The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke is a verse novel by Australian poet and journalist C. J. Dennis. Portions of the work appeared in The Bulletin between 1909 and 1915, the year the verse novel was completed and published by Angus & Robertson. Written in the rough and comical Australian slang that was Dennis' signature style, the work became immensely popular in Australia, selling over 60,000 copies in nine editions within the first year of publication.[1]
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke tells the story of Bill, a member of a larrikinpush (or gang) in Melbourne's Little Lon red-light district, who encounters Doreen, a young woman "of some social aspiration", in a local market. Narrated by Bill, the poems chronicle their courtship and marriage, detailing his transformation from a violence-prone gang member to a contented husband and father.
It has been adapted into many works across a variety of media, including Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell's The Sentimental Bloke (1918), widely regarded as one of Australia's greatest silent films. Though the novel's popularity peaked during World War I and the interwar period, it remains a classic of Australian literature and the best-selling book of poetry ever produced in the country. Dennis subsequently became known as the 'laureate of the larrikin',[2] as well as 'the Anzac laureate', with many diggers owning and cherishing pocket editions while serving in World War I.[1]
A Spring Song — Bill is discontent but he doesn't know why. He attributes it to the season. He sees a girl whom he describes as his ideal partner.
The Intro — Bill attempts to talk to the girl, Doreen, but she rebuffs him because he is a stranger. Bill finds out that she works in a pickle factory, and arranges for a man he knows who works there to introduce them. They talk, and later arrange a date.
The Stoush O' Day — Bill reflects on how time has flown since he met Doreen.
Doreen — Bill promises Doreen that he'll give up drinking.
The Stror 'at Coot — A man who wears a boater hat hangs around Doreen. Bill takes offence and fights him. Doreen breaks things off with Bill.
The Siren — Bill goes to a party and Doreen is there. She sings a song about unrequited love which affects Bill. He follows her outside, and they make up.
Mar — Bill meets Doreen's mother, who calls Bill "Willy", as her future son-in-law must be respectable. She and Bill begin talking about wedding plans, and Bill's job.
Pilot Cove — Doreen and Bill go to see the priest to talk about the gravity of marriage.
Hitched — Doreen and Bill's wedding ceremony. They set off on their honeymoon.
Beef Tea — Ginger Mick encourages Bill to drink and gamble, and Doreen's feelings are hurt. Bill takes himself outside for a long time, and comes back in, feeling sick. He falls asleep and wakes up to Doreen feeding him beef tea - a staple of invalid cooking - and Bill is astonished that she has forgiven him.
Uncle Jim
The Kid
The Mooch o' Life
Publication details
Cover of a 1916 edition
Illustration of 'the bloke' for verse 1. A Spring Song
The first portion of the novel, The Stoush O' Day, was originally published in The Bulletin on 1 April 1909. All bar two of the remaining chapters were also published in that magazine between 1909 and 1915.
The completed work was first published in book form in Sydney on 9 October 1915.
The book is dedicated "To Mr and Mrs J.G. Roberts". John Garibaldi Roberts was a book-loving public servant working with the Melbourne Tramways Company when he was introduced to C. J. Dennis by R. H. Croll in 1906. He was later to provide much material and emotional support to Dennis during the writing of this work.[citation needed] Dennis later took to calling them "Dad" and "Mum".[citation needed]
The verse novel's first edition includes a foreword by bush poetHenry Lawson, who writes that The Sentimental Bloke's original appearance in The Bulletin "brightened up many dark days for me", and that, in Bill, Dennis had created a character "more perfect than any alleged 'larrikin' or Bottle-O character I have ever attempted to sketch".[4] The first edition also featured a glossary of words, compiled by Dennis, "for the use of those unacquainted with the 'Australian language'".
Dennis went on to publish three sequels to this verse novel: The Moods of Ginger Mick (1916), Doreen (1917) and Rose of Spadgers (1924). The Moods of Ginger Mick told the story of Bill's mate, Ginger Mick, who went to fight at Gallipoli. Like its predecessor, it was also very successful, and it earned Dennis the title of "the laureate of the Anzac".[5]
The illustrations of the bloke, cupid-like and "whimsical", were provided by Hal Gye.[6]
A three-act stage adaptation of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by Bert Bailey, titled The Sentimental Bloke, premiered at the King's Theatre, Melbourne on 7 October 1922.[9]
In 1961, a musical called The Sentimental Bloke was produced in Canberra, and later in Melbourne and other cities. The music was by Albert Arlen, with lyrics by Arlen, Nancy Brown and Lloyd Thomson.
The Sentimental Bloke is a 1963 Australian television film. It was a half-hour ballet aired on ABC.
A television adaptation of the musical appeared in 1976, written and directed by Alan Burke and featuring Graeme Blundell as Bill.[10]
A ballet version was choreographed by Robert Ray, with Albert Arlen's music freely arranged by John Lanchbery. This was presented by The Australian Ballet in 1985 and on its tour of the Soviet Union.
