Matthew Prior, Down-Hall, a Ballad

Pat Rogers (University of South Florida)

Ed. by Nicholas Seager, University of Keele
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1723

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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The revival of interest in folk literature at the start of the eighteenth century coincided with an increasing use of the ballad form by writers in the established canon. These literary expansions of the mode did not seek to imitate avowedly “simple” attitudes in the way that Wordsworth and Coleridge professed to do in

Lyrical Ballads

(1798). For one thing, they were influenced less by traditional folk literature, commonly disseminated orally and dealing with rural life, than by the predominantly urban broadside ballads, in most cases appearing in printed form. In addition, they often follow the rhythms and stanzaic patterns of well known tunes, which their Romantic successors rarely chose to attempt. Among the writers skilled in the adaptation of the older popular form to

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1222 words

Citation: Rogers, Pat. "Down-Hall, a Ballad". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 July 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5530, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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