Miracles and Murders by Mary-Ann Constantine
The highly dramatic Breton ballad tradition is relatively little-known. This volume explores the nature of the songs and the contexts in which they have been performed. A selection of songs is presented here in the original Breton with English translations and musical notation. The accompanying CD provides examples sung by traditional singers.
Miracles & Murders is almost the perfect book within the scope it sets itself, being an 'introductory anthology'. If you read only one book about gwerzioù (and if you are in any branch of Celtic studies whatsoever, you should), this is it ... [F]or someone not looking for more avenues of research to pursue, but simply wanting to get a taste of the gwerzioù, there is little more to be said. I praise the book highly. * Matthieu Boyd, North American Journal of Celtic studies *
[Although], the widely accepted notion that the menacing impact of globalisation and consequent cultural homogeneity have provoked a renewed and defensive interest in 'smaller', local identities and cultural heritage indicates that Miracles and Murders will attract a much wider, general readership. The provision of these scholarly, literary translations into English of the Breton ballads thus has the potential not merely to enrich the pursuits of academic researchers, but also to stimulate the imagination of all those who look to the past, or to a Celtic heritage, to reinforce a sense of belonging in this modern age. In achieving this dual appeal, Constantine and Guillorel will undoubtedly succeed in their aim to 'give the Breton gwerziou a new lease of life' (p. 29). * H-France Review *
Mary-Ann Constantine is a Reader in Welsh and English literature at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. Her work is concerned with the relations between and mutual influence of the different cultures and languages of Britain (and to some extent beyond) in the late-C18th and early-C19th centuries. She has published books on Breton folklore, ballads and songs, Romantic-era forgery, and Welsh responses to the French Revolution. Her current work is focused on travel writing, the Welsh Tour, and the writings of Thomas Pennant (1726-98).
Éva Guillorel is an Associate Professor in Early Modern History at the Université de Caen Normandie. Her studies have included History, Ethnology and Celtic Languages, and she has held postdoctoral fellowships in Brittany, Québec, United States and England. Her works is concerned with oral cultures and languages in early modern Europe and Americas, mainly songs. She published her Ph.D. on the links between Breton Ballads and History. Her current work is focused on the circulation and transformation of oral cultures over space and time, including cultural transfers between Europe and North America.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780197266199 |
| ISBN 10 | 0197266193 |
| Title | Miracles and Murders |
| Author | Mary-Ann Constantine |
| Series | British Academy Monographs Series |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 2017-05-04 |
| Number of pages | 250 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |