Hoots, Mon

Welcome to Scottish Literature after 1945" - English 342 at Simon Fraser University, Autumn 2006: a course on Scots taught to Canadians by an Englishman. A pant, awricht....

Bagpipes, Braveheart and Beyond: Postwar Scottish Literature

“It is never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.” P. G. Wodehouse

In this course we will read five novels and one play that will serve as an introduction to postwar Scottish literature. We will explore some of the specific historical and cultural contexts of these texts, looking at the way in which writers engage with different versions of Scottish national identity. We will also examine the legacies in modern Scottish literature of Imperialism and the Scottish Enlightenment. Additional topics for discussion and research may include the following: gender in the Scottish context; humour and irony; popular culture, film and music; Gaelic and Celtic; the Gothic; the Kirk and the dirk; the great Scottish cities and the rural lowlands and highlands; and, of course, usquebaugh.

PRIMARY TEXTS

Spark, Muriel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
McIlvanney, William Laidlaw
Lochhead, Liz Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off
Galloway, Janice The Trick is to Keep Breathing
Welsh, Irvine Trainspotting
Warner, Alan Morvern Callar

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
20% Group Field School Project
10% Participation
15% Individual research presentation
20% Mid-term essay (2000 words)
35% Final essay (3200 words)