Description
Book SynopsisWelsh Ballads of the French Revolution (1793 - 1815) is an edition of ballads composed in the Welsh language during a momentous period in the history of Western civilization. The texts respond to the upheavals of the Revolutionary decade and its afermath, as people in Britain began to react to the violent deaths of the French monarchs.
Trade ReviewThe vibrancy and colour of the Welsh ballads of the French Revolution are brought to life in this ground-breaking anthology edited and translated by Ffion Mair Jones. Offering a detailed analysis of ballads responding to the upheavals of the French Revolution, this volume reveals how the traumatic events of the period were interpreted and presented to Welsh audiences at the time. Ffion Mair Jones argues that despite being overwhelmingly loyal to the British crown, these ballads are far from being monotonous in their conservatism and she uncovers the historical and contemporary impulses that encouraged loyalty and discouraged dissent among the popular poets of the day. By making these ballads accessible to a wider audience, this volume will shed new light on Welsh popular responses to the most dramatic and important event in eighteenth-century Europe. Dr Siwan Rosser, School of Welsh, Cardiff University
Table of ContentsIntroduction Responding to Revolution The Voices of Dissent: The ballads of south-west Wales (1793) 'Faithful Britons': The loyalist response (1793 - 4) The Fishguard Invasion (1797): Loyalty, identity and the hand of God Taking up Arms: Militia, volunteers and the army (1793 - 1815) War-reporting (1794 - 1815) The Duke of York (1793, 1794) The Glorious First of June and Cape St Vincent (1794, 1797) Nelson ballads (1805) Napoleon ballads (1812 - 15) Conclusion
