors, published and friends who recognised his genius but his life was marked by unhappiness as he struggled with alcoholism and depression. Lawsons family life was marked by struggle and impoverishment. His Norwegian father and Australian mother were intelligent, hardworking and encouraged education in their children. Like most rural dwellers, life was harsh and many of Lawsons personal hardships are evident in his stories. Lawson once said that Most of my hardup experiences are in my published books, disguised but not exaggerated. His own family struggled to make a living from an unforgiving landscape. In addition, his parents marriage was unhappy with periods of separation and quarrels. Lawson found escape through reading, for example the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Characterisation Characters were drawn from the individuals who Lawson observed back o Bourke. Many of his characters present insight and understanding of the average man whom he was able to represent with some accuracy and sensitivity. Lawson explored in detail their idiosyncrasies, manners and strengths without the sentimentality. His use of dialogue and vernacular is authentic. When analysing the characterisation within a short story, consider the following: Dialogue Register

Setting Lawson presents a microcosm of bush life and attitudes that are entrenched in the notion of mateship. Style The stories that are set for study reflect a laconic sense of humour that is often ironic or satirical. These incidents of humour are meaningful are they help codify the nature and important of personal values and social relationships. The power in Lawsons stories lies in his use of vernacular. The idioms and phrases that are used depict a distinct time and place that is uniquely Australian. Lawsons stories bring the outback to life for the readers who may never have experienced this for themselves. The narrative voice that Lawson uses is also often funny, poignant or dramatic. The use of descriptive language is precise and incisive and marked by brevity rather than lengthy descriptions. Tendency to use literal language rather than numerous figurative techniques.

The Drovers Wife The story begins with a description of the setting that is harsh and unrelenting. The bleak description of the landscape not only isolates the protagonist but it also foregrounds her struggle. The wifes struggle also characterises her as someone who has courage, resolve and determination. The loyal dog is characterised as battle hardened, tough and determined as the wife. Alligator is presented as a big, black, yellow-eyed dog o all breeds whom they cannot afford to lose. He plays an important role in the family in the absence of the husband. The snake, a black brute adds a dimension of conflict to the story. It is given sinister connotations through the use of diction: evil pair of small bright bead-like eyes. The action erupts as mother, son and dog do battle with the evil reptile. The scene is made vivid by the sudden change of pace and the impact of the onomatopoeic thud, thud on Tommys club. The death of the snake brings an exhausted sense of relief and unity where she lays her hand on the dogs head, and all the fierce, angry light dies out of his yellow eyes and :she hugs her son to worn-out breast and kisses him while morning is signalled by a sickly daylight that breaks over the bush. Setting The bush is described in negative overtones with nothing to alleviate its bleakness. There is no hint of romanticism in the stunted, rotten native apple tree and there is nothing to relieve the eye in a landscape of scrub that is crushingly monotonous. The setting is fundamental when considering elective syllabus statement that deals with the relationship that the individual has with different places. Relationships do not only occur between people, but they also occur between people and the land. It is an empty, austere place with no positive connotations that are normally associated with the term home. The narrator links the characters to their setting by asserting that she seems contented with her lot and has determined to make the best of it. Lawson gives up a cameo image that helps clarify how she copes. Her weekly Sunday walk along the bush track, with all the children cleanly dressed, is not foolish but a stoic effort to break up the grinding sameness of their existence. Such details, lightly sketched, earn our respect rather than our ridicule. Style It is significant that the wife is not given a name but referred to mostly as she. This does not, however, lessen the impact on the reader but rather broaden her appeal to a wider audience. It delineates her as a representative of many Australian bushwoman who bear responsibilities that would crush weaker individuals. Her story is used stereotypically by Lawson to demonstrates the personal traits of rural folk. The story is written largely in the third-person narrative. The narrator acts as an omniscient observer who informs the responder of the Drovers Wifes actions, memories and thoughts through the past and present. The combination of anecdotes and flashbacks give the story a sense of fluidity. The narrative is also interrupted with the occasional authorial intrusion which reflect Lawsons personal attitudes about her plight. Lawsons tone is not patronising or critical in tone. He simply tells the reader that her husband may forget sometimes that he is married and that although she loves her children she has no time to show it.