ABSTRACT

In the months following the Peterloo Massacre, an array of poems and songs was published in radical newspapers or as broadside ballads, the first of which appeared in the Manchester Observer a mere five days after the event. What is of import regarding Peterloo's literature is the speed with which it was written and published as well as the range of genres used by the largely anonymous balladeers to convey the outrage, horror and despair felt by the majority of English people at the slaughter of their fellow citizens. This article explores a selection of Peterloo songs, focusing both on their initial publication and longer-lasting impact on radical discourse not only demonstrating that they were not as ephemeral as the publications in which they were first printed, but also indicating the wider significance of Peterloo to the continuing campaign for democracy. Furthermore, through a joint project with musicians as part of the bicentennial commemorations, new life has been breathed into these songs, enabling the voices from 200 years ago to both inform and inspire audiences in an era in which democracy is under siege and xenophobic nationalism on the rise.

摘要

在彼得卢大屠杀之后的几个月里，激进的报纸或宽边歌谣发表了一系列诗歌和歌曲，其中第一首出现在曼彻斯特观察家报上事件发生仅五天后。彼得卢文学的重要之处在于它的写作和出版速度，以及大部分匿名的民谣歌手用来表达大多数英国人在被屠杀时所感受到的愤怒、恐惧和绝望的流派范围。本国人。本文探讨了一系列彼得卢歌曲，重点关注它们的最初出版和对激进话语的长期影响，不仅表明它们不像最初印刷的出版物那样短暂，而且表明彼得卢更广泛的意义到持续的民主运动。此外，作为 200 周年纪念活动的一部分，通过与音乐家的联合项目，为这些歌曲注入了新的活力，