Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:36
This course will consider the ways in which Walter Scott and other Scottish writers record key moments in Scotland's past. Concentrating on pivotal events in Scotland's history it will explore how Scott and those who have developed the form of the historical novel approach these events. The course will end by by examining how the legacy of Scott's fiction remains in the ways in which we engage with Scotland's history today. Writers to be discussed will include Walter Scott, James Hogg, John Galt, Robert Louis Stevenson and a selection of modern Scottish writers
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | None. | Sustained Study | No |
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Alluding to Scotland's reputation for writing history the philosopher David Hume claimed that it was the 'historical nation'. In the nineteenth century this legacy was taken up by Walter Scott and those who followed him as they too explored Scotland's relationship to the past and the ways in which this could be mediated via fiction. This course will consider the ways in which he and other Scottish writers imaginatively record and commemorate key moments in Scotland's past. Concentrating on pivotal events in Scotland's history such as the Covenanting Wars, the Jacobite Risings and the aftermath of Culloden, the course will explore how Scott and those who have adapted and developed the form of the historical novel approach these events. Drawing on theories of historical fiction, commemoration and memory, the course will examine the relationships between history and story and the ways in which fiction can engage with and enhance our understanding of the historical process. The course will end by considering the enduring role of the historical novel in modern Scottish writing and by examining how the legacy of Scott's fiction remains evident in the ways in which we engage with Scotland's history and identity today. Writers to be discussed will include Walter Scott, James Hogg, John Galt, Robert Louis Stevenson and a selection of modern Scottish writers.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
1st Attempt: 1 x 3000 word essay 40 % 1 x 3000 word essay 40% 1 x group presentation 10% 1 x Seminar Assessment Mark 10% Resit: For honours students only: candidates achieving CAS mark of 6 - 8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit a new essay.
Oral feedback will be given throughout seminar discussion. Written and oral feedback will be given on the first essay in good time to be of benefit before the second essay is submitted
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