FINDING JUSTICE. THE TOPIC OF PUNISHMENT IN BROADSIDE

BALLADS

1. Crime broadside ballads, so-called moritats

◦ An attempt to characterise reflection methods of crime and punishment

2. Characterisation of the researched body of texts

◦ sources of the Moravian Library

◦ modern critical editions of broadside ballads

◦ the period of broadside ballads' origin: from the end of the 17th century to the

last third of the 19th century

3. The recipient of crime broadside ballads and her/his preferences

4. Realised functions of broadside ballads

◦ amusement

◦ information (restricting the influence of common-folk opinions)

◦ emotionality

◦ moral guidance

5. Two parallel storylines – “profane” and “spiritual”

◦ Two node points of the narrative:

◦ the act of the crime itself

(spiritually: crime as a deed of the devil)

◦ the act of punishment, comeuppance as a means to re-establish balance

(spiritually: evidence of God's justice, a funeral as reconciliation)

◦ ritual nature of both acts

6. “The spiritual line”

◦ prayer formulas at prominent parts of the narrative – at the beginning, the end

◦ religious communication with God or patron saints

◦ story as a disguised battle of good and evil

◦ miraculous protection of the pious or the innocent

7. “The profane line” – types:

◦ “a crime in the family”

◦ a subtype: “a crime for faith”

crime with a distinctive social motivation

◦ “a crime coming from the outside”

8. The moritats and suicide

9. Topoi in crime broadside ballads

10. Conclusion

Beneš, Bohuslav. Dramatické prostředky kramářských písní 19.

století. In Otázky divadla a filmu V. Brno 1971, s. 101-125

Gáfrikova, Gizela a kol. Posledné veci človeka. Bratislava 2010

Grochowski, Piotr. Strasna zbrodnia rodzonej matki. Toruň 2010

Machek, Jakub. Počátky populární kultury v českých zemích.

Praha 2017

Prchal Pavlíčková, Radmila. O útěše proti smrti. Víra, smrt a

spása v pohřebních kázáních v období konfesionalizace. Praha

2017

Smetana, Robert, Václavek, Bedřich. O české písni lidové a

zlidovělé. Praha 1950

Václavek, Bedřich. O lidové písni a slovesnosti. Praha 1963

Żabski, Tadeusz. Proza jarmarczna XIX wieku. Próba

systematyki gatunkowej. Wroclaw 1993