Scottish Literature

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This guide combines detailed literary history with discussion of contemporary debates about Scottishness. The book considers the rise of Scottish Studies, the development of a national literature, and issues of cultural nationalism. Beginning in the medieval period during a time of nation building, the book goes on to focus on the 'Scots revival' of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries before moving on to discuss the literary renaissance of the twentieth century. Debates concerning Celticism and Gaelic take place alongside discussion of key Scottish writers such as William Dunbar, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Thomas Carlyle, Margaret Oliphant, Hugh MacDiarmid, Alasdair Gray, Janice Galloway and Liz Lochhead. The book also considers émigré writers to Scotland; Scottish literature in relation to England, the United States and Ireland; and postcolonialism and other theories that shed fresh light on the current status and future of Scottish literature.Key Features*Identifies the main trends in the emergence and development of Scottish literature, situating them in historical and cultural context*Discusses long-running debates about Scottish language and national identity through detailed readings of authors and texts*Introduces students to a variety of comparative and theoretical approaches which further develop an understanding of Scottish literature*Encourages reflection on questions of Scottish nationalism, cultural politics, canonicity and the rise of Scottish Studies

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Series Preface (p. v)
• Acknowledgements (p. vi)
• Chronology (p. viii)
• Introduction (p. 1)
• Chapter 1 The Rise of Scottish Literature (p. 4)
• Celticism (p. 5)
• Generalist Scottish Literary Criticism (p. 10)
• The Caledonian Antisyzygy of G. Gregory Smith (p. 11)
• The Complete Despair of Edwin Muir (p. 14)
• Continuing the Lament: John Speirs, Kurt Wittig, David Craig and David Daiches (p. 16)
• Chapter 2 Scottish Literature in Scots (p. 29)
• Medieval, Reformation and Renaissance Periods (p. 29)
• The Eighteenth Century (p. 47)
• The Twentieth Century (p. 59)
• Chapter 3 Scottish Writing in English (p. 75)
• The Seventeenth Century (p. 76)
• The Eighteenth Century (p. 79)
• 'Age of Scott' and The 'Blackwoodians' (p. 96)
• The Victorian Period (p. 109)
• Early Twentieth Century (p. 119)
• Later Twentieth Century (p. 125)
• Chapter 4 Intimate Critical Spaces in Scottish Texts (p. 135)
• Reading the Body (p. 137)
• Practising Feminism and Gender Critique (p. 148)
• Deconstructing Scottish Literature (p. 157)
• Chapter 5 Literary Relations: Scotland and Other Places (p. 171)
• Conclusion (p. 197)
• Student Resources (p. 200)
• Questions and Points for Discussion (p. 200)
• Glossary of 'Scottish' Stanzas (p. 203)
• Reference Materials (p. 206)
• Index (p. 224)