The Ballad
Oscar Wilde
The ballad is one of the oldest poetic forms in English and are simply poems or songs that tell a story. Traditionally they are composed in quatrains, with common meter that follow an a b c b rhyming structure and this, together with the simple language (often the dialect of the region), made them easier to memorise and recite by wandering minstrels as they were passed down orally.
Originally derived from the Medieval French the name suggests that they were to dance to and whilst widely used around Europe and other parts of the world, became characteristic of British poetry from the Middle Ages to the 19th century when it settled into our current usage of the term as a slow sentimental song.
By the 17th century the printed version of ballads, often with music and illustration, known as Broadsides or Broadsheets, circulated, probably in their millions throughout Britain and remained popular until the Victorian era when they lost prestige.
Whether they be folk, literary or lyrical, most ballads contain a self-contained, concise, plot driven story told in the third person narrative, often featuring dialogue and moving at a pace with an emotional urgency to arrive at a dramatic conclusion. The subject of ballads are limitless and they can be tragic, historical or comic.
Maybe it’s because of childhood associations or that we all enjoy a cracking good story told in rhyme but as this volume demonstrates, the ballad has endless appeal. We include favourites such as Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Edna St Vincent Millay’s The Ballad of the Harp Weaver, Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee as well as classics such as Sir Patrick Spens, the Ballad of Reading Gaol by Wilde and La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats. There’s many more known and lesser known in this volume celebrating this most popular and accessible poetic form.
Author - Oscar Wilde.
Narrator - Sean Barrett.
Published Date - Tuesday, 31 January 2023.
Location:
United States
Description:
The ballad is one of the oldest poetic forms in English and are simply poems or songs that tell a story. Traditionally they are composed in quatrains, with common meter that follow an a b c b rhyming structure and this, together with the simple language (often the dialect of the region), made them easier to memorise and recite by wandering minstrels as they were passed down orally. Originally derived from the Medieval French the name suggests that they were to dance to and whilst widely used around Europe and other parts of the world, became characteristic of British poetry from the Middle Ages to the 19th century when it settled into our current usage of the term as a slow sentimental song. By the 17th century the printed version of ballads, often with music and illustration, known as Broadsides or Broadsheets, circulated, probably in their millions throughout Britain and remained popular until the Victorian era when they lost prestige. Whether they be folk, literary or lyrical, most ballads contain a self-contained, concise, plot driven story told in the third person narrative, often featuring dialogue and moving at a pace with an emotional urgency to arrive at a dramatic conclusion. The subject of ballads are limitless and they can be tragic, historical or comic. Maybe it’s because of childhood associations or that we all enjoy a cracking good story told in rhyme but as this volume demonstrates, the ballad has endless appeal. We include favourites such as Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Edna St Vincent Millay’s The Ballad of the Harp Weaver, Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee as well as classics such as Sir Patrick Spens, the Ballad of Reading Gaol by Wilde and La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats. There’s many more known and lesser known in this volume celebrating this most popular and accessible poetic form. Author - Oscar Wilde. Narrator - Sean Barrett. Published Date - Tuesday, 31 January 2023.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:02:19
Chapter 2
Duration:00:21:06
Chapter 3
Duration:00:01:26
Chapter 4
Duration:00:02:20
Chapter 5
Duration:00:04:08
Chapter 6
Duration:00:05:32
Chapter 7
Duration:00:01:40
Chapter 8
Duration:00:02:23
Chapter 9
Duration:00:04:38
Chapter 10
Duration:00:00:53
Chapter 11
Duration:00:03:42
Chapter 12
Duration:00:02:10
Chapter 13
Duration:00:07:04
Chapter 14
Duration:00:02:49
Chapter 15
Duration:00:02:57
Chapter 16
Duration:00:02:54
Chapter 17
Duration:00:03:28
Chapter 18
Duration:00:02:51
Chapter 19
Duration:00:03:11
Chapter 20
Duration:00:01:30
Chapter 21
Duration:00:01:51
Chapter 22
Duration:00:01:13
Chapter 23
Duration:00:01:49
Chapter 24
Duration:00:00:34
Chapter 25
Duration:00:01:34
Chapter 26
Duration:00:01:08
Chapter 27
Duration:00:01:09
Chapter 28
Duration:00:01:30
Chapter 29
Duration:00:01:56
Chapter 30
Duration:00:01:59
Chapter 31
Duration:00:02:17
Chapter 32
Duration:00:00:51
Chapter 33
Duration:00:01:25
Chapter 34
Duration:00:05:47
Chapter 35
Duration:00:07:43
Chapter 36
Duration:00:01:48
Chapter 37
Duration:00:01:38
Chapter 38
Duration:00:01:20
Chapter 39
Duration:00:05:14
Chapter 40
Duration:00:05:20
Chapter 41
Duration:00:08:45
Chapter 42
Duration:00:01:00
Chapter 43
Duration:00:03:00
Chapter 44
Duration:00:04:43
Chapter 45
Duration:00:03:40
Chapter 46
Duration:00:01:41
Chapter 47
Duration:00:04:23
Chapter 48
Duration:00:01:54
Chapter 49
Duration:00:04:11
Chapter 50
Duration:00:01:38
Chapter 51
Duration:00:07:01
Chapter 52
Duration:00:02:27
Chapter 53
Duration:00:02:13
Chapter 54
Duration:00:02:19
Chapter 55
Duration:00:04:44
Chapter 56
Duration:00:02:25
Chapter 57
Duration:00:07:41
Chapter 58
Duration:00:02:34
Chapter 59
Duration:00:27:09