An Advantageous for JRF, NET, GSET, GATE, PG, UG English Literature Aspirants.
PARAMAR BHAVESH G.
PhD (PURSUING), M.A. (ENG)
JRF, NET, GSET, GATE 2022/23.
Ballads.
Ballads were passed down through generations orally
and through recitation. Their subjects included religious themes, love,
tragedy, domestic crimes, and, on occasion, political propaganda. In both
subject and function, they may have derived from Scandinavian and Germanic
storytelling traditions, as shown in poems such as Beowulf. The term ballad
comes from the Latin word ballare, which meaning "dancing song."
A ballad is a brief
narrative poetry made up of short stanzas. Ballads first appeared in print in fifteenth-century
England. Making and selling ballad broadsides became popular throughout the
Renaissance, yet these songs were rarely respected by artists because their
authors, known as "pot poets," frequently lived among the lower
classes.
A ballad is a brief
poetry story written to be sung with musical accompaniment. Many ballads were
written and published as single sheet broadsides. Poets and composers regularly
employed the genre to create lyrical ballads beginning in the 18th century.
Characteristics of
Ballad.
It's a story-telling
song. The beginning is frequently unexpected, and the language is
straightforward.
It focuses on a single
episode. The theme is frequently despair and gloomy. The narrative is told
through language and action.
It lacks specificity.
It has an unexpected finale. It contains some lines that are repeated. It is
almost never moral.
It is written in
four-line stanzas, with four stresses on the first and third lines and three
stresses on the fourth line. It contains three parts: direction, complication,
and resolution.
It could be in the form
of a question and answer session. The first verse poses the question, and the
second stanza responds to it.
Types of Ballad.
Traditional ballads
Traditional ballads are
a type of folk song that has been handed down through centuries through oral
traditions. They are distinguished by their narrative format, which frequently
tells stories of love, tragedy, adventure, or folklore. Some ancient ballads
are based on songs written by travelling minstrels who made their living by
singing in the homes of noblemen. Minstrels wrote narrative songs that told
stories about love, historical wars and events, mythology, and trips to faraway
regions. Because these songs were intended for pleasure, they had danceable
metres and melodies and were frequently sung with musical accompaniment. Early
ballads, which date before 1600 in English, may have been derived from various
mediaeval sources, such as metrical romances, folk tales, and spurious gospels
concerning Jesus' life.
Traditional ballads
have their roots in oral traditions from all across the world, including
Europe, the United States, and portions of Asia and Africa. They are frequently
connected with the common people or folk, and were traditionally sung or
recited rather than recorded. Traditional ballads have a rigorous and
repetitive structure, usually consisting of quatrains (four-line stanzas) with
a consistent rhyme pattern. When sung or recited, the rhyme pattern is
frequently ABAB or ABCB, which creates a musical and rhythmic quality.
Traditional ballads have alternating lines of tetrameter (four emphasised
syllables) and trimeter (three stressed syllables).
Traditional ballads
such as "Barbara Allen," "The Ballad of John Henry,"
"Tam Lin," and "The Wife of Usher's Well" are well-known.
Literary Ballads
Literary ballads are
imitations of ballads. The distinction between a traditional ballad and a literary
ballad is that traditional ballads are produced and written down by unknown
poets, but literary ballads are composed and written down by known poets,
usually in the form of folk ballads. Literary ballads arose as a literary form
throughout the Romantic and Victorian eras in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Literary ballads retain the conventional ballad's narrative form, conveying a
story in verse. They frequently have a distinct beginning, middle, and end,
with a focal storyline or dramatic event.
Love, tragedy, the
supernatural, societal issues, historical events, and personal experiences are
all explored in literary ballads. They might investigate the complexity of
human emotions and relationships.
Literary ballads are
distinguished by the fact that they are composed by well-known poets with
recognised authorship. Literary ballads have been written by famous writers
such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, John Keats, and Alfred Lord
Tennyson. Poets can experiment with language, structure, and style in literary
ballads. Literary ballads, as opposed to conventional ballads, which frequently
adhere to strict norms, allow for artistic interpretation and originality.
Literary ballads have
had an enormous influence on English poetry and continue to inspire modern
poets. They span the gap between structured, traditional forms of poetry and
freer, more personal forms, allowing poets to experiment with storytelling and
language.
Broadside Ballads
Broadside ballads are a
type of popular printed literature that was popular in Europe, notably in
England, between the 16th and 19th centuries. These ballads were usually
printed on a single sheet of paper and included text as well as a picture.
Broadside ballads were critical in spreading news, entertainment, and cultural
criticism to a large audience. Along with the older traditional songs they
helped to propagate, printing businesses also created new ballads, frequently
enlisting the services of poets. Such new ballads were a means of conveying
news, gossip, and political criticism of the day, in addition to giving
amusement. Scholars regard songs written for the cheap print
market as distinct from the earlier ballad tradition, and they are commonly
referred to as "broadside ballads." These ballads frequently deal
with the lives of ordinary people.
