Edinburgh Companions to Scottish Literature – serie

This wide-ranging collection is the first to set Robert Louis Stevenson in detailed social, political and literary contexts. The book takes account of both Stevenson's extraordinary thematic and generic diversity and his geographical range. The chapters explore his relation to late nineteenth-century publishing, psychology, travel, the colonial world, and the emergence of modernism in prose and poetry. Through the pivotal figure of Stevenson, the collection explores how literary publishing and cultural life changed across the second half of the nineteenth century. Stevenson emerges as a complex writer, author both of hugely popular boys' stories and of seminally important adult novels, as well as the literary figure who debated with Henry James the theory of fiction and the nature of realism. The collection shows how interest in the unconscious and changes in the conception of childhood demand that we re-evaluate our ideas of his writing. Individual essays by international experts trace Stevenson' literary contexts from Scotland to the South Pacific, and show him to be one of the key writers for understanding the growing sense of globalisation and cultural heterogeneity in the late nineteenth century.Key Features* Sets Stevenson in his literary, scientific and political contexts* Covers a broad range of Stevenson's fiction and non-fiction* Written by a team of international scholars* Includes an authoritative introduction and select bibliography

This is the first book to take political devolution as an organising context for the presentation and discussion of main currents in contemporary Scottish poetry. The book combines thematic chapters with in-depth analysis of key poets writing in English, in Gaelic and in Scots, to address the central issues raised in work that is responding to changes in the socio-economic and political environment over recent decades: the influence of tradition (both national and international); the question of language; the rise of women's writing; the relationship between poetry and politics; and the importance of place to the Scottish imagination. The chapters demonstrate a broad range of interests, while also offering detailed analysis of the many ways writers broach their subject matter; including close readings of poetry by Edwin Morgan, Kenneth White, Aonghas MacNeacail, Kathleen Jamie, John Burnside, Robin Robertson, Mick Imlah and Don Paterson, among others. Chapters by practicing poets and by academics deliver senses of the current range and quality of poetry in Scotland.Key Features*A thorough guide to contemporary Scottish poetry and poets, making the book an ideal course text *Reflects the ways in which the work of Scottish poets reflects a radical cultural independence following Devolution*Provides authoritative essays by the leading experts in the field*Includes a valuable synoptic bibliography

The Edinburgh Companion to Robert Burns provides both a comprehensive introduction to and the most contemporary critical contexts for the study of Robert Burns. Detailed commentary on the artistry of Burns is complemented by material on the cultural reception and afterlife of this most iconic of world writers. The biographical construction of Burns is examined as are his relations to Scottish, Romantic and International cultures. Burns is also approached in terms of his engagements with Ecology, Gender, Pastoral, Politics, Pornography, Slavery, and Song-culture, and there is extensive coverage of publishing history including Burns's place in popular, bourgeois and Enlightenment cultures during the late eighteenth century.This is the most modern collection of critical responses to Burns from scholars from the United Kingdom and North America, which, more than ever before, seeks to place Burns as a 'mainstream' man of Enlightenment and Romantic impetus and to explain the enduring and sometimes controversial fascination for both the man and his work over more than two hundred years.Key Features*Modern critical approaches to Burns: including readings of biographical construction, gender and publishing and reception history*Detailed discussion of the cultural afterlife of Burns*Location of Burns in the Enlightenment and Romantic periods*Entirely new readings of Burns's major poems

This Companion brings together an international 'Brodie set' of critics to trace the history, impact, reception and major themes of Spark's work, from her early poetry to her last novel. It encompasses the range of Spark's output, pursuing contextual lines of approach including biography, geography, gender, identity, nation and religion, and considering her legacy and continuing influence in the twenty-first century. Spark emerges here as a serious thinker on issues as diverse as the Welfare State, secularisation, decolonisation, and anti-psychiatry, and a writer whose work may be placed alongside Proust, Joyce, Nabokov, and Lessing. The critics collected here are mindful of how, although overwhelmingly known as a novelist, by the time of her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957, Spark already had a significant profile through poetry, biographical criticism, and literary journalism, as chair of the Poetry Society and editor of the Poetry Review, and as author or co-author of a number of scholarly studies of writers including Wordsworth, Mary Shelley, the Bröntes, Cardinal Newman, and John Masefield. Within a relatively modest space this Companion touches on the whole range of Spark's work and, in introducing the oeuvre thematically for those looking to explore this elegant and challenging author further, also sets the agenda for future Spark studies.Key Features* A collection of original, specially commissioned chapters by leading experts in the field* Covers the whole spectrum of Spark's work * Addresses the key issues and themes in Spark's work without losing sight of the questions of form and content* Provides original insights into the contexts of Spark's work as viewed through literary theory

