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Fact'ry 'ands

Fact'ry 'ands is a 1906 collection of Australian short stories by Edward Dyson about people who work in a factory.[1]

Fact'ry 'ands
AuthorEdward Dyson
IllustratorWill Dyson
LanguageEnglish
Genrecomedy
PublisherGeorge Robertson
Publication date
1906
Publication placeAustralia

The collection comprises 12 short stories, the bulk of which were originally published in The Bulletin magazine.

They were based on Dyson's own experiences of factory work.[2]

Contents

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  • "Benno's Little Boshter"
  • "A Question of Propriety"
  • " A Little Love Affair"
  • "The Morbid Boy"
  • "The Fat Girl"
  • "A Hot Day at Spats'"
  • "The Man-Eater"
  • "The Wooing of Minnie"
  • "Levi's Trousers"
  • "Spats' Cats"
  • "The Packer's 'Little Silly'"

Critical reception

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The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "the characters in this interesting and entertaining book are capital company-to road about. We do not know that their conception of humour would be accepted in circles in real life that have any claim to refinement, and indeed' we are strongly tempted to believe that Mr. Dyson has attributed to them much of his own wit. The sketches are brimful of life."[3]

The stories were popular and led to sequels.[4][5][6]

Play version

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Fact'ry 'ands
Directed byCharles Stanford[7]
Date premiered26 February 1916
Original languageEnglish
Genrecomedy

The stories were adapted into a popular play.[8][9][10]

Dyson wrote the original draft of this play but says it was entirely rewritten.[11] The play incorporated a murder plot, as had On Our Selection.[12]

The Sunday Times said " The subtle humorous essence of the books has not been entirely preserved, but sufficient remains to provide a fair share of entertainment."[13]

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote the play "remained "sketchy;" but the low-life characters he [Turner] had created were for the most part sufficiently well-embodied on the stage, and many humorous moments resulted."[14]

"There is evidently a wide public always ready to appreciate Australian comedy," said The Referee.[15]

The play was reviewed in The Bulletin in verse form.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Austlit — Fact'ry 'ands by Edward Dyson". Austlit. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  2. ^ Graeme Davison, 'Dyson, Edward George (Ted) (1865–1931)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dyson-edward-george-ted-6073/text10397, published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 6 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Fact'ry 'Ands". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 21, 560. New South Wales, Australia. 23 February 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Australian Writers: No. 6. Edward Dyson", The Bulletin, Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 21 Nov 1912, retrieved 6 February 2024 – via Trove
  5. ^ "Fact'ry 'Ands (Edward Dyson)". The World's News. No. 539. New South Wales, Australia. 13 April 1912. p. 31. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "An Australian Dramatist". Sunday Times. No. 1442. New South Wales, Australia. 7 September 1913. p. 22. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ ""Fact'ry 'Ands."". Referee. No. 1520. New South Wales, Australia. 16 February 1916. p. 15. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Commercial Success with". The Sun. No. 1890. New South Wales, Australia. 18 June 1939. p. 11 (Sunday Magazine). Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Factory 'Ands". The Kiama Independent, And Shoalhaven Advertiser. Vol. LIII, no. 109. New South Wales, Australia. 29 July 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Factory 'Ands' at the Palace". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 24, 392. New South Wales, Australia. 11 March 1916. p. 20. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "" Factory 'Ands."", The Triad, Sydney, 1 May 1916, retrieved 6 February 2024 – via Trove
  12. ^ ""Fact'ry 'Ands"". Referee. No. 1522. New South Wales, Australia. 1 March 1916. p. 15. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ ""Factry 'Ands"". Sunday Times. No. 1571. New South Wales, Australia. 27 February 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ ""Fact'ry 'Ands."". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 24, 381. New South Wales, Australia. 28 February 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Gossip of the Theatres and Pictures". Referee. No. 1522. New South Wales, Australia. 1 March 1916. p. 15. Retrieved 6 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ ""Fact'ry 'Ands."", The Bulletin, Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 2 March 1916, retrieved 6 February 2024 – via Trove
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