Among the genres of world literature, ballads are especially distinguished, which romantic poets loved to appeal to. Initially, the genre originated in the poetry of the Middle Ages, but was later rethought and acquired a new sound and meaning. We offer you to get acquainted with the key features of a ballad that will help distinguish it from other poetic works.
Distinctive features
It is customary to consider Robert Burns to be the creator of a literary ballad, who actively turned to folk plots, but clothed them in a more regular poetic form. In his works, the features of the song itself and the fascinating story with the plot are harmoniously interwoven. What are the main signs of a ballad distinguished literary scholars?
- The author’s feelings or sensations of the characters are expressed clearly and expressively.
- The plot is required, but in some cases it can be replaced by a dialogue in which there is any action.
- Often used an element of mystery, mysticism, something unknown, this gives the text a special sound. Examples of such a construction of the text can be found in Zhukovsky (for example, "Svetlana", "Lenora" - the author’s translation of the eponymous work by Burger).
- Often the action takes place against the backdrop of a striking landscape: incredible beautiful or fantastic.
It is equally important to note that the hallmark of the ballad as a literary genre is the unification in a single text, often small in volume, of epic and lyrical principles.
Unlike other genres
Consider how the ballad differs from similar genres, epics and tales. For convenience, the material is presented in the form of a table.
Distinctive features of the ballad genre| Comparison parameter | Ballad | Bylina | Story |
| Authorship | There are folk and literary texts | No author, texts relate to oral folk art | There are folk and literary texts |
| Presentation Feature | They were written in poetic form. The ballad line was used: even and odd verses had a different number of stops | Written in tonic verse, most often the number of stresses is from 2 to 4 | Both prose and poetic forms could be used, depending on the author’s desire |
| Plot | Story Required |
| Heroes | Any person with whom an event worthy of mention could be a hero | The good character is the embodiment of courage and justice in the popular consciousness - a hero or a prince. He always performs his deeds for the sake of the people. Negative hero - the embodiment of evil qualities, is often a fictional creature (Nightingale the Robber) | Fairy tale: the heroes were kings, princes, invented creatures, sorcerers. On animals: there are representatives of wildlife endowed with human qualities. Household: ordinary people (peasants, priests, soldiers) |
| Scene | Against the background of a mysterious or beautiful landscape | Necessarily clearly indicated (Kiev city) | The text may not have mentioned the scene |
| Theme | An unusual event in the life of any person, not necessarily a hero. Although there is a separate layer of heroic ballads (for example, about Robin Hood) | An event of all-Russian significance, with patriotic pathos, something great, a grand victory | Absolutely any event at the will of the narrator |
Using the table, you can understand the signs of a ballad and quickly distinguish the works of this genre from any others.
Zhukovsky texts
This romantic poet was so fond of the genre in question that he was jokingly nicknamed the “ballad”. He wrote a huge number of translations and his own texts, which are still interesting to the reader due to the uncomplicated syllable and fascinating plot. What are the main signs of Zhukovsky’s ballads?
- In many tests, the motive of the struggle between evil and good sounds, and the author’s sympathies are on the side of the latter, but negative characters often win (the girl Lyudmila in the same work died only because she wanted to stay with her lover forever).
- The presence of otherworldly power, a mystical component (fortune-telling, ghosts, fantastic creatures - all this makes the texts interesting for the modern reader).
- A large number of dialogs that make the perception of the text even easier.
- A special role is played by the description of nature, sometimes the landscape becomes a kind of character.
A sign of love ballads is deep penetration and expression in the poetic text of the subtlest shades of feelings.
Here is an example from Svetlana:
How can I, girlfriends, sing?
A sweet friend is far away;
I have a fate to die
In sadness lonely.
A year has passed - no news;
He does not write to me;
Oh! and they only have a red light
They only breathe heart ...
Or don’t you remember me?
Where, in which direction are you?
Where is your abode?
I pray and pour tears!
Satisfy my sorrow
Comforter angel.
The text conveys all the experiences of Svetlana, her longing, doubts and the hope that her beloved will nevertheless return to her.
"Forest king"
Consider the signs of a ballad in the "Forest Tsar" Zhukovsky, a small volume of work, built in the form of dialogue. What features allow to refer the text to ballads?
- The presence of the plot, which has a certain dynamics.
- The big role of dialogue.
- Expression of feelings: reading a ballad, you begin to experience the horror that the child and his father feel from the presence of the Forest King.
- The mystical component is the king himself, the death of the baby.
Finally, despite the fact that the work is complete in meaning, it retains an element of mystery. Such signs of a ballad can be found in Zhukovsky’s “Forest Tsar”.
Ballad is an amazing genre that has now unjustly lost its popularity. These poetic texts allow you to talk about an unusual event, and express your attitude to the heroes of the story.