The Singer and the Scribe: European Ballad Traditions and European Ballad Cultures (Internationale Forschungen zur Allgemeinen und Vergleichenden Literaturwissenschaft 75)

The Singer and the Scribe brings together studies of the European ballad from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century by major authorities in the field and is of interest to students of European literature, popular traditions and folksong. It offers an original view of the development of the ballad by focusing on the interplay and interdependence of written and oral transmission, including studies of modern singers and their repertoires and of the role of the audience in generating a literary product which continues to live in performance. While using specific case studies the contributors systematically extend their reflections on the ballad as song and as poetry to draw broader conclusions. Covering the Hispanic world, including the Sephardic tradition, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Greece, Russia, England and Scotland the essays also demonstrate the interconnections of a European tradition beyond national boundaries. Contents......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Balladry in the Medieval Greek World......Page 18 Love Story or Heroic Deed? (The Two Faces of Russian Balladry: Bylinas and Ballads)......Page 28 From Oral Adventure Story to Literary Tale of Enchantment: the case of the Count Arnaldos ballad......Page 42 A Morte do Rei D. Fernando and Floresvento: two rare Portuguese epic ballads......Page 56 Fier Margrietken: a medieval ballad and its history......Page 74 Looking up at 'Holger Dansk og Burmand' (DgF 30)......Page 94 The Suppression of a Ballad Culture: the enigma of medieval France......Page 110 F.J. Child and Mikail Bakhtin......Page 128 Echoes of Authority: audience and formula in the Scots ballad text......Page 140 Estrea Aelion, Salonica Sephardic Tradition and the Ballad of Imprisoned Virgil......Page 158 Spanish Ballads in a Changing World......Page 174 The Stewarts of Fetterangus and Literate Oral Tradition......Page 186 List of Contributors......Page 214 B......Page 216 C......Page 219 D......Page 220 G......Page 221 J......Page 222 M......Page 223 N......Page 224 R......Page 225 S......Page 226 W......Page 227 Z......Page 228 The purpose of this volume is not to provide a comprehensive history of the European ballad, nor to offer a complete comparative typology.