William Motherwell's Cultural Politics

William Motherwell (1797-1835), journalist, poet, man-of-letters, wit, civil servant, and outspoken conservative, published his anthology of ballads, Minstrelsy: Ancient and Modern, in 1827. His views on authenticity, editorial practice, the nature of oral transmission, and the importance of sung performance-acquired through field collecting-anticipate much later scholarly discourse.

Published after the death of Burns and the publication of Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, ballads ...