The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke

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The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke
The songs of a sentimental bloke, by C.J. Dennis, illustrations by Hal Gye, 1917.jpg
Author C. J. Dennis
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Genre Verse novel
Publisher Angus & Robertson
Publication date
1915
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages113, plus 14 pages of Glossary
ISBN 0-207-14366-8
OCLC 29006080
Preceded by Backblock Ballads and Other Verses  
Followed by The Moods of Ginger Mick  
Text The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke at Wikisource

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]

Contents

The 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. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. The Stoush O' Day — Bill reflects on how time has flown since he met Doreen.
  4. Doreen — Bill promises Doreen that he'll give up drinking.
  5. The Play — Bill takes Doreen to see Romeo and Juliet .
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Pilot Cove — Doreen and Bill go to see the priest to talk about the gravity of marriage.
  10. Hitched — Doreen and Bill's wedding ceremony. They set off on their honeymoon.
  11. 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.
  12. Uncle Jim
  13. The Kid
  14. The Mooch o' Life

Publication details

Cover of a 1916 edition Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 1916 cover.png
Cover of a 1916 edition
Illustration of 'the bloke' for verse 1. A Spring Song Songs of a sentimental bloke, page 16 (crop).png
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 EditionSydney9 October 19152,500 copies
Second impressionSydney2 November 19155,000 copies
Third impressionSydney6 December5,000 copies
Fourth impressionSydney25 January 19165,000 copies
Fifth impressionSydney22 February 19167,000 copies
Sixth impressionSydney1 April 19165,500 copies
Seventh impressionSydney30 May 191611,000 copies
Eighth impressionSydney1 April 19165,000 copies
Pocket editionSydney25 September 191610,000 copies
Tenth impressionSydney7 October 19168,000 copies
Eleventh impressionSydney24 October 19165,000 copies
Twelfth impressionSydney17 November 19165,000 copies
Thirteenth impressionSydney2 May 19175,000 copies
Fourteenth impressionLondon1 July 19175,000 copies
Fifteenth impressionSydney1 August 19175,000 copies
Sixteenth impressionLondon21 May 19185,000 copies
Seventeenth impressionSydney14 June 19193,000 copies
Eighteenth impressionSydney31 August 19193,000 copies
Nineteenth impressionSydney20 April 19203,000 copies
Twentieth impressionSydney31 August 19203,000 copies

Notes

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. [4] Dennis later took to calling them "Dad" and "Mum". [5]

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". [6] 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". [2]

The illustrations of the bloke, cupid-like and "whimsical", were provided by Hal Gye. [7]

Adaptations

Arthur Tauchert as Bill in The Sentimental Bloke (1918) Arthur Tauchert.jpg
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; [8] and a "talkie" version in 1932, directed by F. W. Thring and based on a screenplay by C. J. Dennis. [9]

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. [10]

In 1961, a musical called The Sentimental Bloke was produced in Canberra, [11] and later in Melbourne and other cities. The music was by Albert Arlen, with lyrics by Arlen, Nancy Brown and Lloyd Thomson. [12]

The Sentimental Bloke is a 1963 Australian television film. [13] It was a half-hour ballet aired on ABC Television. [14]

A television adaptation of the musical appeared in 1976, written and directed by Alan Burke and featuring Graeme Blundell as Bill. [15]

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. [16]

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). [12]

Another theatrical production of The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke was staged at Eltham Little Theatre, Melbourne, in 2021. [17]

Recorded versions

In 2009 Jack Thompson released an album of C. J. Dennis's poems entitled The Sentimental Bloke, The Poems of C.J. Dennis .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larrikin</span> Mischievous young person, in Australian English

Larrikin is an Australian English term meaning "a mischievous young person, an uncultivated, rowdy but good-hearted person", or "a person who acts with apparent disregard for social or political conventions".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Dennis</span> Australian poet

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet and journalist known for his best-selling verse novel The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke (1915). Alongside his contemporaries and occasional collaborators Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, Dennis helped popularise Australian slang in literature, earning him the title 'the laureate of the larrikin'.

<i>The Sentimental Bloke</i> 1918 Australian film

The Sentimental Bloke is a 1918 Australian silent film based on the 1915 verse novel The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C. J. Dennis. Produced and directed by Raymond Longford, the film stars Arthur Tauchert, Gilbert Emery, and Lottie Lyell, who also co-wrote the film with Longford.

<i>The Glugs of Gosh</i> Poetry collection by C. J. Dennis

The Glugs of Gosh is a book of satirical verse written by Australian author C. J. Dennis, published by Angus & Robertson in 1917. The book's 13 poems are vignettes of life in a fictional kingdom called Gosh, inhabited by an arboreal race known as Glugs. Dennis describes the Glugs as a "stupid race of docile folk". The illustrations, by Dennis's regular collaborator Hal Gye, depict the Glugs as short humanoids with large heads. Written in the style of children's nonsense poetry, the work attacks free trade, along with what Dennis saw as Australia's social conformity, intellectual cowardice and rampant bureaucracy. Although the book has greater literary merit than the larrikin-inspired doggerel verse for which Dennis is famed, it was a commercial failure. According to one biographer, "the veiled political and economic satirical verse was lost on the public." The book is dedicated to his wife.