Bringing together an international group of experts, this companion explores a distinctly Scottish Romanticism. Discussing the most influential texts and authors in depth, the original essays shed new critical light on texts from Macpherson's Ossian poetry to Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner, and from Scott's Waverley Novels to the work of John Galt. As well as dealing with the major Romantic figures, the contributors look afresh at ballads, songs, the idea of the bard, religion, periodicals, the national tale, the picturesque, the city, language and the role of Gaelic in Scottish Romanticism.Key Features* The first and only student guide to Scottish Romanticism capturing the best of critical debate while providing new approaches* Contributors include: Ian Duncan (UC Berkeley), Angela Esterhammer (Zurich University), Peter Garside (Edinburgh University), Andrew Monnickendam (Barcelona University), Fiona Stafford (Oxford University), Fernando Toda (Salamanca University) and Crawford Gribben (Trinity College, Dublin) - who have themselves helped to define approaches to the period

The subcultural enfant terrible of devolutionary protest and rebellion, Irvine Welsh is now widely acknowledged as the founding father of a whole new tradition in post-devolution Scottish writing. The unprecedented worldwide success of Trainspotting, magnified by Danny Boyle's iconic film adaptation, revolutionised Scottish culture and radically remoulded the country's self-image from dreamy romantic hinterland to agitated metropolitan hotbed. Although Welsh's career is very much an ongoing phenomenon, his influence on contemporary Scottish literary history is already indisputable and enduring. The Companion provides a thorough, up-to-date and critical evaluation of Welsh's work. New innovative readings address questions of class, subculture and drug use, nationhood, gender and narrative experimentation with reference to broader developments - such as devolution and globalisation - within contemporary Scottish, British and world culture.Features:* Covers all of Welsh's fiction, his dramatic work for the stage and for television, plus a detailed analysis of Danny Boyle's Trainspotting* Traces the author's critical and popular reception at home, abroad and overseas, and analyses the popular 'cult' and media hype surrounding his work* Examines Welsh's relations to other writers, both Scottish and non-Scottish, and his contentious position within the Scottish literary canon* Aims throughout to amalgamate a critical assessment of the work, the writer and the 'phenomenon'

James Kelman is one of the most important Scottish writers now living. His fiction is widely acclaimed, and widely caricatured. His art declares war on stereotypes, but is saddled with plenty of its own.This book attempts to disentangle Kelman's writing from his reputation, clarifying his literary influences and illuminating his political commitments. It is the first book to cover the full range and depth of Kelman's work, explaining his position within genres such as the short story and the polemical essay, and tracing his interest in anti-colonial politics and existential thought. Essays by leading experts combine lucid accounts of the heated debates surrounding Kelman's writing, with a sharp focus on the effects and innovations of that writing itself. Kelman's own reception by reviewers and journalists is examined as a shaping factor in the development of his career. Chapters situate Kelman's work in critical contexts ranging from masculinity to vernacular language, cover influences from Chomsky to Kafka, and pursue the implications of Kelman's rhetoric from Glasgow localism to 'World English'. Key Features:* The first major collection of essays on Kelman's work* Considers the full spectrum of Kelman's writing, from novels to polemics to plays* Explores a comprehensive range of Kelman's literary influences and critical contexts* Highlights the interplay of Kelman's political, linguistic and artistic agendas

Combines historical rigour with an analysis of dramatic contexts, themes and formsThe 17 contributors explore the longstanding and vibrant Scottish dramatic tradition and the important developments in Scottish dramatic writing and theatre, with particular attention to the last 100 years.The first part of the volume covers Scottish drama from the earliest records to the late twentieth-century literary revival, as well as translation in Scottish theatre and non-theatrical drama. The second part focuses on the work of influential Scottish playwrights, from J. M. Barrie and James Bridie to Ena Lamont Stewart, Liz Lochhead and Edwin Morgan and right up to contemporary playwrights Anthony Neilson, Gregory Burke, Henry Adams and Douglas Maxwell.Key Features* Provides a thorough overview of Scottish theatre from the earliest days to the present* Deals with play texts as well as with the key contexts and themes of drama and theatre over the years* Provides insights into the work of leading Scottish playwrights, including the new generations since the 1970s* Written for students and theatre-lovers alike

