Jim Bently is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 appearing in several well-known short stories written by popular Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n writer and poet Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...

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The somewhat more sensible member of the group, Jim is rarely found without the company of good mates Dave Regan

Dave Regan

Dave Regan is a fictional character appearing in several well-known short stories written by popular Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson.A laid-back, somewhat mischievous young man, Dave is rarely found without the company of good mates Jim Bently and Andy Page.Arguably, Dave's character first...

 and Andy Page

Andy Page

Andy Page is a fictional character appearing in several well-known short stories written by popular Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson. Andy is rarely found without the company of good mates Jim Bently and Dave Regan, and is generally the 'straight man' of the trio.Andy's character first...

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Jim arguably appears in "The Iron-Bark Chip," which also included the characters of Dave Regan

Dave Regan

Dave Regan is a fictional character appearing in several well-known short stories written by popular Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson.A laid-back, somewhat mischievous young man, Dave is rarely found without the company of good mates Jim Bently and Andy Page.Arguably, Dave's character first...

 and Andy Page

Andy Page

Andy Page is a fictional character appearing in several well-known short stories written by popular Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson. Andy is rarely found without the company of good mates Jim Bently and Dave Regan, and is generally the 'straight man' of the trio.Andy's character first...

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Possibly the most popular Jim Bently story would be Lawson's

Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...

 humorous The Loaded Dog

The Loaded Dog

"The Loaded Dog" is a humorous short story by Australian writer Henry Lawson. The plot concerns three gold miners and their dog, and the farcical consequences of leaving a bomb cartridge unattended...

, in which Dave's imaginative idea of fishing with explosives backfires when the cartridge is left unattended. In this story, Jim is described as being uninterested in the "damned silliness" of Dave and Andy's enthusiastics efforts at fishing.

Jim Bently Short Stories

• The Iron-Bark Chip (as Jack Bentley)
• The Mystery of Dave Regan
• Poisonous Jimmy Gets Left
• The Loaded Dog
  The Loaded Dog
  "The Loaded Dog" is a humorous short story by Australian writer Henry Lawson. The plot concerns three gold miners and their dog, and the farcical consequences of leaving a bomb cartridge unattended...