The Rose and the Briar: Death, Love, and Liberty in the American Ballad

by Sean Wilentz (Editor), Greil Marcus (Editor)

A devastatingly original work that plunges into the emotional heart of the American psyche. Praised by Robbie Robertson of The Band as "a classic & a ticket to ride," The Rose & the Briar assembles an astonishing group of writers and artists: Paul Muldoon, Stanley Crouch, R. Crumb, Jon Langford of the Mekons, Sharyn McCrumb, Luc Sante, Joyce Carol Oates, Dave Marsh, and more than a dozen other novelists, essayists, performers, and critics; to explore the ineffable power of the American ballad. From "Barbara Allen" through "The Wreck of the Old 97" to contemporary ballads by Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, The Rose & the Briar is, as Geoffrey O'Brien hailed in the Los Angeles Times Book Review, "a book full of internal echoes and provocative coincidences," featuring "historical investigation, shamanistic trance-journey, memoir, novella and cartoon," where "names and costumes change, soldiers become cowboys, demon lovers become backwoods murderer; the voices are unmistakably distinct but they share a common ground." 25 illustrations

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Criticism, Essays, Folklore, Crime

418 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Sean Wilentz is the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University. His many books include The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics (2016); Bob Dylan in America (2010); and The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974–2008 (2008). The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005) was awarded the Bancroft Prize, and he has received two Grammy nominations for his writings on music.

Reviews

[Everyone Poops · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific read for both the novice and longtime enthusiast of the American Ballad, The Rose and the Briar is a compilation of non-academic essays as well as impressionistic takes on chosen material. We get a lyrical poem by Paul Muldoon inspired by "The Unfortunate Rake" and a four page illustration by painter/musician Jon Langford ("See Willy Fly By"), as well as a comic strip by R. Crumb ("When You Go A'Courtin'").

The essays themselves vary in nature and quality, but are always pretty accessible and without erudite postures. Rennie Sparks's thoughtful, intellectual but overtly PC analysis of "Pretty Polly" is fascinating and informative, while Howard Hampton's discussion of "Nebraska" contextualizes Bruce Springsteen's take on the Starkweather/Fugate murders with the broader cultural and historical perspective (court documents, the film "Badlands"), elucidating why both the story and the song are so enchanting in the way only American lore can be.

Overall, a great read. Of all the books that Greil Marcus has had a hand in producing, this is by far my favorite.

There is also a CD sold separately with recordings of the songs discussed and interpreted. Most of the songs are interesting if not essential material, with the exception of John Cougar Mellencamp doing "Wreck of the Old 97." Why on God's green earth would they choose him over Woody Guthrie, The Carter Family or even Johnny Cash?

[Danielle Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this for a class I'll be teaching/assisting for the author this fall.
These are shorter essays on songs and creative responses to songs that form the backbone of folk music in America. If you've any interest in American history or American music, these are easy to access and usually very sharp and good responses to dip into. Comes with a worthy CD, I believe.

[James Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granted it's supposed to be a cross section, but this never really feels coherent. There's no arc to it, nothing that pulls you along or allows the book to build in power as you read. What there is ranges from the dull (the insufferable Sean Wilentz; Sharyn McCrumb, whose trick doesn't really work at essay length) to the revelatory (Ann Powers' gorgeous chapter on 'The Water Is Wide' which feels so much more than its twelve pages; Luc Sante's exhilerating, intense look at "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say"; and surprisingly, Paul Berman's immersive and very intelligent "Mariachi Reverie.")
Most of the truly unexpected moments though, moments that stop this being a parade of self-satisfied music critics, come from contributors who aren't nominally writers. David Thomas of Pere Ubu in his essay on "Wreck of Old 97" and "Dead Man's Curve"; Jon Langford of The Mekons and R. Crumb who both contribute artwork that say so much more than many of the essays; Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family has an extraordinary, sweeping look at "Pretty Polly."
What else...

Greil Marcus should have written the citations and discographical information: his books show that he's probably the best in the world at this kind of thing, but here it becomes an excuse for more dry, self-important Wilentzianism. Plus I would have liked to have seen Marcus' side of his correspondence with R. Crumb.