^ abBellanta, Melissa (2014). "A Masculine Romance: The Sentimental Bloke and Australian Culture in the War- and Early Interwar Years". Journal of Popular Romance Studies. 4 (2).
^Chisholm, Alec H. (1946). The Making of a Sentimental Bloke: A Sketch of the Remarkable Career of C.J. Dennis. Melbourne: Georgian House.
^"Foreword to 1st edition". Middlemiss.org. 1915-09-01. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
^Chisholm, Alec H. (1946). The Making of a Sentimental Bloke: A Sketch of the Remarkable Career of C.J. Dennis. Melbourne: Georgian House.
^Ian F. McLaren, 'Gye, Harold Frederick Neville (Hal) (1888 - 1967)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition, Copyright 2006, updated continuously, ISSN 1833-7538, published by Australian National University
^The Sentimental Bloke television adaptation (1976) at IMDb
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke
Middlemiss.org
Gutenberg text
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke public domain audiobook at LibriVox
The songs of a sentimental bloke / by C.J. Dennis, with illustrations by Hal Gye, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1917. digitised version available online at State Library of New South Wales.
January 06, 2023
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The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke is a verse novel by Australian poet and journalist C J Dennis Portions of the work appeared in The Bulletin between 1909 and 1915 the year the verse novel was completed and published by Angus amp Robertson Written in the rough and comical Australian slang that was Dennis signature style the work became immensely popular in Australia selling over 60 000 copies in nine editions within the first year of publication 1 The Songs of a Sentimental BlokeAuthorC J DennisCountryAustraliaLanguageEnglishGenreVerse novelPublisherAngus amp RobertsonPublication date1915Media typePrint hardback amp paperback Pages113 plus 14 pages of GlossaryISBN0 207 14366 8OCLC29006080TextThe Songs of a Sentimental Bloke at WikisourceThe Songs of a Sentimental Bloke tells the story of Bill a member of a larrikin push or gang in Melbourne s Little Lon red light district who encounters Doreen a young woman of some social aspiration in a local market Narrated by Bill the poems chronicle their courtship and marriage detailing his transformation from a violence prone gang member to a contented husband and father It has been adapted into many works across a variety of media including Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell s The Sentimental Bloke 1918 widely regarded as one of Australia s greatest silent films Though the novel s popularity peaked during World War I and the interwar period it remains a classic of Australian literature and the best selling book of poetry ever produced in the country Dennis subsequently became known as the laureate of the larrikin 2 as well as the Anzac laureate with many diggers owning and cherishing pocket editions while serving in World War I 1 Contents 1 Contents 2 Publication details 3 Notes 4 Film TV or theatrical adaptations 5 Recorded versions 6 References 7 External linksContents EditA Spring Song Bill is discontent but he doesn t know why He attributes it to the season He sees a girl whom he describes as his ideal partner The Intro Bill attempts to talk to the girl Doreen but she rebuffs him because he is a stranger Bill finds out that she works in a pickle factory and arranges for a man he knows who works there to introduce them They talk and later arrange a date The Stoush O Day Bill reflects on how time has flown since he met Doreen Doreen Bill promises Doreen that he ll give up drinking The Play Bill takes Doreen to see Romeo and Juliet The Stror at Coot A man who wears a boater hat hangs around Doreen Bill takes offence and fights him Doreen breaks things off with Bill The Siren Bill goes to a party and Doreen is there She sings a song about unrequited love which affects Bill He follows her outside and they make up Mar Bill meets Doreen s mother who calls Bill Willy as her future son in law must be respectable She and Bill begin talking about wedding plans and Bill s job Pilot Cove Doreen and Bill go to see the priest to talk about the gravity of marriage Hitched Doreen and Bill s wedding ceremony They set off on their honeymoon Beef Tea Ginger Mick encourages Bill to drink and gamble and Doreen s feelings are hurt Bill takes himself outside for a long time and comes back in feeling sick He falls asleep and wakes up to Doreen feeding him beef tea a staple of invalid cooking and Bill is astonished that she has forgiven him Uncle Jim The Kid The Mooch o LifePublication details Edit Cover of a 1916 edition Illustration of the bloke for verse 1 A Spring Song The first portion of the novel The Stoush O Day was originally published in The Bulletin on 1 April 1909 All bar two of the remaining chapters were also published in that magazine between 1909 and 1915 The completed work was first published in book form in Sydney on 9 October 1915 Publication details 3 First Edition Sydney 9 October 1915 2 500 copiesSecond impression Sydney 2 November 1915 5 000 copiesThird impression Sydney 6 December 5 000 copiesFourth impression Sydney 25 January 1916 5 000 copiesFifth impression Sydney 22 February 1916 7 000 copiesSixth impression Sydney 1 April 1916 5 500 copiesSeventh impression Sydney 30 May 1916 11 000 copiesEighth impression Sydney 1 April 1916 5 000 copiesPocket edition Sydney 25 September 1916 10 000 copiesTenth impression Sydney 7 October 1916 8 000 copiesEleventh impression Sydney 24 October 1916 5 000 copiesTwelfth impression Sydney 17 November 1916 5 000 copiesThirteenth impression Sydney 2 May 1917 5 000 copiesFourteenth impression London 1 July 1917 5 000 copiesFifteenth impression Sydney 1 August 1917 5 000 copiesSixteenth impression London 21 May 1918 5 000 copiesSeventeenth impression Sydney 14 June 1919 3 000 copiesEighteenth impression Sydney 31 August 1919 3 000 copiesNineteenth impression Sydney 20 April 1920 3 000 copiesTwentieth impression Sydney 31 August 1920 3 000 copiesNotes EditThe book is dedicated To Mr and Mrs J G Roberts John Garibaldi Roberts was a book loving public servant working with the Melbourne Tramways Company when he was introduced to C J Dennis by R H Croll in 1906 He was later to provide much material and emotional support to Dennis during the writing of this work citation needed Dennis later took to calling them Dad and Mum citation needed The verse novel s first edition includes a foreword by bush poet Henry Lawson who writes that The Sentimental Bloke s original appearance in The Bulletin brightened up many dark days for me and that in Bill Dennis had created a character more perfect than any alleged larrikin or Bottle O character I have ever attempted to sketch 4 The first edition also featured a glossary of words compiled by Dennis for the use of those unacquainted with the Australian language Dennis went on to publish three sequels to this verse novel The Moods of Ginger Mick 1916 Doreen 1917 and Rose of Spadgers 1924 The Moods of Ginger Mick told the story of Bill s mate Ginger Mick who went to fight at Gallipoli Like its predecessor it was also very successful and it earned Dennis the title of the laureate of the Anzac 5 The illustrations of the bloke cupid like and whimsical were provided by Hal Gye 6 Film TV or theatrical adaptations Edit Arthur Tauchert as Bill in The Sentimental Bloke 1918 Two film versions of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke have been produced The Sentimental Bloke a silent version in 1918 written and directed by Raymond Longford and which starred Arthur Tauchert as Bill and Lottie Lyell as Doreen 7 and a talkie version in 1932 directed by F W Thring and based on a screenplay by C J Dennis 8 A three act stage adaptation of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by Bert Bailey titled The Sentimental Bloke premiered at the King s Theatre Melbourne on 7 October 1922 9 In 1961 a musical called The Sentimental Bloke was produced in Canberra and later in Melbourne and other cities The music was by Albert Arlen with lyrics by Arlen Nancy Brown and Lloyd Thomson The Sentimental Bloke is a 1963 Australian television film It was a half hour ballet aired on ABC A television adaptation of the musical appeared in 1976 written and directed by Alan Burke and featuring Graeme Blundell as Bill 10 A ballet version was choreographed by Robert Ray with Albert Arlen s music freely arranged by John Lanchbery This was presented by The Australian Ballet in 1985 and on its tour of the Soviet Union A second musical theatre version was written by Graeme Blundell with music by George Dreyfus premiered by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Playhouse Victorian Arts Centre on 12 December 1985 This musical was subsequently produced in Perth Western Australian Theatre Company 1986 Darwin State Theatre Company of Northern Territory 1987 and Brisbane Royal Queensland Theatre Company 1988 Another theatrical production of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke was staged at Eltham Little Theatre Melbourne in 2021 Recorded versions EditIn 2009 Jack Thompson released an album of C J Dennis s poems entitled The Sentimental Bloke The Poems of C J Dennis References Edit a b Bellanta Melissa 2014 A Masculine Romance The Sentimental Bloke and Australian Culture in the War and Early Interwar Years Journal of Popular Romance Studies 4 2 Chisholm Alec H 1946 The Making of a Sentimental Bloke A Sketch of the Remarkable Career of C J Dennis Melbourne Georgian House taken from Twentieth Impression Foreword to 1st edition Middlemiss org 1915 09 01 Retrieved 2012 07 12 Chisholm Alec H 1946 The Making of a Sentimental Bloke A Sketch of the Remarkable Career of C J Dennis Melbourne Georgian House Ian F McLaren Gye Harold Frederick Neville Hal 1888 1967 Australian Dictionary of Biography Online Edition Copyright 2006 updated continuously ISSN 1833 7538 published by Australian National University The Sentimental Bloke 1919 at IMDb The Sentimental Bloke 1932 at IMDb AusStage The Sentimental Bloke television adaptation 1976 at IMDbExternal links Edit Wikisource has original text related to this article The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke Middlemiss org Gutenberg text The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke public domain audiobook at LibriVox The songs of a sentimental bloke by C J Dennis with illustrations by Hal Gye Angus amp Robertson Sydney 1917 digitised version available online at State Library of New South Wales Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke amp oldid 1117852104, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
