Fielding's Transformation of Ballad Opera.

The article focuses on Henry Fielding's transformation of the ballad opera in response to John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. Topics include Fielding's move from parody to innovation in The Author's Farce, his development of a vigorous vernacular style that contrasted with his earlier stiff comedies, and his creative use of music and intertextuality to shape the genre into a vehicle for satire and national expression.