EDITING SWINBURNE'S BORDER BALLADS

The border ballad exerted a powerful influence on Swinburne, who held the genre in high esteem. More than a form that he occasionally studied and imitated, it saturated his verse and infused his prose with poetry. In it he found something archaic, vigorous, and profound. This connection has received scant critical attention. Further study would allow us to draw connections between his verse, prose, and non-fiction writing and to trace development in a poet who has often been unfairly dismissed as a brilliant versifier but stagnant thinker.