Comparing The Lost White Woman And Picnic At Hanging Rock

Many genres contain traditional and perhaps dated conventions which texts can often change to suit a modern audience. “The Lost White Woman” and Picnic at Hanging Rock are both Australian Gothic texts that represent conventions of the genre. “The Lost White Woman”, published in 1916 by Mary Gaunt, is a short story about the search for a young woman, Ellen Hammond, who becomes stranded on the Australian coastline and captured by Aboriginal Australians. Picnic at Hanging Rock, episode 1, (2018) is a series set in 1900 directed by Larysa Kondracki that broadcasts the mysterious disappearance of protagonist Miranda Reid and three other females during a Valentine’s Day picnic at Hanging Rock. Many different Australian gothic conventions have been

“The Lost White Woman” creates a generic gothic bushland that is viewed as frightening and should be feared. Personification is used to describe sunrise as “the dawn came creeping slowing, grey and dreary” and “soft rotten wood and dead leaves” are constructed using deathly imagery. Descriptive language constructs the setting as having a “treacherous sea” with “immense trees” that “tower overhead” and “trailing creepers”. This language creates a claustrophobic atmosphere, clearly illustrating the traditional disturbing and suffocating bushland. An article on Australian horror movies published by The Sydney Morning Herald states the Australian bush is “about as far away from civilisation as it’s possible to get”. This idea also comes up in “The Lost White Woman” when the narrator describes the soil as “soft, loose ground on which the foot of a white man had never trod” reinforcing that the bush lacks order and civilisation. Alternatively, Picnic at Hanging Rock explores an unconventional perspective of a stunning bushland, possibly due to a modern audience starting to appreciate nature’s beauty. This perspective is shown through Miranda her sneaking off to the bush in the early morning as well as her stating “I can’t wait to be in the true wild again” when thinking about the picnic. Both these scenes reinforce how the bush is seen as a sanctuary for Miranda and as a place where she can escape from school. During the picnic, Miranda is desperate to go off and explore the rock and when she reaches the rock she states “We’re here, at last, we have escaped” with peaceful sounds of birds and bubbling water. The use of sound and dialogue highlights how Miranda feels at home in the bush and creates a tranquil atmosphere, emphasising the relaxation she feels in nature. When making the journey into the