The English Traditional Ballad

Theory, Method, and Practice

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music
Cover of the book The English Traditional Ballad by David Atkinson, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Atkinson ISBN: 9781351544801
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: David Atkinson
ISBN: 9781351544801
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Ballads are a fascinating subject of study not least because of their endless variety. It is quite remarkable that ballads taken down or recorded from singers separated by centuries in time and by hundreds of kilometres in distance, should be both different and yet recognizably the same. In The English Traditional Ballad, David Atkinson examines the ways in which the body of ballads known in England make reference both to ballads from elsewhere and to other English folk songs. The book outlines current theoretical directions in ballad scholarship: structuralism, traditional referentiality, genre and context, print and oral transmission, and the theory of tradition and revival. These are combined to offer readers a method of approaching the central issue in ballad studies - the creation of meaning(s) out of ballad texts. Atkinson focuses on some of the most interesting problems in ballad studies: the 'wit-combat' in versions of The Unquiet Grave; variable perspectives in comic ballads about marriage; incest as a ballad theme; problems of feminine motivation in ballads like The Outlandish Knight and The Broomfield Hill; murder ballads and murder in other instances of early popular literature. Through discussion of these issues and themes in ballad texts, the book outlines a way of tracing tradition(s) in English balladry, while recognizing that ballad tradition is far from being simply chronological and linear.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Ballads are a fascinating subject of study not least because of their endless variety. It is quite remarkable that ballads taken down or recorded from singers separated by centuries in time and by hundreds of kilometres in distance, should be both different and yet recognizably the same. In The English Traditional Ballad, David Atkinson examines the ways in which the body of ballads known in England make reference both to ballads from elsewhere and to other English folk songs. The book outlines current theoretical directions in ballad scholarship: structuralism, traditional referentiality, genre and context, print and oral transmission, and the theory of tradition and revival. These are combined to offer readers a method of approaching the central issue in ballad studies - the creation of meaning(s) out of ballad texts. Atkinson focuses on some of the most interesting problems in ballad studies: the 'wit-combat' in versions of The Unquiet Grave; variable perspectives in comic ballads about marriage; incest as a ballad theme; problems of feminine motivation in ballads like The Outlandish Knight and The Broomfield Hill; murder ballads and murder in other instances of early popular literature. Through discussion of these issues and themes in ballad texts, the book outlines a way of tracing tradition(s) in English balladry, while recognizing that ballad tradition is far from being simply chronological and linear.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book No Touching, No Spitting, No Praying by David Atkinson
Cover of the book The Continental Commitment by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Envisioning Legality by David Atkinson
Cover of the book The Enigma of Childhood by David Atkinson
Cover of the book The Guided Reader to Teaching and Learning by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Identity, Inequity and Inequality in India and China by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Construction by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Reform as Reorganization by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Politics, Identity and Emotion by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Skilled Workers' Solidarity by David Atkinson
Cover of the book The Journals and Letters of Susan Burney by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Creative Teaching: English in the Early Years and Primary Classroom by David Atkinson
Cover of the book The Selection and Election of Presidents by David Atkinson
Cover of the book Friedrich Froebel and English Education (RLE Edu K) by David Atkinson
Cover of the book The Neurotic Personality by David Atkinson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy