| Author |
Lawson, Henry, 1867-1922 |
| Title |
While the Billy Boils
|
| Note |
Reading ease score: 78.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
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| Contents |
An old mate of your father's -- Settling on the land -- Enter Mitchell -- Stiffner and Jim -- When the sun went down -- The man who forgot -- Hungerford -- A camp-fire yarn -- His country, after all -- A day on a selection -- That there dog o'mine -- Going blind -- Arvie Aspinall's alarm clock -- Stragglers -- The Union buries its dead -- On the edge of a plain -- In a dry season -- He'd come back -- Another of Mitchell's plans for the future -- Steelman -- Drifted back -- Remailed -- Mitchell doesn't believe in the sack -- Shooting the moon -- His father's mate -- An echo from the Old Bark School -- The shearing of the cook's dog -- "Dossing out" and "camping" -- Across the straits -- "Some day" -- "Brummy Usen" -- The drover's wife -- Steelman's pupil -- An unfinished love story -- Board and residence -- His colonial oath -- A visit of condolence -- In a wet season -- "Rats" -- Mitchell, a character sketch -- The Bush undertaker -- Our pipes -- Coming across -- The story of Malachi -- Two dogs and a fence -- Jones's alley -- Bogg of Geebung -- She wouldn't speak -- The geological spieler -- Macquarie's mate -- Baldy Thompson -- For auld lang syne -- Notes on Australianisms.
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| Credits |
Geoffrey Cowling
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| Summary |
"While the Billy Boils" by Henry Lawson is a collection of short stories written during the late 19th century. The book presents a vivid portrayal of life in rural Australia, weaving together themes of hardship, camaraderie, and the idiosyncratic characters that populate the landscape. The opening of the collection introduces readers to Lawson's style and thematic concerns. The narrator recounts memories of their father's old mates, particularly a figure known as "Mr. So-and-so," which sparks reflections on the complexities of long-lasting friendships and the nostalgia of the gold mining era. Through lively descriptions and humorous anecdotes, the narrator captures the essence of Australian bush life, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the culture and character within the subsequent stories. This engaging blend of humor and reflection invites readers into a unique and evocative world, making it intriguing for those interested in Australian literature or slice-of-life narratives. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
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| Subject |
Short stories
|
| Subject |
Frontier and pioneer life -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Australia -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
7144 |
| Release Date |
Dec 1, 2004 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Apr 28, 2022 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
584 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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