Masquerading as men, heroic women star in over 120 popular ballads that were "smash hits" from Elizabethan to Victorian times. Poignant and lively, their stories are set to beautiful traditional tunes from England, Scotland, Ireland, and America. Dianne Dugaw gives a stirring portrait of women soldiers and sailors of former times that is based on her own collection of these now rare songs. "Dangerous Examples" gives you 10 of these extraordinary songs.
AND THE TITLE? WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
"Manly they marched by two and by three,
But the foremost in battle was Mary Ambree."
("Mary Ambree", c. 1600)
"Mistress Mary Ambree, your examples are dangerous."
(Ben Jonson, London, 1609)
Dianne Dugaw performs at colleges, festivals, and conferences throughout the US and Canada. She is a professor of Literature and Folklore at the University of Oregon.
Her book, "Warrior Women & Popular Balladry, 1650-1850" can be ordered from the University of Chicago Press, www.press.uchicago.edu
Check out the website on warrior women at
http://server.fhp.uoregon.edu/dtu/sites/warrior
user: dtu password: 222hijinx
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