The Bab Ballads, by W. S. Gilbert  By  cover art

The Bab Ballads, by W. S. Gilbert

By: Mentor New York
  • Summary

  • The Bab Ballads are a collection of light verse by W. S. Gilbert, illustrated with his own comic drawings. Gilbert wrote the Ballads before he became famous for his comic opera librettos with Arthur Sullivan. In writing the Bab Ballads, Gilbert developed his unique "topsy-turvy" style, where the humour was derived by setting up a ridiculous premise and working out its logical consequences, however absurd. The Ballads also reveal Gilbert's cynical and satirical approach to humour. They became famous on their own, as well as being a source for plot elements, characters and songs that Gilbert would recycle in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The Bab Ballads take their name from Gilbert's childhood nickname, and he later began to sign his illustrations "Bab".
    Copyright Mentor New York
    Show more Show less
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT
Episodes
  • Gentle Alice Brown
    6 mins
  • To The Terrestrial Globe. By A Miserable Wretch
    1 min
  • Joe Golightly - Or, The First Lord's Daughter
    5 mins

What listeners say about The Bab Ballads, by W. S. Gilbert

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.