Fragments and Meaning in Traditional Song: From the Blues to the Baltic (British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Monographs) - Hardcover

Constantine, Mary-Ann; Porter, Gerald

9780197262887: Fragments and Meaning in Traditional Song: From the Blues to the Baltic (British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Monographs)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0197262880 ISBN 13: 9780197262887

Publisher: British Academy, 2003

This is a study of very short songs: pieces long perceived as 'fragments' or remnants of longer narrative texts, and dismissed as the by-products of a degenerative oral tradition. Coverage includes English, Welsh, Breton, American, and Finnish songs. The authors argue that the inherently metaphorical and connotative idiom of traditional song makes external critical notions of 'completeness' inappropriate: in practice, such pieces are rarely felt to be broken or lacking by those who sing them - they have a strong metonymic force. A wide range of texts and traditions texts and traditions is explored to suggest how short songs may convey meaning both in performance and in non-traditional contexts such as the literary novel.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Mary-Ann Constantine is a Senior Research Fellow, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. Gerald Porter is an Adjunct Professor of English Literature and Culture, University of Umea, Sweden.

Review:

"It is a tribute to the authors' vision and tenacity, as well as the patience of their partners, that Fragments and Meaning has come to fruition as a source of insight and information, an inspiration to scholars seeking to understand better the meaning of song."-Thomas A. McKean, Journal of American Folklore

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.