Australian Literature: An Anthology of Writing from the Land Down Under

by Phyllis Fahrie Edelson, Phyllis Fahrie Edelson (Editor)

Overview

Spanning more than a century, Australian Literature crystallizes a spirit, style, and ethos found nowhere else in world literature. These captivating selections in Australian Literature come from major voices, both famous and lesser known, and encompass short stories, memoirs, novels and aboriginal writings. Resonant or wryly witty, charming or disturbing, they explore themes deeply rooted in the Australian experience—shaping the land, the legacies of the convict past, the displacement of the aborigine, the search for a national identity, sex, love, and commitment.

Including these stories:

“The Drover’s Wife” by Henry Lawson
“The Chosen Vessel” by Barbara Baynton
“The Loaded Dog” by Henry Lawson
From The Tree of Man by Patrick White
“The Night We Watched for Wallabies” by Steele Rudd
“A Gentleman’s Agreement” by Elizabeth Jolley
“Northern Belle” by Thea Astley
“The Cooboo” by Katharine Susannah Prichard
From Dr. Wooreddy’s Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World by Colin Johnson
“Going Home” by Archie Weller
From Wanamurraganya: The Story of Jack McPhee by Sally Morgan
“Breaking a Man’s Spirit” by Marcus Clarke
“Absalom Day’s Promotion” by Price Warung
“The First Days” by A. B. Facey
“In the Trenches” by A. B. Facey
From The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea by Randolph Stow
“The Kyogle Line” by David Malouf
“American Dreams” by Peter Carey
“Willy-wagtails by Moonlight” by Patrick White
“A Good Marriage” by Olga Masters
“Civilization and Its Discontents” by Helen Garner
“The Train Will Shortly Arrive” by Frank Moorhouse
“Two Hanged Women” by Henry Handel Richardson
“Brown Seaweed and Old Fish Nets” by Christina Stead
“The Woman at the Window” by Marian Eldridge
“A Woman with Black Hair” by Beverley Farmer
“Blood and Water” by Tim Winton

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780345368003
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/16/1993
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Phyllis Fahrie Edelson was a professor and chair of the department of English and Communications at Pace University. She was a founding member of the American Association for Australian Literary Studies and book review editor of Antipodes, the first American journal of Australian Studies. After retiring from Pace, Edelson worked as a docent at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. She passed away in July 2016.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	xi
I.	The Idea of the Bush	1
	The Drover's Wife	3
	The Chosen Vessel	13
	The Loaded Dog	21
	From The Tree of Man	29
	The Night We Watched for Wallabies	41
	A Gentleman's Agreement	45
II.	Images of Australia	53
	The Aboriginal Experience	55
	Northern Belle	57
	The Cooboo	71
	From Dr. Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World	77
	Going Home	89
	From Wanamurraganya: The Story of Jack McPhee	101
	The Convict	105
	Breaking a Man's Spirit (From His Natural Life)	107
	Absalom Day's Promotion	113
	The Search for a National Identity	129
	The First Days In the Trenches (From A Fortunate Life)	131
	From The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea	143
	The Kyogle Line	157
	American Dreams	165
III.	Relationships	177
	Willy-wagtails by Moonlight	179
	A Good Marriage	191
	Civilization and Its Discontents	201
	The Train Will Shortly Arrive	211
	Two Hanged Women	229
	Brown Seaweed and Old Fish Nets (From For Love Alone)	235
	The Woman at the Window	247
	A Woman with Black Hair	259
	Blood and Water	267
	Notes	278
	About the Authors	281
	Suggested Readings	296
	Glossary	298
	Permissions Acknowledgments	303