All the stops should have been pulled out to get Bob Dylan to contribute an essay. "Chronicles" and the "World Gone Wrong" liner notes have proven that Dylan is the best and most original critic of folk music writing today.

The jacket and overall design of the book pretty much sucks. Same uncomfortably big pages as Marcus' "Lipstick Traces."

There really had to be a chapter on "Pancho & Lefty."

[iona · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such a good collection of deep & creative essays. i'm really obsessed with all the songs.

i've always had a morbid fear/fascination with murder ballads, in particular the many many ballads in which a motive seems totally absent (pretty polly!) i took a russian folklore class once where we discussed a really ancient type of folktale that is found on all continents. basically a beloved and innocent woman must be sacrificed in order for some building to stand: in russia, a mason's wife must be immured in a chateau or the building will tumble down every night and undo the men's labor. in india, a sister must be drowned such that the well will not be poisoned. the children's song London Bridge is Falling Down is another example. there are dozens of examples. i've sometimes unconsciously grouped murder ballads with those stories, but the essayists in the rose and the briar all point to unwanted pregnancies as the implied motive behind the murder of whichever poor young girl.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a collection of essays about old ballads. most of them are great. if you like reading about music or are at all interested in traditional music, it's a great read. griel marcus put it together, and he's my favorite music writer.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating for the most part--a series of essays, stories, and other ruminations about American ballads. Not quite what I was expecting, but still quite enjoyable. And the cd of related songs is fantastic.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often compelling and provocative, but ultimately also quite frustrating for its unevenness. It seems like every other contributor has an axe to grind or a point to prove, that has little or nothing to do with the song they're ostensibly writing on.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super-duper mixed bag. Some stories/essays clever and revelatory, others are massive piles of self-indulgence.

[Michael]

The thing I'll point out with this and every essay book is you do not need to read them in the order the editors chose. Go to the ones you're most interested in first and then fill-in the rest.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often recommend to readers that if you get 50 pages into a book and you still don't like it, quit. Fortunately, I did not take my own advice with this book. Fifty pages had only taken me through three essays and I was struggling.

Had I stopped reading, I would have missed an amazing rant by R. Crumb, the history of Frankie and Albert, some very bizarre artwork by Jon Langford. And then there were the essays I really loved - one by Stanley Crouch about "Come Sunday", a discussion of Randy Newman's music and then a discourse about "Nebraska" by Springsteen.

This was a fascinating book. I learned so much about American music - pieces I knew and music I would now really like to hear. This is why I read essays - I can learn so much new stuff in just a few pages.

I can't remember why I picked this up, but it was definitely worth it. R-MC owns the CD, I really need to listen to it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a longstanding affection for folksong and story and the research thereof, I could be expected to like this volume a lot. It contains a host of different writers who explore just a few of the many, many aspects of American ballads, their origins, their travels, and their interpretations, from the ubiquitous Barbara Allen to such composers/performers as Dolly Parton and Bob Dylan. Also to be expected, because of the plethora of authors, is that some selections are better -- more interesting, more insightful, better written, etc. -- than others, but each of them has its own value and is to be appreciated for it.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I categorize this anthology as both US and world history. The essays are about American ballads, but many of those sad songs are derived from 'old country' ballads. As in any collection of essays, some are better than others. There are different styles of writing and different understandings of music and culture. Some of the essays say more about our culture than the songs about which they are writing. The essay by Joyce Carol Oates is actually a short story and I, for a moment, thought it was autobiographical until I looked up the authors bio.

[Aubri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I use the word "interesting" to describe this one? It was. I love a good ballad. Now I know the rest of the story.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting set of essays on just what the title says, from the earliest Appalachian ballads to recent hip-hop.

[Lizzie]

I never finished reading all the pieces in this. What the heck is the matter with me? Fix.

[Tad Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical background and literary appreciation of ballads from "Barbara Allen" to "El Paso." The short stories based on ballads, by Sharyn McCrumb and Joyce Carol Oates, are less successful.

[Robert Gustavo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got bored with it.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a fun companion for exploring Americana via Spotify, et cetera. RIYL American Studies and/or Greil Marcus.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real mixed bag.. some of these writers have too much time on their hands. Some essays were quite good, but others were rather "why bother".