Poetic Terms Dictionary
Poetic Form

Broadside Ballad

Flourished from the 16th to 18th centuries. Broadsides were the mass media of their age, sold at markets and executions.

Definition

A ballad printed on a single sheet (broadside) for popular sale and communal singing, especially in early modern England.

Example

'The Ballad of Captain Kidd' — a broadside narrating a pirate's trial and execution.

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