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xenithNow it's March, which is Women's History Month so I'm going to write about bushrangers. Although not Mary Ann Bugg, or maybe I will. I see when I get there.
Nope, I want to look at the ladies in the stories, because they interesting but don't get the attention equivalent to that interesting.
(Gah. I have mentioned my mp3 player is evil?)
So the rules:
So you've been warned.
The entries:
Before I finish, is it necessary to comment on the lack of female bushrangers? After all, women at the time were passive and accepting of their lot, and certainly unable to rough it.*
So I'll throw in some observations on "Female Bolters" from The bushrangers: illustrating the early days of Van Diemen's Land by James Bonwick (who was writing in the 1850s)
Though without historical records of a petticoated bushranger, cases of runaways are not unknown Dislike of the restraint of service, fear of impending punishment, and a love of daring and debauchery, have led women to flee to the bush though usually in company with those of the other sex. Bushrangers have not been indifferent to such society, and persons of more respectable social position have shown the same taste.
The home life of women exposed them less to the curses of convictism; in the opinion of most men, "when the judge passes sentence of transportation he opens an ulcer in the heart that neither time nor penitence itself can wholly heal." Before Sorell's time female prisoners were left to do as they pleased; then an order came out for "all women at large to give an account of the grounds on which they pretended to pardon." After this the law took more cognizance of them. Incorrigibles are to be found among the females as among the men."
*You don't really believe that, do you?
Nope, I want to look at the ladies in the stories, because they interesting but don't get the attention equivalent to that interesting.
(Gah. I have mentioned my mp3 player is evil?)
So the rules:
- I'm sticking to the "usual suspects" (that is, the well-known stories)
- I'll be doing it in chronological order until I get bored with it
- I'll keep it simple, so I don't spend too much time chasing up references, although I'll probably end up including quotes form books, but there'll be links to more information.
So you've been warned.
The entries:
Before I finish, is it necessary to comment on the lack of female bushrangers? After all, women at the time were passive and accepting of their lot, and certainly unable to rough it.*
So I'll throw in some observations on "Female Bolters" from The bushrangers: illustrating the early days of Van Diemen's Land by James Bonwick (who was writing in the 1850s)
Though without historical records of a petticoated bushranger, cases of runaways are not unknown Dislike of the restraint of service, fear of impending punishment, and a love of daring and debauchery, have led women to flee to the bush though usually in company with those of the other sex. Bushrangers have not been indifferent to such society, and persons of more respectable social position have shown the same taste.
The home life of women exposed them less to the curses of convictism; in the opinion of most men, "when the judge passes sentence of transportation he opens an ulcer in the heart that neither time nor penitence itself can wholly heal." Before Sorell's time female prisoners were left to do as they pleased; then an order came out for "all women at large to give an account of the grounds on which they pretended to pardon." After this the law took more cognizance of them. Incorrigibles are to be found among the females as among the men."
*You don't really believe that, do you?
