Title: Lonesome words
Description: "The tenth-century Old English lament and twentieth-century blues song each speak the language of a distinct poetic tradition, yet the voices are remarkably similar in their emotive expression of loneliness. This innovative study juxtaposes the texts of each corpus to explore the features that characterize their vocal poetics. McGeachy examines how the texts evoke the dynamic of performance and explores the role of recording - in manuscript and on 78 rpm record - in establishing the distinctive formulas of each genre. Featured are a study of blues artist Robert Johnson's work and a comparison of two anthologies: the Exeter Book and the Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music."--Jacket.
Subjects: African American authors, African Americans, American and English (Old), American poetry, Blues (Music), Comparative Literature, Elegiac poetry, English (Old), English (Old) and American, History, History and criticism, Laments, Loneliness in literature, Oral tradition, Songs and music, English and American, American and English, Literature, modern, history and criticism, 15th and 16th centuries, Music, English (Old English) and American, American and English (Old English)
Places: England, United States
Time periods: To 1500