Scotreading2001

We hope you will participate in the reading as fully as possible. We suggest the materials marked # below.

Since this is a broad course, the reading list below is quite long. We expect that very few of you will read everything on it within the time-span of the course. We have marked a few readings (#) as required for all. Beyond that, it is up to you to tailor the readings to your own interests. We will use class discussions and your reading journals to identify what you have read and what you might want to read next. Please don't hesitate to ask for guidance in choosing the most approprate readings for your interests. Additional readings for graduate students (listed below) are also recommended, particularly if they apply directly to your main areas of interest.

Michael Lynch, Scotland: A New History (Pimlico, 1991#
Parts III, IV, V required of all students; parts I & II recommended

Roderick Watson, editor. The Poetry of Scotland: Gaelic, Scots, and English (Edinburgh University Press, 1995) Selections. #

Harry Ritchie, editor. Acid Plaid: New Scottish Writing (Arcade, 1997) Selections.

2. A photocopied reader, which will be available for sale at the Copy Shoppe in the Johnson Center, and at the course orientation in April. At the copy shop ask for Reader #1. Selections will include:

Poetry:

Instructor's Notes for The Poetry of Scotland #

Additional poems fromThe Faber Book of Twentieth-Century Scottish Poetry, edited by Douglas Dunn (Faber & Faber, 1993)

Cultural History:

Pittock, Murray G.H. Celtic Identity and the British Image (Manchester University Press, 1999) Introduction: Defining Terms #

Peter Womack. Improvement and Romance: Constructing the Myth of the Highlands. (MacMillan, 1989) Selections.

Hugh Trevor-Roper. “The Invention of Tradition: The Highland Tradition of Scotland,” in The Invention of Tradition, edited by Eric Hobsbawn and Terence Ranger (Cambridge University Press, 1983)

A.J. Aitken. “A History of Scots,” in The Concise Scots Dictionary, Mairi Robinson, Editor-in-Chief (Chambers 1985) #

Hamish Henderson. “‘At the Foot of Yon Excellin’ Brae’: The Language of Scots
Folk-Song,” in his Alias MacAlias: Writings on Songs, Folk, and Literature.
(Polygon, 1992) #

Short readings on Rob Roy & Clan Gregor by Sir Walter Scott, W.H. Murray, Daniel Defoe, William Wordsworth, & . . . Rob Roy #

Theatre/Film:
Joyce MacMillan. The Traverse Theatre Story. Methuen, 1988) Selections

Colin McArthur. Scotch Reels: Scotland in Cinema and Television. (British Film
Institute, 1982) Selections

Folk Music:
Hamish Henderson. “The Ballad, the Folk and the Oral Tradition,” in The People’s Past: Scottish Folk, Scottish History, ed. Edward J. Cowan. (Polygon, 1980) #

Emily Lyle. "Introduction" to her Scottish Ballads, Canongate Classics, 1997

James Porter and Herschel Gower. Excerpt from: “ ‘Intil the Country’: Renewal and
Discovery,” in their Jeannie Robertson: Emergent Singer, Transformative Voice.
(University of Tennessee Press, 1995).

Instructors' Notes on the Scottish Ballad

Scottish Tradition Series. The Muckle Sangs: Classic Scots Ballads #
(School of Scottish Studies / Greentrax) CDTRAX 9005
When ordering this CD be sure to ask for the accompanying booklet.

(Rob Roy can be rented. Copies of Gregory’s Girl will be placed on reserve at the Johnson Center.)

Christopher Harvie, No Gods and Precious Few Heroes: Scotland Since 1914
(Edinburgh University Press, 1981)

Pittock, Murray G.H. Celtic Identity and the British Image (Manchester University Press, 1999) Additional selections. [Included in the photocopied reader.]

Buchan, David. "The Oral Tradition: The Folk," in his The Ballad and the Folk. Tuckwell Press, 1997. [Included in the photocopied reader.]

Ailie Munro. “The Story of the Revival: Development in Scotland,” in her The Democratic Muse: Folk Music Revival in Scotland (Scottish Cultural Press, 1986 [1984]) [Included in the photocopied reader.]

MFA students should read all the poetry and ballad materials listed for undergraduates.