Am re-evaluating Lawson's stories for the 'Distinctively Visual' elective. I am amazed by how much I have learned about how to approach this module in the past four years. It has certainly involved a huge conceptual shift in the way we explore all HSC. This is evident is our T&L strategies as well as the quality of some student scripts which show a growing appreciation for the way Lawson captures people within their contextual situation with visual clarity, offering readers snapshots of human experience. By encouraging us to visualise what is being described, we are drawn into their world, despite its unfamiliarity. His blunt and largely non-emotive use of language, powerfully impacts on the senses and the imagination. Perceptions are vividly conveyed in markedly different ways and this helps explain why the prescribed stories are such an excellent elective choice. His insightful snapshots of the bush and its stoic inhabitants remains as fresh today as when first published in the Bulletin.
