Henry Lawson – An Introduction

‘Telling Stories’

An Emerging Australian Voice

Who Was Henry?

Manning Clark said that Lawson ‘had the gift….to use words to make people cry.’

What do you think that means in relation to ‘telling stories’?

Biography Born near the gold-mining

center of Grenfell, New South Wales, on June 17, 1867

Having suffered a severe loss of hearing as a lad, Henry Lawson grew up with little education beyond that gained from reading.

Biography Continued At 14 he left school

and began work. The homesteaders' endless struggle to earn a living from the impoverished land affected the Lawson’s outlook on life.

Biography Continued In mid-1887 Lawson's first

scrap of verse was published by the Bulletin, a radical weekly that had attracted an avid readership among rural workers.

At 22 Lawson began his wanderings about Australia, undertaking various jobs but hankering after journalism.

Henry’s Abode, Nth Sydney Lawson was always

concerned with the plight of the common man.

Lawson’s marriage was unhappy and his alcoholism was impacting upon his health and relationships.

His End Lawson played out the

final years of his life with a small literary pension and an allowance from his publishers. He died on Sept. 2, 1922, and was given a state funeral.

His Poetry and Short Stories

He often wrote stories of larrikins and their push and even a series about a bottle-o.

His poetry depicted the Australian virtue of mateship.

Representing Australia Like written texts, visual artists also try to

‘represent’ subjects. Their representations could contain particular bias or leave out essential information.

What does this representation say? ‘Near Liverpool, New South Wales William Piguenit

What does this Representation Say?

John Glover Patterdale Farm

What does this representation say? Sydney Long ‘Vaucluse’

What does this representation say? Tom Roberts “Washing Day”

What does this representation say? Tom Roberts ‘Shearing the Rams’ 1890

What does this representation say?

Frederick Mc Cubbin ‘Down on his Luck’

Lawson’s representations of the bush Focused on the hardships that resulted in men

and women becoming ‘mates’ and stoical (suffering great difficulties without showing one’s feelings) heroism.

Lawson saw the bush as a place of work and struggle.

Lawson used humour to ‘soften’ the harshness of the bush.

The Drover’s Wife (Russell Drysdale 1951)

Now it is your turn

• 1. Write down 4 things that you have learnt from this powerpoint presentation.

• 2. What problems can you see with the idea of ‘representation’?