--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Border Ballads, for instance, and the…" description: "\"The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png" --- # The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood… ![“The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very important heroic age.” quote by Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png) > “The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very important heroic age.” [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suggests that ballads romanticize a limited heroic past, ignoring broader societal complexities **In simple terms:** Ballads idealize a narrow heroic era, overlooking wider social realities Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of nostalgic narratives in understanding history Themes literary critique historical perspective mythmaking cultural analysis Mood reflective critical Type literary analytical When to use this quote - academic essays - literary criticism - history classes - cultural studies Key Concepts romanticism heroic age societal critique historical context Questions to Reflect On - What does focusing on heroic myths hide about everyday life? - How can we balance admiration for heroism with realistic social analysis? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex histories by focusing on heroism ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Ballads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballads/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Robin hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robin-hood/) [Robins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robins/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [The reason can only be this: heroic poetry depends on an heroic age, and an age is heroic because of what it is, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-reason-can-only-be-this-heroic-poetry-depends-on-an-heroic-age/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [The year 1896 ... marked the beginning of what has been aptly termed the heroic age of Physical Science. Never before in the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-year-1896-marked-the-beginning-of-what-has-been-aptly-termed-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [A famous man is Robin Hood, The English ballad-singer's joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/a-famous-man-is-robin-hood-the-english-ballad-singer-s-joy/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [I always wanted to be Robin Hood or John the Baptist when I was growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/i-always-wanted-to-be-robin-hood-or-john-the-baptist-when-i-was/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [“Because if Rob was going to hell, Gamelyn wasn't going to let him go alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-tullos-hennig/because-if-rob-was-going-to-hell-gamelyn-wasn-t-going-to-let-him-go/) [J. Tullos Hennig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-tullos-hennig/) > [If you open the door and realize things like the fact that Batman is occupying the same narrative space that Robin Hood used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/if-you-open-the-door-and-realize-things-like-the-fact-that-batman-is/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“IN A WORLD WHERE THE WEAK ARE PREYED UPON... crime goes unpunished and evil runs rampant in the streets, who will stand up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-wickham/in-a-world-where-the-weak-are-preyed-upon-crime-goes-unpunished-and/) Ryan Wickham > [“We don't steal from the rich and give to the poor. We steal from the poor because they can't fight back --most of them--…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/we-don-t-steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-poor-we-steal-from-the/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [In P7, I played Robin in a musical version of 'Robin Hood' and afterwards DO McLean was standing with mum and dad and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/in-p7-i-played-robin-in-a-musical-version-of-robin-hood-and/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [My agent asked if I fancied Robin Hood and I thought: 'Yeah, why not?' I hadn't watched it, to be honest, but I'd seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-froggatt/my-agent-asked-if-i-fancied-robin-hood-and-i-thought-yeah-why-not-i/) [Joanne Froggatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-froggatt/) > [Most Robin Hood stories are not very exciting. There are not a lot of surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/most-robin-hood-stories-are-not-very-exciting-there-are-not-a-lot-of/) [David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/) > [I wrote my first play when I was nine, it was about Robin Hood, from Maid Marian's point of view. I was a feminist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/i-wrote-my-first-play-when-i-was-nine-it-was-about-robin-hood-from/) [Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/) > [“It's not really fun listening to an insane person. Do you realize that? You're only entertaining yourself. Not much of a host, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lee-knuth/it-s-not-really-fun-listening-to-an-insane-person-do-you-realize-that/) Jaron Lee Knuth > [Like Robin Hood…Not real, but true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janette-rallison/like-robin-hood-not-real-but-true/) [Janette Rallison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janette-rallison/) > [“He had danced with fair maidens before, but Odette was different. She was graceful and beautiful, but there was something in her eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-dickerson/he-had-danced-with-fair-maidens-before-but-odette-was-different-she/) [Melanie Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-dickerson/) ## More by Lascelles Abercrombie > [The epic poet has behind him a tradition of matter and a tradition of style; and that is what every other poet has behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-epic-poet-has-behind-him-a-tradition-of-matter-and-a-tradition-of/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [No poet will ever take the written word as a substitute for the spoken word; he knows that it is on the spoken word,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/no-poet-will-ever-take-the-written-word-as-a-substitute-for-the/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [The world knows of a vast stock of epic material scattered up and down the nations; sometimes its artistic value is as extraordinary as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-world-knows-of-a-vast-stock-of-epic-material-scattered-up-and/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [But the development of human society does not go straight forward; and the epic process will therefore be a recurring process, the series a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/but-the-development-of-human-society-does-not-go-straight-forward-and/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [An epic is not made by piecing together a set of heroic lays, adjusting their discrepancies and making them into a continuous narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/an-epic-is-not-made-by-piecing-together-a-set-of-heroic-lays/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [Epic poetry exhibits life in some great symbolic attitude. It cannot strictly be said to symbolize life itself, but always some manner of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/epic-poetry-exhibits-life-in-some-great-symbolic-attitude-it-cannot/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [But the gravest difficulty, and perhaps the most important, in poetry meant solely for recitation, is the difficulty of achieving verbal beauty, or rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/but-the-gravest-difficulty-and-perhaps-the-most-important-in-poetry/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [The reason can only be this: heroic poetry depends on an heroic age, and an age is heroic because of what it is, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-reason-can-only-be-this-heroic-poetry-depends-on-an-heroic-age/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [The balance of private good and general welfare is at the bottom of civilized morals but the morals of the Heroic Age are founded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-balance-of-private-good-and-general-welfare-is-at-the-bottom-of/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [How to tell students what to look for without telling them what to see is the dilemma of teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/how-to-tell-students-what-to-look-for-without-telling-them-what-to/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [That is to say, epic poetry has been invented many times and independently; but, as the needs which prompted the invention have been broadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/that-is-to-say-epic-poetry-has-been-invented-many-times-and/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [With several different kinds of poetry to choose from, a man would decide that he would like best to be an epic poet, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/with-several-different-kinds-of-poetry-to-choose-from-a-man-would/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall within it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/if-epic-poetry-is-a-definite-species-the-sagas-do-not-fall-within-it/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/there-is-only-one-thing-which-can-master-the-perplexed-stuff-of-epic/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) > [It is more difficult to keep the attention of hearers than of readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/it-is-more-difficult-to-keep-the-attention-of-hearers-than-of-readers/) [Lascelles Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) [Explore all 23 Lascelles Abercrombie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very important heroic age.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lascelles Abercrombie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the-robin-hood-ballads-clearly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the-robin-hood-ballads-clearly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18b/lascelles-abercrombie-25442_age_the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the_3202780.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is…” — Lascelles Abercrombie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lascelles Abercrombie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lascelles-abercrombie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Border Ballads, for instance, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the-robin-hood-ballads-clearly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lascelles-abercrombie/the-border-ballads-for-instance-and-the-robin-hood-ballads-clearly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```