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The central focus of this thesis is the bush environment as depicted by the Australian author Henry Lawson which fosters a sense of loneliness in the characters that appear in his narrative. The stories included in the analysis include "His Father´s Mate", "The Drover´s Wife", "The Bush Undertaker", "The Selector´s Daughter", "A Child in the Dark, and a Foreign Father", and "Drifting Apart". The textual analysis is guided by the principles of unity, complexity and intensity as proposed by Monroe C. Beardsley, a philosopher who specialised in aesthetic theory, thus illuminating the importance of the environment´s role in shaping human lives. This research aims to provide a deeper understanding of the harsh environment which shaped the artistic sensibility of the writer, creating a mood of melancholy and loneliness that is ever present in these works.

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Katalin Gaal is in the final stages of completing her PhD in literature. She is a qualified teacher with an interest in creative writing. Her poems are currently being published. Katalin´s research interests include the aesthetic dimension of literature, spirituality, beauty, iconic representations as well as symbolism and metaphors.

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