Pope as a Maker of Ballads

The intriguing sub-title of Albert B. Friedman's book, The Balled Revival: Studies in the influence of Popular on Sophisticated Poetry, points to the crux of my thesis: was the most sophisticated poet of a very sophisticated literary age seriously influenced in his work by the popular ballads enjoyed by the common people? h brief but comprehensive examination of the status of the ballad in the early eighteenth century will show that ballads were at that time more widely enjoyed and admired than has often been thought. The second chapter will demonstrate, through a study of statements by Pope and of the ballads he wrote, that this poet was well aware of the popularity of ballads in his time and knew the fine points of ballad style and subject matter. Finally, a comparative study of Pope's "Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady" and a broadside ballad with a similar title will present strong evidence for Pope's probable adaptation of this ballad story in writing his elegy.