Dzieciobójstwo w balladach na podstawie wybranych utworów szkockich i polskich. Studium prawno-literackie

The article discusses the representation of infanticide in selected Scottish and Polish ballads. The analysis aims to compare Scottish and Polish law and literature. The selected texts show that, despite different cultural settings, there are many similarities in depicting infanticide. In both Polish and Scottish literature, the law is a tool of oppression and revenge used against women. Another function of the law is to deter potential female perpetrators from killing their babies. Some ballads portray the changes in the law that happened in the 19th century.