Combines historical rigour with an analysis of dramatic contexts, themes and formsThe 17 contributors explore the longstanding and vibrant Scottish dramatic tradition and the important developments in Scottish dramatic writing and theatre, with particular attention to the last 100 years.The first part of the volume covers Scottish drama from the earliest records to the late twentieth-century literary revival, as well as translation in Scottish theatre and non-theatrical drama. The second part focuses on the work of influential Scottish playwrights, from J. M. Barrie and James Bridie to Ena Lamont Stewart, Liz Lochhead and Edwin Morgan and right up to contemporary playwrights Anthony Neilson, Gregory Burke, Henry Adams and Douglas Maxwell.Key Features* Provides a thorough overview of Scottish theatre from the earliest days to the present* Deals with play texts as well as with the key contexts and themes of drama and theatre over the years* Provides insights into the work of leading Scottish playwrights, including the new generations since the 1970s* Written for students and theatre-lovers alike

James Hogg (1770-1835) is increasingly recognised as a major Scottish author and one of the most original figures in European Romanticism. 16 essays written by international experts on Hogg draw on recent breakthroughs in research to illuminate the contexts and debates that helped to shape his writings. The book provides an indispensable guide to Hogg's life and worlds, his publishing history, reception and reputation, his treatments of politics, religion, nationality, social class, sexuality and gender, and the diverse literary forms - ballads, songs, poems, drama, short stories, novels, periodicals - in which he wrote. Key Features:* Thorough coverage of the whole of Hogg's works, career and contexts, as well as detailed considerations of his most famous work, Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner* The contributors are all major figures in Hogg studies and include editors of the definitive Stirling South Carolina Research Edition of the Collected Works of James Hogg, including Caroline McCracken-Flesher (Wyoming), Hans de Groot (Toronto), Penny Fielding(Edinburgh), Peter Garside (Edinburgh) and Gillian Hughes.

The most concentrated and wide-ranging study of Walter Scott's work available. This Companion is the first collection of its kind devoted to Scott's work. It draws on the innovative research which has revitalised the study of Scott's exceptionally diverse writing in recent years. In these 12 chapters, experts on Scott reflect on his place in literary and popular culture, his experimentation and originality, his relationship to Romanticism, and the revaluation of lesser-known works. There are chapters on Scott's poetry, on Scott as collector and editor of traditional ballads, his novels, his critical writing on history, economics, folklore and literature, his place in the history of ideas, and his importance to Scottish culture. Taken together, the chapters reveal a figure of central importance to Scottish, European and American Romanticism. Key Features: The first reader's guide to Sir Walter Scott; Chapters by leading Scott scholars including Ian Duncan (Berkeley), Ina Ferris (Ottawa), Kenneth McNeil (Eastern Connecticut), Tara Ghoshal Wallace (George Washington), Nicola J Watson (Open U); Makes the most innovative and authoritative criticism of Scott available to all including students and general readers with broad appeal across Scottish Studies; Covers the full range of Scott's writing

Hugh MacDiarmid is widely considered the most significant Scottish poet since Robert Burns and the major literary force in twentieth-century Scottish culture. His poetry is both compelling in its intellectual challenge and captivating in its lyrical beauty. This book explores the principal thematic and aesthetic preoccupations in MacDiarmid's work, relating his poetry to key national and international concerns in modern culture and politics. It offers a vital updating of MacDiarmid scholarship through contributions by leading scholars of the modern period which provide a contextual and interpretive guide to this challenging writer. All of MacDiarmid's major poetic works are examined in addition to a representative selection of his diverse output in other genres, from journalism to shorter fiction, autobiography and political polemic. His poetry and his place in the cultural history of Scottish, British and international modernism will be contemporised through consideration of his significance from a European, transatlantic and ecological global perspective. This collection of essays on MacDiarmid will draw on the creative and discursive writings made newly available through the recent publication of previously uncollected work. Key features:* Updates and internationalises MacDiarmid studies* Provides informed analysis and contextualisation of MacDiarmid's poetry through close readings of texts* Utilises recently published MacDiarmid material* Contributes to a re-drawing of the map of international literary modernism

Hugh MacDiarmid is widely considered the most significant Scottish poet since Robert Burns and the major literary force in twentieth-century Scottish culture. His poetry is both compelling in its intellectual challenge and captivating in its lyrical beauty. This book explores the principal thematic and aesthetic preoccupations in MacDiarmid's work, relating his poetry to key national and international concerns in modern culture and politics. It offers a vital updating of MacDiarmid scholarship through contributions by leading scholars of the modern period which provide a contextual and interpretive guide to this challenging writer. All of MacDiarmid's major poetic works are examined in addition to a representative selection of his diverse output in other genres, from journalism to shorter fiction, autobiography and political polemic. His poetry and his place in the cultural history of Scottish, British and international modernism will be contemporised through consideration of his significance from a European, transatlantic and ecological global perspective. This collection of essays on MacDiarmid will draw on the creative and discursive writings made newly available through the recent publication of previously uncollected work. Key features:* Updates and internationalises MacDiarmid studies* Provides informed analysis and contextualisation of MacDiarmid's poetry through close readings of texts* Utilises recently published MacDiarmid material* Contributes to a re-drawing of the map of international literary modernism

