The Bab Ballads

Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), 1836-1911Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Bab Ballads by W. S. GilbertAuthor: Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), 1836-1911,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 1, 1997

Editor's review

The Bab Ballads is a collection of humorous and satirical verse that Gilbert published early in his career in the magazine Fun, for which he drew the grotesque illustrations himself; many of its plots and characters were later carried over by him and Sullivan into the Savoy operas. These poems excel in absurd logic, puns and sudden reversals, taking apart Victorian respectability, bureaucratic habits and sentimentality one by one. For Chinese readers it is both a starting point for understanding Gilbert's comic genius and a primary text for observing where the lyrics of light opera came from. There is no need to read it straight through; it is better to open it at random and appreciate the fun in the English rhymes and exaggerated narration. If you know the Savoy operas, you can also recognize passages later adapted, for an extra pleasure of intertextuality. The Gutenberg edition is easy to search and compare, making it a light read for the prehistory of English humorous poetry and musical theater.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love English humorous poetry and satirical literature
Light opera fans who want to understand the textual sources of the Savoy operas
Learners who need short English poems for casual extensive reading
Readers interested in the social life of the Victorian era

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting serious lyric poetry or profoundly philosophical works
Readers with little experience of English poetry who rely on line-by-line translation
Readers hoping for a complete plot or a long narrative

Reading tips

Read a few short poems first to get the rhythm, then choose the pieces adapted into operas for close reading.
Read aloud to feel the rhymes and puns; skip unfamiliar words at first and look them up after finishing the poem.
Read alongside Savoy opera lyrics and note how plots and characters were rewritten.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and the Savoy operas?

These humorous poems were written by Gilbert early in his career for a magazine, and many of their plots, characters and absurd episodes were later brought to the Savoy operas by him and the composer Sullivan. The book can therefore be seen as a source bank and prehistory of those classic light operas; after reading it, you will more easily recognize where things come from when you watch the operas.

How difficult is the English, and what level is it suitable for?

The diction is somewhat Victorian, with many puns, double meanings and period allusions; the grammar is not very hard, but the fun often lies in wordplay. It suits readers with university-level English reading ability who are willing to consult notes; beginners can start with a translation or selected short pieces.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

The Gutenberg edition is a free public-domain electronic text, convenient for searching, copying and comparing the original on a computer or e-reader. It is a text prepared by an early e-book project, plainly formatted, without a modern introduction or detailed notes; readers can use reference materials alongside it.

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About the author

Gilbert, W. S. (William Schwenck), 1836-1911 Author

W. S. Gilbert (William Schwenck Gilbert, 1836–1911) was an English playwright and poet. Public information about him is limited; the library holds eight of his works, chiefly humorous verse and plays. Representative works include The Bab Ballads and its expanded collection The Bab Ballads, with Which Are Included Songs of a Savoyard, Fifty Bab Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense, Bab Ballads and Savoy Songs, More Bab Ballads, Original Plays, Original Plays, Second Series, and Songs of a Savoyard. These works show his gift for light, nimble rhyme and witty narrative poetry, often with absurd situations and ironic touches. The Bab Ballads first appeared in magazines with his own illustrations and were later collected; their ballads and motifs also fed into his stage writing. His plays and Savoy opera lyrics are closely linked, marked by playful language and neat construction, and have had a lasting influence on English light opera and comic verse.