"Not playing Jim. Go wind somebody else up."
It appears you are more comfortable at abusing rather than puting up a half decent case Pseud - fine by me
It puts your arguments where they need to be
The quote you stumbled across on Amazon is the opening one in the work whose validity you are questioning, which makes it plain that you have not even seen it
No wind-up intended, I can assure you.
The work of Bronson, along with Child, who is also included in your attacks, forms the basis of our knowledge of the ballads - one would have thought that if you are going to pull them to pieces you must have examined them rather than having to scout round the internet for random, out of context quotes
I would highly recommend Bronson's excellent collection of essays, 'The Ballad as Song' for detailed analyses of the genre
I ask again - can you please keep your abusive behaviour in check for the sake of those who wish to seriously discuss the ballad - it has no place here
Jim