Explores women’s writing in Scotland across a range of periods and genresFrom early modern to contemporary writing, these 15 essays examine women’s engagement with different areas of literary production and discuss the implications of their literary output for our wider understanding of Scottish literature. The contributors consider the ways in which women writers worked with ‘feminine’ arenas such as spirituality, oral culture, domestic fiction and the ‘private’ writing of letters and diaries, as well as with the traditionally ‘masculine’ areas of Enlightenment culture and the periodical press. They offer insights into women’s role within Gaelic culture, women’s negotiations of space, place and national identities and their appropriations of specific forms, such as supernatural, detective and historical fiction. They also provide analysis of writing by Margaret Oliphant, Janet Hamilton, Marion Angus, Catherine Carswell, Naomi Mitchison, Dorothy Dunnett, Denise Mina, A.L. Kennedy, Ali Smith, Liz Lochhead and Kathleen Jamie amongst others. Glenda Norquay is Professor of Scottish Literary Studies at Liverpool John Moores University. Her books include Robert Louis Stevenson and Theories of Reading and the edited collection Across the Margins (with Gerry Smyth).

This collection of essays explores the historical importance and imaginative richness of Scotland’s extensive contribution to modes of traditional culture and expression: ballads, tales and storytelling, and song. Its underlying aim is to bring about a more dynamic and inclusive understanding of Scottish culture. Rooted in literary history and both comparative and interdisciplinary in scope, the volume covers the key aspects and genres of traditional literature, including the Gaelic tradition, from the medieval period to the present. Key theoretical and conceptual issues raised by the historical analysis of Scotland’s rich store of ballad, song, and folk narrative are discussed in separate chapters. The volume also explores why and how Scottish literary writers have been inspired by traditional genres, modes, and motifs, and the intermingling of folk and literary traditions in writers such as Burns, Scott, and Hogg. It also uncovers the folkloric and mythopoetic materials of early Scottish literature, and the vitality of neglected aspects of Scottish popular culture. Key FeaturesExplores the cultural meanings of 'tradition' and 'living tradition' and the roles of historical and modern informants, storytellers, and singersExamines the relationship between the oral and the literary in Scots, Gaelic, and EnglishDraws on a wide range of examples including: Francis J. Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads; The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection; the waulking song; Gaelic folktale; the traditions of Fionn mac Cumhail; the songs of Anna Gordon Brown; ballads from Walter Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border and James Hogg's Jacobite Relics; and material from George Campbell Hay, Sorley Maclean and Hamish HendersonGuides readers through some of the key theoretical and conceptual issues in the fieldInclusive of Gaelic, Scots and English traditionsBroad historical coverage from late medieval to the contemporary

This Companion brings together an international 'Brodie set' of critics to trace the history, impact, reception and major themes of Spark's work, from her early poetry to her last novel. It encompasses the range of Spark's output, pursuing contextual lines of approach including biography, geography, gender, identity, nation and religion, and considering her legacy and continuing influence in the twenty-first century. Spark emerges here as a serious thinker on issues as diverse as the Welfare State, secularisation, decolonisation, and anti-psychiatry, and a writer whose work may be placed alongside Proust, Joyce, Nabokov, and Lessing. The critics collected here are mindful of how, although overwhelmingly known as a novelist, by the time of her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957, Spark already had a significant profile through poetry, biographical criticism, and literary journalism, as chair of the Poetry Society and editor of the Poetry Review, and as author or co-author of a number of scholarly studies of writers including Wordsworth, Mary Shelley, the Bröntes, Cardinal Newman, and John Masefield. Within a relatively modest space this Companion touches on the whole range of Spark's work and, in introducing the oeuvre thematically for those looking to explore this elegant and challenging author further, also sets the agenda for future Spark studies.Key Features* A collection of original, specially commissioned chapters by leading experts in the field* Covers the whole spectrum of Spark's work * Addresses the key issues and themes in Spark's work without losing sight of the questions of form and content* Provides original insights into the contexts of Spark's work as viewed through literary theory