Today's image of Scotland is still dominated by the myth of peaty and moss-covered Highlands and their tartan-wearing hospitable inhabitants who entertain weary travellers with tales of ghosts and ... read more
Today's image of Scotland is still dominated by the myth of peaty and moss-covered Highlands and their tartan-wearing hospitable inhabitants who entertain weary travellers with tales of ghosts and murderers. These apparently authentic traditions can often be traced back to the need to invent a Scottish national identity that was and still is used to claim independence. Not only have these inventions found their way into the novels of the time, but writers like James Macpherson, Robert Burns and Walter Scott can indeed be seen as the source of this mythical image of Scotland. In this seminar we will look at the myths these writers employ and construct, at how these inventions affect the image of a Scottish nation and why these myths use concepts of hospitality.
Texts:
Most texts will be made available on Blackboard Please purchase Walter Scott’s Waverley (Penguin Classics)
