Street Ballads in Nineteenth-Century Britain, Ireland, and North America: The Interface between Print and Oral Tradition, (Paperback)

In recent years, the assumption that traditional songs originated from a primarily oral tradition has been challenged by research into 'street literature'. Not only are some traditional singers known to have learned songs from printed sources, but most of the songs were composed by professional writers. This volume engages with the long-running debate over the origin of traditional songs by examining street literature's interaction with and influence on oral traditions.