Macpherson the historian : history writing, empire and enlightenment in the works of James Macpherson / Mairi MacPherson and Jim MacPherson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacPherson, Mairi, author.

MacPherson, Jim, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Macpherson, James, 1736-1796--Criticism and interpretation.

Macpherson, James.

Macpherson, James, 1736-1796--Political and social views.

Historiography.

History in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 288 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 2023.

Summary:

This is the first book-length study of James Macpherson (1736-1796) that considers him as an historian. From his early poetry, to the Ossianic Collections, his prose histories, and his later political writing, Macpherson's subject was the past and he engaged with the latest Enlightenment theories about how to write history.<br><br><i>Macpherson the Historian</i> examines James' published works, from the neoclassical verse of 'The Highlander' (1758) to his pamphlets defending the British imperial state during the late 1770s. In all of these texts, Macpherson wrote as an Enlightenment historian, where ideas about narrative, philosophy, and erudition were interwoven with eighteenth-century debates about the Highlands, commercial modernity, and the British Empire.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction: James Macpherson, the Enlightenment and Eighteenth-century History Writing

1 Frameworks and Genealogies: Macpherson the Historian in Context

2 Poetry: James Macpherson's History Writing in The Highlander and Ossian

3 History: James Macpherson's Narrative Prose Histories

4 Politics and Empire: James Macpherson's Political Writings and the Crisis of Empire in the Late 1770s

Conclusion: James Macpherson

Enlightenment Historian and Imperial Gael

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

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

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781474411189

1474411185

9781474411172

1474411177

OCLC:

1373220905