What is a ballad in literature?

A ballad is a song that tells a Story, and it can be dramatic, funny or romantic. Traditionally the ballad has been considered a folkloric verse narrative which has strong associations with communal dancing. Generally, the term is used for a narrative poem which uses an elliptical and highly stylized mode of narration. The technique of repetition with variation may play an important part in it. From the 18th century onwards, collections of folk / 'popular ballads' began to be made. The form was taken up by some of the most influential poets of the late 18th century as a folkloric form of expression. A typical ballad consists of stanzas that contain a quatrain or four poetic lines. Some ballads have a refrain or a repeated chorus. just like a song does. The rhyme scheme adds musical quality to the poem. One famous ballad is 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.