Women's life and suffering in the Australian Bush. Challenging bush romanticism and the bushman myth in Barbara Baynton's "Bush Studies"

Seminar Paper , 2015 , 20 Pages , Grade: 2.0

English Language and Literature Studies - Literature

This paper discusses the question in how far Barbara Baynton challenges bush romanticism and the legendary bushman myth by playing with gender roles and stereotypes with a strong focus on the real hard bush life of women. After a theoretical introduction to the whole topic, the realistic depiction of the bush itself as well as the bushwomen and the interaction between both are discussed in Chapter 2.

Thereafter, Chapter 3 focusses on the social factors of bush life, on how Baynton describes the relationship between men and women in the bush and how all this influences the female bush inhabitants. The analysis is based on an online version of Bush Studies from 1997.

The Australian bush – a mythical and fascinating space that has been the setting of many films and all kinds of literature, and which is an interesting field for literary scholars, especially from the late 19th century, the time of national writing, onwards. During this time, the outback used to be described as a hostile, but also romantic environment, loved and feared by the people who lived there. People, who were perfectly assimilated and happy with their lives in the bush.

The legendary bushman myth was born; a myth that described the outward appearance and character of the typical Australian bushman, explaining why he adapted so properly to the hard environment. All these stories, including the origin of the bushman myth itself, were however made up and written down by male authors, who did not intend to include important female characters to their stories. The typical bushman was simply a man. Women and their lives in the bush did not play a big role in the literature of that time.

One of the few female writers, who focused on the harshness of bush life, especially for women, was Barbara Baynton. She is said to depict the real bush life of pioneer women at the end of the 19th century instead of presenting a romantic male-centered myth. After Baynton's first published short story "The Chosen Vessel" had appeared in the national paper 'The Sydney Bulletin' under the title "The Tramp", the author was unable to find a publisher in Sydney for a collection of several short stories. It was said that she being a female writer does not know how to control her emotions, which was claimed to be obvious in her writing. In the end, this collection was published far away from Australia, in London, under the title "Bush Studies".

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Important theoretical concepts
• The concept of gender
• The Australian bush legend – A myth of pride, romanticism and mateship
• Women and the bush – the outback as a space for a female?
• Baynton's bush - gothic vs. romanticism.
• Baynton's women
• Shared suffering – analogies between women and animals.
• Women and men – psychosocial factors of bush life
• Threatening and disloyal – interpersonal relationships in the bush
• Muted and dehumanised - what does the bush make out of women?
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines Barbara Baynton's challenge to the romanticized image of the Australian bush and the stereotypical bushman myth through her portrayal of women's experiences in the outback. The paper explores how Baynton subverts gender roles and stereotypes, focusing on the harsh realities of bush life for women.

• The contrast between the romanticized male-centered vision of the bush and the harsh realities faced by women.
• The social and cultural factors that shaped gender roles in late 19th century Australia.
• The impact of the bush environment on the lives and experiences of women.
• The use of literary techniques to highlight the suffering and resilience of Baynton's female characters.
• The exploration of the relationship between women and animals in the context of the harsh bush environment.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The Introduction provides context for Baynton's work, highlighting the prevalence of the romanticized bushman myth in Australian literature of the late 19th century and the lack of attention paid to women's experiences. It introduces Baynton's unique perspective and her challenge to the dominant narrative.

Chapter 2 delves into the theoretical concepts that underpin the analysis of Baynton's work. It explores the concept of gender and its social construction, particularly in the context of 19th century Australia. The chapter also examines the myth of the Australian bushman, its romanticized portrayal of the outback, and its exclusion of women.

Chapter 3 focuses on the depiction of the bush itself in Baynton's stories, analyzing its contrasting gothic and romantic elements. The chapter then examines the portrayal of Baynton's women, highlighting their shared suffering and resilience in the face of hardship. It explores the use of animal analogies to further emphasize the women's struggles.

Chapter 4 examines the social dynamics of bush life, particularly the relationships between men and women. It explores how Baynton portrays the power imbalances and the ways in which the bush environment influences the roles and experiences of women.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper focuses on key themes of gender, colonialism, and the Australian bush. It examines Barbara Baynton's literary portrayal of women's experiences in the outback, challenging the romanticized image of the bushman myth and highlighting the harsh realities of life for women in the 19th century. Key concepts include gender roles, social construction, Australian identity, gothic literature, and the relationship between humans and nature.

• College: University of Bonn (Institut für Anglistik, Amerikanistik und Keltologie)
• Course: Postcolonial Literatures and Cultures: Theories, Histories, Selected Texts
• Grade: 2.0
• Author: BA Nicole Eismann (Author)
• Publication Year: 2015
• Pages: 20
• Catalog Number: V319158
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668182943
• ISBN (Book): 9783668182950
• Language: English
• Tags: depicting, women, life, suffering, australian, bush, barbara, baynton, studies