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
