1. Vicki Vest Central High School
Ballads
Vicki Vest
Central High School

2. Origins Ballad: from the French for “dancing song”
From the Middle Ages
From the oral tradition
From the common people, therefore usually anonymous

3. Defininiton A ballad is a form of verse to be sung or recited
Presents a dramatic or exciting episode in narrative form

4. Plot
En Medias Res
One episode
Dramatic
About common people
About courage, love, tragedy
Supernatural elements

5. Structure Incremental repetition is common Transitions are abrupt
Ballad Stanzas: quatrains
Closes with a Summary Stanza
Ballad Meter: iambic tetrameter, followed by iambic trimeter
Rhyme scheme: ABCB (mainly)

6. Narration Little characterization Little description
Generally focused on the action

7. Dialogue Narration is usually detached
Action usually developed through dialogue

8. Language
Tragic and dramatic events are described in the most simplistic, plain language
Repetition and Refrain

9. Kinds Historical (usually also tragic) Outlaw (usually also tragic)
Romance (usually also tragic)
Tragic (yeah, you guessed it.)
Supernatural (and yes, even these are usually tragic)

10. Ballad examples
Paso Marty Robbins
Johnny Horton
Battle of New Orleans Johnny Horton
Hayes
Henry
John Jimmy Dean 
of the Edmund Fitzgerald Gordon Lightfoot
Smithsonian (Scottish)
Smithsonian (American)