Lastly for now, as I have stuff to do, Child 31.

There is already a Mudcat thread for that particular Child number. I would suggest that that is the place for further discussion of that topic in detail? (Though discussion of the different uses of 'cantefable' might be relevant here, depending on how far you see it as linked to learning about ballads).

In addition, JHW kindly provided a link near the top of this page to a web site on Child. I've been looking at what it has to say on Child 31 and also at the actual Child 31. <> Well worth a look.

Naturally, the question of whether the 'Hitch' piece should be regarded as an example of Child 31 is one upon which 'the authorities' who have discussed folk music over the last 100 years have disagreed.

My own thinking, and yes, I have only read a few sections and a couple of other pieces by Child, is that he would probably have wanted to consign the song copied and pasted above to the dunghill.

My view is that, if Child compared it with, say, the treatment of a somewhat similar theme by Chaucer, in the Wife of Bath's tale, he would conclude that Chaucer has a much more interesting story. And I'm guessing Child might agree.

I'm not saying that it isn't amusing, or likeable, just that it doesn't go much beyond that for me. But probably this ought to be on the thread about Child 31.

Amused to note the objection to using a dictionary: excellent source if one wanted to make a judgement about older and new fangled uses of a term as it cites examples from the past. In my view, using the term 'cantefable' to refer to any mixture of prose and verse could be seen as robbing the term of some of its specificity.

Thank you for reading.