Throughout centuries English and Scottish ballads have reached a great audience, being a link between generations, since they have always been orally transmitted.
One of these ballads is “The Maid Freed from the Gallows,” Child 95. Eight different variations of this ballad are mentioned. For instance, “The Broom of the Cathery Knowes,” “Lady Maisry,” “The Golden Key” or “The Golden Ball” can be found in English and Scottish tradition. Not only English and Scottish variations of the ballad are popular. Moreover, variation B can be found in more than ten European countries.
Also, variation B “The Broom of the Cathery Knowes” appears in different versions. In the following paper “’The Broom o the Cathery Knowes’ and its Place in Tradition” a version, from the Motherwell MS, recited by Widow McCormick, is analysed. Above all the plot structure, time and place, tunes, and language will be considered. Taking all these aspects into account, this analysis will determine, where this version can be placed in the ballad tradition.
This paper will take the term definition of John Antony Cuddon’s Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory as a basis for research. The analysis of the ballad according to Wolfgang Müller’s ideas concerning ballad origin, rhyme, metre and language will show, how “The Broom o Cathery Knows” fits these aspects.
In the early 1970s Eleanor Long dealt with “The Maid Freed from the Gallows” when she wrote “The Maid” and “The Hangman” which will be used in this paper to categorize the discussed variation of Emily Lile’s Scottish Ballads. Putting the ballad into Long’s “Schema” wilI make the significance of the peculiarities of this version apparent. Regarding every stanza and often even every verse or single words of the ballad, Eleanor Long compared all the versions of “The Broom of the Cathery Knowes”, Child 95 B. Working with her “Schema” the differences between Widow McCormick’s singing and popular versions become obvious.
David Covington Fowler’s A Literary History of the Popular Ballad and Deborah Symonds Weep Not for Me: Women, Ballads, and Infanticide in Early Modern Scotland allowed to find traces to the geographic and historical origin of “The Broom o the Cathery Knowes”, which are connected to infanticide and death sentences int the 17th and 18th century.
In the end the motifs of “The Broom o Cathery Knowes” will be regarded as they are listed in Natascha Würzbach and Simone Salz’s Motif Index of the Child Corpus.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 TERM DEFINITION
3 PLOT
4 STRUCTURE
4.1 IN MEDIAS RES
4.2 THE REQUEST TO THE JUDGE
4.3 THE ENTREATY FOR HELP
4.4 THE ANSWER
4.5 THE REFRAIN
5 POPULAR TUNES
6 TIME AND PLACE
7 BALLAD MOTIFS
8 LANGUAGE
9 CONCLUSION
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to analyze the specific version of the ballad "The Broom o the Cathery Knowes" found in the Motherwell Manuscript to determine its placement and significance within the broader English and Scottish ballad tradition, utilizing established literary criteria and motifs.
- The structural analysis of the ballad using Eleanor Long's "Schema."
- Examination of the plot, characterization, and the role of incremental repetition.
- Evaluation of the ballad's language, rhyme scheme, and metrical composition.
- Investigation of historical and geographic contexts, particularly the influence of 17th and 18th-century Scottish infanticide laws.
- Comparison of motif usage according to the Motif Index of the Child Corpus.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 In Medias Res
Especially the sudden beginning of the ballad takes the listener by surprise, although it is typical of ballads in general. Emily Lyle’s version of the ballad “The Broom of the Cathery Knowes” does not have any introduction. The reader comes into contact with the action when it already is at a complicated point. In the case of this ballad, the reader neither gets to know who the protagonist or the other characters are and what happened before the described situation, nor why the maid was sentenced to be hanged. Moreover, he does not know whether she has committed a crime or whether it is fair or unfair that she should lose her life.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: Presents the background of English and Scottish ballads and sets the scope for the analysis of the Motherwell MS version of "The Broom o the Cathery Knowes".
2 TERM DEFINITION: Establishes a theoretical framework for defining folk ballads based on Cuddon’s Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory.
3 PLOT: Summarizes the narrative arc of the ballad, highlighting the conflict of a condemned woman seeking rescue from her family and lover.
4 STRUCTURE: Analyzes the formal composition, including common metre, paratactic sentence structure, and the function of incremental repetition.
4.1 IN MEDIAS RES: Explains the technique of starting the narrative abruptly, without prior context regarding the protagonist or her alleged crime.
4.2 THE REQUEST TO THE JUDGE: Examines the repetitive structure of the maiden’s entreaties to the judge upon seeing her family members arrive.
4.3 THE ENTREATY FOR HELP: Details the specific requests for ransom directed at the father, mother, brother, and lover.
4.4 THE ANSWER: Discusses the recurring negative responses from the family and the significance of the missing answer from the lover.
4.5 THE REFRAIN: Analyzes the borrowed refrain from "The Broom of Cowdenknowes" and its function as a mnemonic and thematic device.
5 POPULAR TUNES: Describes the musical history and the adoption of the tune from Child 217.
6 TIME AND PLACE: Addresses the ambiguity of the setting and the historical context of 17th and 18th-century Scottish hangings.
7 BALLAD MOTIFS: Investigates the core motifs of help, ransom, and execution as categorized in the Motif Index of the Child Corpus.
8 LANGUAGE: Analyzes the linguistic characteristics, including Scottish vernacular, formulas, and dialogue-driven narration.
9 CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings, confirming the ballad as a model example of traditional Scottish folk balladry.
Keywords
Ballad, The Broom o the Cathery Knowes, Oral Tradition, Child 95, Ransom, Incremental Repetition, Folk Literature, Scottish Ballads, Motherwell Manuscript, Motif Index, Infanticide, Narrative Structure, Dialogic, Folklore, Tragedy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work provides a comprehensive literary analysis of the ballad "The Broom o the Cathery Knowes" (Child 95 B) to assess its standing within the traditional Scottish ballad corpus.
What are the central themes examined in the analysis?
The core themes include the role of the family versus the individual, the tension between justice and mercy, the practice of paying ransom, and the structural reliance on repetition.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to analyze the Motherwell Manuscript version of the ballad to determine how well it conforms to, or deviates from, the established theoretical criteria for traditional folk ballads.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses a structural and thematic approach, applying Eleanor Long's "Schema" for ballad classification and referencing John Antony Cuddon's definitions of ballad terminology.
What aspects of the ballad are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the plot, structural devices like incremental repetition and refrains, metrical analysis, historical context regarding Scottish law, and motif comparisons.
Which keywords define this paper?
Key terms include ballad, oral tradition, ransom, motif index, incremental repetition, and folklore.
How does the author evaluate the "missing" ending of the ballad?
The author argues that the absence of the lover's answer is a typical fragmentary feature of Scottish versions, which paradoxically enhances the dramatic tension and allows the reader to hope for a positive outcome.
What historical event is linked to the ballad's content?
The author connects the ballad's subject matter to the prevalence of "Act Anent Child Murder" cases in 17th and 18th-century Scotland, where unmarried mothers were frequently condemned to execution.
- Quote paper
- Mareike Hachemer (Author), 2003, About "The Broom o the Cathery Knowes" and its Place in Tradition, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/196081
