Introduction
The ballad enjoyed a revival in the eighteenth century in Britain, galvanized by Bishop Thomas Percy’s great achievement – the Reliques of Ancient English Poetry – and almost every major poet since then has left some literary ballads inspired by the tradition. Yamanaka’s highly informative account examines the ways in which the ballad imitations differ from their predecessors, and offers detailed analysis of how poets despite and sometimes because of their enthusiasm for the form deviated from traditional practice. This important discussion grounds the eighteenth century imitations in their historical context around 1765 when Percy’s edition was published, and his editorial intrusions are related to the sentimental taste of the period, with Samuel Johnson’s fascinating ambivalence towards balladry receiving due attention. The latest contribution to eighteenth century studies clarifies the various formal innovations which in part define literary balladry. ‘Poets on the Ballad’ in the Appendix is provided as study material on the literary ballad, including a rich selection of comments from essays, letters, journals, and other sources.
Mitsuyoshi Yamanaka is Professor of British Literature at Fukuoka Women’s University, Japan. He has worked extensively on the British ballad heritage as critic, editor and translator. His publications include A Book of Ballads – English and Scottish Folk Songs (1978), Traditional and Literary Ballads (1980), Traditional Ballads: An Appreciation (1988), Ballads – Love Songs under the Greenwood Trees (1993), and A Book of Fourteen English Narrative Poems – From the Traditional Ballad to Auden (1998).
