"Ballads derive from the medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally 'dance songs'."
A form of storytelling poetry that often has a simple, musical structure and frequently focuses on tragic or heroic events.
Definition of Ballad Poetry: This topic will define ballad poetry as a narrative poem that tells a story through emotions, actions and expressions of the characters.
Origins of Ballad Poetry: This topic will present the historical roots of ballad poetry dating back to the Medieval ages and its popularization during the Romantic era.
Types of Ballads: This topic explores the different types of ballads, including traditional, literary and musical ballads, their features, and distinction.
Elements of Ballad Poetry: This topic focuses on the essential components of ballad poetry, including rhyme scheme, meter, repetition, narrative structure, and imagery.
Poetic Devices in Ballad Poetry: This topic discusses the use of various literary devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance, and others in ballad poetry.
Themes and Motifs in Ballad poetry: This topic identifies the prevalent themes and motifs found in ballad poetry such as love, revenge, death, supernatural elements, folklore, and others.
Study of Famous Ballad Poets: This topic introduces prominent ballad poets, such as Robert Burns, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and their contribution to the genre.
Analysis of Classic Ballads: This topic provides a detailed study and analysis of classic ballads such as Sir Patrick Spens, Bonnie George Campbell, The Unquiet Grave, and others.
Modern Ballads: This topic examines contemporary ballads, their themes, motifs, and use of language and poetic devices, and their influence in popular culture.
Comparison to Other Forms of Poetry: This topic compares and contrasts ballad poetry with other poetic forms like sonnets, odes, villanelles, and free verse, highlighting their similarities and differences.
Traditional Ballads: These are narrative poems that usually tell a story of folklore, legend, or historical events. They typically involve a protagonist on a quest or journey, with love and tragedy as common themes.
Literary Ballads: These are ballads that are written by poets inspired by traditional ballads but changing the form, style and tone. Literary ballads are more refined and usually written in a modern era.
Broadsides: These are ballads that usually published on a single sheet of paper and sold by street vendors in England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries. They often featured sensational subjects such as crime or scandal.
Minstrel and folk ballads: These are ballads that were sung or recited by wandering troubadours or minstrels. They were popular in the Middle ages, especially in Europe.
Gospel Ballad: Gospel ballads are religious songs or hymns that commonly feature a narrative form of poetry or story. These ballads often feature themes of hope, faith and salvation.
Blues Ballads: Blues ballads are a subgenre of blues music that frequently combines narrative prose and poetry. They often deal with themes of pain, heartbreak, and struggle.
Contemporary Ballads: These are modern ballads that usually address current social, political or personal issues. They often represent a narrative poetic form and are typically written in a stanza.
"They were widely used across Europe, and later in Australia, North Africa, North America and South America."
"Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century."
"Many ballads employ quatrains with ABCB or ABAB rhyme schemes, the key being a rhymed second and fourth line."
"While ballads have no prescribed structure and may vary in their number of lines and stanzas..."
"...it is rare if not unheard-of for a ballad to contain exactly 13 lines."
"Additionally, couplets rarely appear in ballads."
"Many ballads were written and sold as single-sheet broadsides."
"The form was often used by poets and composers from the 18th century onwards to produce lyrical ballads."
"In the later 19th century, the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song..."
"...used for any love song, particularly the sentimental ballad of pop or rock music..."
"...although the term is also associated with the concept of a stylized storytelling song or poem, particularly when used as a title for other media such as a film."
"...originally 'dance songs'."
"They were widely used across Europe, and later in Australia, North Africa, North America and South America."
"Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century."
"Many ballads employ quatrains with ABCB or ABAB rhyme schemes, the key being a rhymed second and fourth line."
"While ballads have no prescribed structure and may vary in their number of lines and stanzas..."
"...the term took on the meaning of a slow form of popular love song..."
"Although the term is also associated with the concept of a stylized storytelling song or poem..."
"Many ballads were written and sold as single-sheet broadsides."