Broadside ballads were
born in the 16th century and were named after the "broadside," a huge
sheet of paper on which they were printed. They were frequently sold by street
vendors or "ballad-mongers" and were affordable to the general public.
Broadside ballads were single sheets of paper containing song or poem lyrics
printed in a big, clearly visible style. The sheet usually included a woodcut
artwork that was relevant to the ballad's topic.
Many broadside ballads
were written with the intention of being sung. They frequently featured
notation or directions for singing the words to a familiar music. Street
singers, called as "ballad-singers" or "ballad-hawkers,"
would perform these melodies in public locations to draw attention. Those who
couldn't read were able to enjoy broadside ballads thanks to the mix of text
and music.
Important Ballad
Writers.
 |
| Robert Burns |
Robert Burns
The great Scottish poet
Robert Burns is largely considered as one of the most important ballad writers
in literary history. He is known as the "Bard of Ayrshire" for his
ability to capture the essence of ancient Scottish ballads while flavouring
them with his own distinct voice and ideas. Robert Burns was a huge fan of
Scottish folklore, particularly ballads. He understood the need of maintaining
traditional songs and narratives. Many of Burns' endeavours concerned the
collection and preservation of Scottish ballads, ensuring their survival and
promoting them to a wider audience.
While Burns is
primarily recognised for his creative lyrical and narrative poems, he also wrote
some traditional Scottish songs. Original ballads by Burns include "Tam o'
Shanter," "The Twa Dogs," and "Afton Water." Burns was
also skilled at adapting and parodying traditional ballads. He frequently
remixed traditional ballads with his own verses, ideas, and twists to produce
new pieces. His adaption of "The Cottar's Saturday Night" exemplifies
his ability to add his own spin on old ballads.
Burns' ballads
frequently explored topics related to traditional ballads, including as love,
nature, country life, and societal issues. In his poetry, he regularly used
balladic characteristics such as vivid storytelling, powerful character
development, and emotional depth. Burns wrote in Scots dialect, capturing the
true Scottish vocabulary and phrases. This use of regional and dialectal
terminology added trustworthiness to his ballads.
 |
| William Wordsworth |
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth, a
key participant in the Romantic movement in English literature, is not
considered a ballad writer in the traditional sense. However, his work is in
some respects similar to ballads, and he did make substantial contributions to
the larger tradition of narrative and lyrical poetry. Wordsworth and Samuel
Taylor Coleridge collaborated on the famous collection "Lyrical
Ballads," which was initially published in 1798 and enlarged in subsequent
editions. While the title suggests ballads, the collection's content is a mix
of lyrical and narrative poetry rather than traditional ballads.
In the preface to
"Lyrical Ballads," Wordsworth expresses his appreciation for traditional
songs. He admires songs for their simplicity, genuine language, and emotional
depth. Many of Wordsworth's poems in "Lyrical Ballads" have a
balladic narrative style. These poems frequently tell stories with a distinct
beginning, middle, and end. "The Idiot Boy" and "Michael"
are two of Wordsworth's narrative poems that, in form and style, resemble
traditional ballads.
Wordsworth's poems in
"Lyrical Ballads" frequently address themes and subjects found in
traditional ballads. He frequently depicts rural life, the natural world, and
ordinary people's experiences. Wordsworth's "Lucy" poems, which
include "Strange fits of passion have I known" and "She dwelt
among the untrodden ways," have a lyrical and narrative aspect indicative
of ballads.
 |
| John Keats |
John Keats
One of the most
well-known Romantic poets, John Keats, is not considered a ballad writer in the
traditional sense. He did, however, draw inspiration from various literary
forms, including ballads, and included balladic themes into several of his
works, as did other Romantic artists. While Keats is most renowned for his
lyric poetry and odes, some of his poems have narrative and storytelling
elements that are reminiscent of ballads. For example, "La Belle Dame sans
Merci" narrates the account of a knight's encounter with a strange woman,
and its narrative structure is balladic.
Keats' poems frequently
address themes inherent in traditional ballads, such as love, beauty, nature,
and the occult. Keats' poetry, like ballads, frequently employs plain and
emotionally evocative language.
He strives for
simplicity and directness in his expression, which he shares with ballads.
Keats was a master of vivid and compelling imagery, which is common in ballads.
In "La Belle Dame sans Merci," Keats creates an eerie and enigmatic
mood with rich and symbolic imagery.
Famous Ballad Poems.
La Belle Dame Sans
Merci by John Keats
Lyrical Ballads by
William Wordsworth
The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner by ST Coleridge
The Ballad of Reading
Gaol by Oscar Wilde
The Lady of Shalott by
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Goblin Market by
Christina Rossetti
The Solitary Reaper by
William Wordsworth
The Highwayman by
Alfred Noyes
The Pied Piper of
Hamelin by Robert Browning
The Convergence of the
Twain by Thomas Hardy
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