| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000)
Fiscal Year 1996: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The purposes of this project are (1) to establish "A genealogy of the Literary Ballad" inherited from Thomas Percy, (2) to discuss the phases of imitation and deviation of the nineteenth century literary ballad, and (3) to consider the meanings of the imitation and the deviation in the nineteenth century context. Besides Tennyson and Kingsley, I have studied Lewis Carroll and John Davidson, concerning the important phases in the era, "Parody" and "Gothicism."
1. The Existence of Readers reflected in Tennyson's Imitation : Tennyson imitates refrain and transformation of a proper noun into a pronoun. These techniques imply that he creates inherent audience like those who take part in the traditional ballad. As poets have lost audience since the industrialization of society, Tennyson's imitation shows a way to regain the lost audience.
2. Kingsley's Imitation as a Criticism of the Age : Among elaborate imitators of the age, Kingsley simply imitates stories of the traditional ballad. His simple narratives, however, stem from his literary attitude to the works of the age. He confesses in his letter that he attaches much importance to objectivity, and criticizes the subjectivity of the literary ballad of the age.
3. Parody Ballad as Self Caricature : The popularity of parody ballads in the nineteenth century implies that the Victorian era has an ability to caricature itself. Lewis Carroll makes several parody ballads from various scenes of traditional ballads to satirize the convention of the age. H.D.Traill makes a parody of Rossetti's two pieces one of which is an imitation of a traditional ballad. His parody makes a double deviation.
4. Davidson's Gothic Ballad : Using a traditional figure of "Thomas the Rhymer, " Davidson makes a deviation from traditional to gothic. This embodies his artistic view on poetry where he believes poetry is an expression of the unconscious.
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