THE TRADITIONAL BALLAD
WHAT?
WHEN?
WHERE?
WHO?
HOW?
THEMES?
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1
DEFINITION
ORAL TEXT COMBINING:
VERSE
SONG
DANCE
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2
PLACE AND TIME
LATER MIDDLE AGES (13TH/14TH
CENTURY)
THROUGH EUROPE
ON THE BORDER COUNTRY
BETWEEN ENGLAND AND
SCOTLAND
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3
AUTHORSHIP
ANONYMOUS
PRODUCED BY COMMON PEOPLE
HANDED DOWN OVER
GENERATIONS OF
SINGERS/MINSTRELS
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4
AUDIENCE
COMMON PEOPLE
IN ALEHOUSES
AT FAIRS
“ON THE GREEN”
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5
STRUCTURE & LANGUAGE
FOUR-LINE STANZAS USUALLY RHYMING ABCB
ALLITERATION (MUSICALITY)
MIXTURE OF DIALOGUE AND NARRATION
REPETITIONS/REFRAINS
SERIES OF RAPID FLASHES
SIMPLE AND REPETITIVE LANGUAGE
STOCK PHRASES AND FORMULAE
STRAIGHTFORWARD SINTAX
USE OF ANGLO-SAXON WORDS
NO MORAL/DIDACTIC AIM AND IMPERSONAL
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6
THEMES
BALLADS OF MAGIC
BORDER BALLADS
BALLADS OF LOVE (e.g.
GREENSLEAVES) AND DOMESTIC
TRAGEDY (e.g. GEORDIE )
BALLADS OF OUTLAWS (e.g. ROBIN
HOOD)
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BALLADS AND COURT
POETRY
BALLADS: ENGLISH SUBJECTS/
RAPID/SPONTANEOUS
COURT POETRY: EUROPEAN
MODELS/ SLOW & DETAILED/
FORMAL LANGUAGE
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SOURCE OF BALLAD TEXTS
WRITTEN AND COLLECTED IN THE
18TH/19TH CENTURY
BISHOP PERCY
WALTER SCOTT
F.J. CHILD
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