Popular Poetry Aroused by the Civil War: From Its Function of Solidarity to Its Influence on Music and Art

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520266
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Rikkyo University (2014); Tohoku University (2012-2013)
• Principal Investigator: SAWAIRI Yoji 立教大学, 文学部, 教授 (20261539)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 大衆詩 / 南北戦争 / ジョン・グリーンリーフ・ホイッティア / ジェイムズ・ラッセル・ローウェル / ユーモア詩 / 式典詩 / ストーンウォール・ジャクソン / ワシントン砲兵隊

Outline of Final Research Achievements

When the Civil War broke out, popular poets in America stood up to sing. They rendered almost all the aspects of the war including bravery and mourning. Although many of their poems were a simple expression of ingenuous feelings, artless in style and naive in sentiment, this study shows that some verse carry out complex functions in ingenious depiction. For instance, “Barbara Frietchie,” a poem written during the war about a fearless old woman defying an enemy force, is not just a morale-boosting portrayal but suggests even a mutual reconciliation and postwar peace. “That Bugler,” though being a Southern comic song in which soldiers make a loud complaint about their prevailing bugler, also functions to strengthen their unity as a corps and prepare them for an honorable death. Popular poems, even those of the Civil War, contained multi-layered meanings beneath the surface of straightforward text.

Free Research Field

アメリカ詩