Murder ballads help us chart the frontiers of our empathy. They provide the chance to connect emotionally with victims and villains; sometimes with sympathy, sometimes with revulsion. Through them, we inhabit the perspectives of the dead and dying, witnesses and bystanders, and often the poor souls who, … Continue reading →
Arthel Lane âDocâ Watson This is our third post this week on âTom Dooley.â You can read the first here and the second here. Introduction My heart sank just a little after reading in John Edward Fletcherâs book about the … Continue reading →
James MacPhersonâs sword. The actual truth concerning the life of James MacPherson has been long lost in the mists of time. However, as with the truth concerning Liberty Valance we are really concerned with the legend. Legend has it that … Continue reading →
Imagine if you can a rich landowner surveying his lands. He has a small band of his men with him. He looks around his land with pride knowing that everything he can see is his. As he stands there he … Continue reading →
Study for âThere Were Three Maidens Puâd Flowerâ by Charles H. Mackie Death Before Dishonor?The themes in âBabylonâ pointed me back to reviewing Patâs excellent series of posts on âEdward,â (Child 13), particularly this one, which is a careful, reluctant, … Continue reading →
Note: This is Part 3 of a 4 part series â see also Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4 This weekâs first post introduced us to the ballad âEdwardâ in Ireland and America. Â My second post this week introduced … Continue reading →
At the end of this week, Iâll return to the key issues that Dylan addresses in âThe Ballad of Hollis Brown.â As part of that, Iâll look at one of if not the worst versions of the song ever sung … Continue reading →
