Gummere, Francis B. Popular ballad. (Types of English literature ser., v. 1.) **$1.50. Houghton.
7–18086.
“Prof. Gummere starts out with a severely critical consideration of just what must be meant by ‘popular’ as applied to ballads and rules out all but about 300 specimens of the genre. While he treats the ballad as a closed account, an outcome of conditions which no longer exist, he admits that there is nothing to prevent the daily production of ballads which in time may become as popular as any in this collection. But he restricts the present study to these remnants of oral tradition, divides them into half a dozen classes, studies their sources, and gives a critical estimate of their worth.”—N. Y. Times.
“The last chapter on the worth of the ballad as poetry, is written ‘con amore,’ but with all that admirable scholarly restraint that marks all of Professor Gummere’s work.”
| + | Dial. 43: 170. S. 16, ’07. 320w. |
“Notwithstanding the differences of opinion which we entertain regarding these matters of controversy, we gladly acknowledge the interest of Prof. Gummere’s work, and believe that it will be accepted as beginning auspiciously a series which promises great usefulness.”
| + − | Nation. 85: 122. Ag. 8. ’07. 1350w. |
“Prof. Gummere writes in an interesting style. He has a cleverness of statement and an ability to use aptly and vividly a very great fund of erudition that will make his book entertaining as well as instructive for the general reader, while the special student will find it a mine of information.”
| + + | N. Y. Times. 12: 433. Jl. 6, ’07. 280w. |