Robert Burns and Scottish cultural politics : the bard of contention (1914 -2014) / Paul Malgrati.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Malgrati, Paul, author.

Series:

Edinburgh scholarship online.

Edinburgh scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Burns, Robert, 1759-1796--Criticism and interpretation.

Burns, Robert.

Poets, Scottish--18th century--Biography.

Poets, Scottish.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 278 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2023.

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

Robert Burns is Scotland's best known and most influential poet; yet his political legacy also ranks amongst the most contentious. His ambiguous verse, oscillating between patriotic odes, egalitarian lines and royalist songs, lends itself to interpretations from across the political divide.<br><br>Blending political history and literary studies, this book explores this contested legacy of 'Scotland's National Bard'. It follows the transformations of Burns's image throughout the late modern era, as revolutionaries, nationalists and avant-garde writers co-opted Burns's myth to subvert their country's social and constitutional order. From Great War unionism to 1940s socialism and contemporary nationalism, the examination of Burns's tempestuous afterlives sheds light on the ongoing Scottish question. Overall, it reminds us that poetry is a very shifting ground on which to build a national identity.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Introduction: Scotland's 'Bardocracy'

1. Explosive Memory: Burns Enters the Twentieth Century (1914-1919)

2. Renaissance, Iconoclasm and Burnsian Reformation (1920-1930)

3. Relic or Messiah? (1930-1940)

4. 'See Yonder Poor': The Bard of Welfare (1941-1948)

5. Into the Cold War: Checkpoint Rabbie (1948-1959)

6. Indigenous Dreams and Kailyard Politics: Burns after Empire (1960-1979)

7. The Bardic Politics of Scottish Devolution (1979-1999)

8. Rabbie for Yes? (2000-2014)

Epilogue: A Poetic Constitution

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 14 Mar 2025).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-3995-0347-2

1-3995-0348-0

OCLC:

1417147424