The Breitmann Ballads

Name: The Breitmann Ballads
Author: Charles Godfrey Leland

By Charles Godfrey Leland

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American Literature Humour Poetry

About This Book

A lively collection of macaronic ballads voiced by a boisterous, broken-English narrator who blends English with foreign words and comic spellings. The poems move between rollicking sketches, political burlesques, parodies, and occasional tender lyrics, using dialectal rhythm and mock-translation for theatrical effect. Performance-minded devices — repetition, invented pronunciation, and stageable jokes — give many pieces the feel of spoken entertainment, while editorial apparatus helps decode linguistic play. Overall the book balances affectionate caricature and broad humour with intermittent moments of earnest feeling and social observation.

About the Author

Charles Godfrey Leland

Charles Godfrey Leland was an American author, folklorist, and humorist, known for his diverse contributions to literature and culture in the 19th century. He is particularly recognized for his works on folklore and the Romani culture, as seen in titles like "The English Gipsies and Their Language" and "Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling." Leland also explored themes of American history and mythology, notably in "Abraham Lincoln and the Abolition of Slavery in the United States." His literary style often blended humor with a deep appreciation for the oral traditions of various cultures, making him a unique figure in American literary heritage.