Albert Arlen AM was a Turkish Australian pianist, composer, actor and playwright. He is best known for his musical The Sentimental Bloke, the "Alamein Concerto", and his setting of Banjo Paterson's Clancy of the Overflow.

John Bernard Derum is an Australian stage, film and television actor. He has also an artistic administrator and directed and produced for theatre companies throughout Australia and for television. Derum was worked as a politician for local council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Frederick Neville Gye</span>

Harold Frederick Neville Gye, who published under the name Hal Gye, was an author of cartoons, illustrations and articles for early Australian newspapers and journals. Gye provided the artwork for The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by Australian novelist and poet C. J. Dennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lottie Lyell</span> Australian actress and film director

Lottie Lyell was an Australian actress, screenwriter, editor and filmmaker. She is regarded as Australia's first film star, and also contributed to the local industry during the silent era through her collaborations with director and writer Raymond Longford.

The Sentimental Bloke is a 1932 Australian film directed by F. W. Thring and starring Cecil Scott and Ray Fisher. It is an adaptation of the 1915 novel Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C. J. Dennis, which had previously been filmed in 1919.

Ginger Mick is a 1920 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on The Moods of Ginger Mick by C. J. Dennis, which had sold over 70,000 copies. It is a sequel to The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and is considered a lost film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Tauchert</span> Australian actor

Arthur Michael Tauchert was an Australian acrobatic comedian, dancer, singer, film actor, and star of the Australian silent film, The Sentimental Bloke (1919).

Gilbert Charles Warren Emery was an Australian actor best known for his performances as Ginger Mick in the silent films The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and Ginger Mick (1920). These were directed by Raymond Longford with whom Emery had acted on stage in The Fatal Wedding.

Bloke is a slang term for a common man in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

<i>The Sentimental Bloke</i> (1961 musical) 1976 Australian film

The Sentimental Bloke is a 1961 Australian musical by Albert Arlen, Nancy Brown and Lloyd Thomson based on Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C.J. Dennis. Set in Melbourne, it is one of the most successful Australian musicals of the 20th century. The musical has also been adapted for television and ballet.

The Sentimental Bloke is a 1963 Australian television film. It was a half-hour ballet aired on ABC. It is based on the poem, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C. J. Dennis.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1915.

Jonah (1911) is a novel by Australian writer Louis Stone.

The Sentimental Bloke is an Australian musical with music by George Dreyfus and book and lyrics by Graeme Blundell. It is an adaptation of C. J. Dennis' The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke.

Backblock Ballads and Other Verses is the first collection of poems by the Australian writer C. J. Dennis, published by E. W. Cole, Melbourne, in 1913. It includes his famous poems "Wheat" and "The Austra-laise", as well as the first book publication of several poems that would later appear in The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke.

The Moods of Ginger Mick is a verse novel by Australian poet and journalist C. J. Dennis, published by Angus and Robertson, in 1916. The collection includes fifteen illustrated plates by Hal Gye.

References

  1. 1 2 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).
  2. 1 2 Chisholm, Alec H. (1946). The Making of a Sentimental Bloke: A Sketch of the Remarkable Career of C.J. Dennis. Melbourne: Georgian House.
  3. ↑ taken from Twentieth Impression
  4. ↑ Butterss, Philip (2014). An Unsentimental Bloke: The Life and Work of C. J. Dennis. Wakefield Press. pp. 49–51. ISBN   9781743052877.
  5. ↑ Butterss, Philip (2014). An Unsentimental Bloke: The Life and Work of C. J. Dennis. Wakefield Press. p. 53. ISBN   9781743052877.
  6. ↑ "Foreword to 1st edition". Middlemiss.org. 1915-09-01. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  7. ↑ 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
  8. ↑ The Sentimental Bloke (1919) at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  9. ↑ The Sentimental Bloke (1932) at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  10. ↑ "AusStage - The Sentimental Bloke".
  11. ↑ ""'Sentimental Bloke' Captivates Audience"". The Canberra Times, 8 March 1961, p4. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  12. 1 2 ""The Sentimental Bloke (Part 1)"". Theatre Heritage. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  13. ↑ "The Sentimental Bloke (1963)". IDMB. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  14. ↑ ""This Week on ABC3"". The Canberra Times, 5 August 1963, p16. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  15. ↑ The Sentimental Bloke television adaptation (1976) at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  16. ↑ ""Year's ballet program for everyone"". The Canberra Times, 10 January 1985, p16. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke". The Victorian Drama League. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
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