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Structure: *4 Lines (quatrain) *One stanza *2nd and 4th line rhyme Characteristics: Short event or story put into song. Folk ballads are one stanza, literary ballads are more formal and can be composed of several stanzas. Origins: Also called popular ballads, ballads were passed orally from generation to generation as songs. The song would usually tell a story and include a shock refrain (impacting repetition) without going into detail of setting, characterization, etc. |
Example: Jésse had a wífe to móurn for his lífe, Three chíldren, théy were bráve; But the dírty little cóward that shót Mister Hóward Has láid Jesse Jámes in his gráve. “Ballad of Jesse James” (Example from The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.) |