Perfecting poetry and prose

Students are learning to: 

• edit their own work 
• make informed language choices 
• reflect on their learning  

Who was Oscar Wilde?

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish born writer and poet who lived much of his life in England. Many people know Oscar Wilde for his witty sayings and observations. He is best known as a writer for his plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest and for his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde also wrote stories for children and published a number of poems.  His poem Symphony in Yellow was first published in Great Britain in the Centennial Magazine in 1889. During Oscar Wilde’s lifetime homosexuality was illegal. He was given a gaol sentence for having a homosexual relationship and died only a few years after being released.  Symphony in Yellow has been set to music by English composer Carey Blyton, who is better known for composing the theme for Bananas in Pyjamas and music for the Dr. Who series. And yes, he was related to Enid Blyton, who was his aunt!

Who was Henry Lawson?

Henry Lawson (1867–1922) was born in a tent in Grenfell, on the New South Wales goldfields, and had a tough childhood, moving around with his family while his father pursued gold, and helping his mother run the family selection in his father’s absence. Shy and partially deaf, Lawson had only three years of formal education and yet, encouraged by his mother, with whom he moved to Sydney following the end of his parents’ marriage, he began writing poetry and short stories.

Lawson’s first poem, A Song of the Republic, was published in Sydney’s influential Bulletin magazine in 1887, followed by his first short story, His Father’s Mate, a year after. Lawson’s first book, Short Stories in Prose & Verse, was published in 1894. Over the following years, Henry Lawson’s literary reputation grew as he contributed to several Australian magazines and newspapers, had successful works published such as While the Billy Boils and Joe Wilson and His Mates, and helped to form a sense of the nation’s identity through his city and country stories, characters and ideals.

What is a manuscript?

A manuscript is a book, document or piece of music written by hand, rather than typed or printed. The State Library of New South Wales has many manuscripts in its collection by writers from all over the world.  The manuscript for Symphony in Yellow is very special because it features the autograph, or signature, of Oscar Wilde. It is written in his own handwriting. There is no date on the manuscript. The manuscript of Symphony in Yellow entered the collection of the State Library of New South Wales in 1903. It was originally part of the collection of David Scott Mitchell, Australia’s greatest book collector. David Scott Mitchell (1836–1907) accumulated the world’s pre-eminent collection of books, manuscripts, maps and pictures relating to Australia and the Pacific. On his death in July 1907, his collection was bequeathed to the Public (now State) Library of New South Wales, together with an endowment of £70,000 to fund additions to his collection.

Glossary:

symphony: a piece of music written for an orchestra, usually in four movements or parts, which can differ in mood or tempo (pace)

omnibus: a bus, a four wheeled vehicle used to provide public transport

passer-by: a person passing or walking by a place

midge:  a type of small fly, an insect

barges: a type of flat-bottomed boat used on rivers and canals

moored: a ship that is moored is tied to a wharf or the shore so it cannot float away

elms:  a type of tree, commonly used for street plantings in Europe

Thames: (pronounced Tems) the river that flows through the city of London

quay: a platform projecting into the water of a sea or river used for unloading ships docked alongside

jade: a green semi-precious stone

Temple elms: the poem describes a group of elm trees planted near the Inner Temple, one of the historic buildings associated with the London law courts. 

Patrick White – Manuscript draft of ‘Memoirs of many in one’, 1984 or 1985

This manuscript is a further example of the editing process. Looking at the digitised manuscript it is easy to see the red pen being used to make significant changes throughout the work as a method of preparing it for publication, showing that even Nobel Prize winning authors make spelling mistakes and require major corrections before their writing is ready for publication.