Review: Bush Studies, Barbara Baynton

[4thofeleven]

When the reading list for this semester’s English unit included an author chosen specifically because they’re Australian, I rolled my eyes somewhat. The fact that she was also chosen to increase the number of women writers on the list didn’t bother me a bit. But then, I’ve read good books by women, whereas I’m not sure if I’ve ever really enjoyed a book by an Australian. I’ve got something of an allergy to ‘Australian authors’, particularly those writing in the Henry Lawson/Banjo Patterson style. The blokey comradeship of the bush is not something I relate to or enjoy reading about. Call it cultural cringe, whatever – the literary giants of Australia are not authors whose style I enjoy.

Well, as it turns out, Barbara Baynton’s really good. She wrote at the turn of the twentieth century – so, contemporary with Lawson. Of course, as a women, writing about women, she’s got something of a different perspective on the culture of the bush. Her stories are dark – almost gothic at times. Her bush isn’t a wild frontier tamed by strong men who are all good mates; it’s a dark, isolated location where women must survive without outside help, with the greatest dangers coming not from the wilderness, but from the sort of men who would make such isolated land their home. They’re generally not fun stories; most end with their protagonists dead or worse – but they seem a more honest portrayal of the bush than the jolly swagmen and mateship of traditional Australian literature.

The text is available free on Project Gutenburg – I specifically recommend the last story “The Chosen Vessel”.

Comments

[deaka.livejournal.com]

Could not agree more -- I wish there was a wider recognition of women writers of that era to balance the glorification of the male writers and their work (the majority of which excludes if not outrightly alienates the feminine perspective). "The Chosen Vessel" is a fantastic story in its evocation of the isolation and hostility of the setting. I did an assignment on it, and it's really stuck with me because it's such a powerful piece of writing.