Balladeering, minstrelsy, and the making of British romantic poetry
By: Maureen N. McLane.
Series: Cambridge studies in romanticism
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 295
ISBN-13: 9780521895767
Subjects: English poetry -- 18th century -- History and criticism; English poetry -- 19th century -- History and criticism; Romanticism -- Great Britain; Ballads, English -- Great Britain -- History and criticism; Ballads in literature; Minstrels in literature
Description: "This is a new history and theory of British poetry between 1760 and 1830, focusing on the relationship between Romantic poetry and the production, circulation and textuality of ballads. By discussing the ways in which eighteenth-century cultural and literary researches flowed into and shaped key canonical works, Maureen McLane argues that romantic poetry's influences went far beyond the merely literary. Breathing new life into the work of eighteenth-century balladeers and antiquarians, she addresses the revival of the ballad, the figure of the minstrel, and the prevalence of a 'minstrelsy complex' in romanticism. Furthermore, she envisages a new way of engaging with romantic poetics, encompassing both 'oral' and 'literary' modes of poetic construction, and anticipates the role that technology might play in a media-driven twenty-first century. The study will be of great interest to scholars and students of Romantic poetry, literature and culture."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.