Description
This collection of stories written by Barbara Baynton about the Australian outback and the ways in which life was impacted here due to poverty and isolation, Bush Studies examines the complex progress and gradual development of a series of many different character types, ranging from the traveling city woman to the hermit old man living in the wilderness and awaiting the return of a young couple that lived nearby. Published in 1901, the stories offer a clear and detailed view of life in the outback, and speak in detail about the interactions of swagmen – lower class individuals who travel through the wild looking for work and new opportunities in various places. Although the many character studies included in the stories seek to offer a generally impartial view, the diversity of the feeling tones inspired by Baynton through her detailed descriptions and, in some cases, heartbreaking accounts of certain storyline outcomes, basically turns the entire collection of stories into an intricate artistic masterpiece that may even move some readers to tears.Stories like The Chosen Vessel, Scrammy ‘And or A Dreamer are among the most compelling and powerful stories penned by Baynton and included in the Bush Studies, all of them, along with some of the others,presenting readers with a grim, strikingly “real” account of events that no one who reads about the“jolly swagman” portrayed by various ot her authors of the time, could have envisioned.One of the most important and powerful messages that the stories offer, however, have to do with women and their role in early 20th century Australia, particularly under less fortunate conditions brought about by a blend of poverty and lack of support –commonly found among lowerclass Australians of the time, especially those living in isolation.
Product ID: 9781775426615
Sku: MD-K9VM-5ZVA
