Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads by Guillorel, Eva

Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780197266199)

Author: Eva Guillorel
Product Type: Books
Format: Hardcover
$80.00
$80.00
$80.00
Subtotal: $80.00
Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads by Guillorel, Eva

Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads

$80.00
Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads by Guillorel, Eva

Miracles and Murders: An Introductory Anthology of Breton Ballads

$80.00
Format: Hardcover
Description
Description
x
This is a vivid introduction, by two of the foremost scholars in the field, to one of the most fascinating and little-known song traditions in Europe, the Breton gwerz, or ballad. These narrative songs, collected in Western Brittany from the 19th century to the present day, recount a wealth of stories based on tragic local events or legends. They tell of shipwrecks, abductions, accidents and murders, miraculous rescues, penitent souls, and strange journeys. Quite unlike songs from the neighbouring French tradition, and distinct from anything else in the other Celtic languages, these ballads unfold in clear, spare verses, filled with striking imagery: they are often highly dramatic in nature.

Historians of popular culture will find much to explore here, as will medievalists interested in tracing themes and legends across different European cultures, or linguists looking for rare material in Breton. But the gwerziou speak to readers and listeners of all kinds, with stories of violence, love, and grief that touch us directly today. This generous selection of songs is presented here for the first time in the original Breton with English translations and musical notation; an accompanying CD showcases some of the most famous Breton traditional singers. A comprehensive introductory essay offers insights into the history of ballad collection in Brittany, the nature of the songs, and the contexts in which they have been performed.


Author: Eva Guillorel
ISBN-10: 0197266193
ISBN-13: 9780197266199
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 07/01/2017
Pages: 250
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.65lbs
Size: 9.70h x 7.50w x 0.90d
By Eva Guillorel
By Eva Guillorel
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Eva Guillorel is an Associate Professor in Early Modern History at the Universite de Caen Normandie. Her studies have included History, Ethnology and Celtic Languages, and she has held postdoctoral fellowships in Brittany, Quebec, United States and England. Her works is concerned with oral cultures and languages in early modern Europe and Americas, mainly songs. She published her Ph.D. on the links between Breton Ballads and History. Her current work is focused on the circulation and transformation of oral cultures over space and time, including cultural transfers between Europe and North America.

Mary-Ann Constantine is a Reader in Welsh and English literature at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. Her work is concerned with the relations between and mutual influence of the different cultures and languages of Britain (and to some extent beyond) in the late-C18th and early-C19th centuries. She has published books on Breton folklore, ballads and songs, Romantic-era forgery, and Welsh responses to the French Revolution. Her current work is focused on travel writing, the Welsh Tour, and the writings of Thomas Pennant (1726-98).

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