Ingibjörg Agústsdóttir, . (2001) Pilgrims of Conscience: Quests for Morality and Self-Knowledge in the Fiction of Robin Jenkins
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Ingibjörg Agústsdóttir, . (2001) Pilgrims of conscience: quests for morality and self-knowledge in the fiction of Robin Jenkins. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/6160/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Pilgrims of Conscience: Quests for Morality and Self-Knowledge in the Fiction of Robin Jenkins , Ingibjorg Agiistsd6ttir In fulfilment of the degree of Ph.D. Department of Scottish Literature Faculty of Arts, University of Glasgow September 2001 ; ~ 2 Abstract Quests for Morality and Self-Knowledge in the Fiction of Robin Jenkins (1912-) The thesis rums to provide a comprehensive overvIew of Robin Jenkins's literary achievement, with specific focus on the issues of self-discovery and morality as presented in his work. It is divided into five main parts, which include an introduction and conclusion. Parts II, ITI and IV are each subdivided into chapters that deal with individual novels and short stories by Jenkins. Whilst explaining the aims and structure of the thesis, the introduction also provides some background information on Jenkins's life, character, and views, discusses possible influences on his work, and comments on Jenkins's place in Scottish and European literary and intellectual thought. Part IT deals with Jenkins's early Scottish novels (1950-1963). It aims to establish the emergence and growth of different types of the pilgrim figure in Jenkins's fiction, as well as to introduce other issues that are central to Jenkins's overall analysis of human morality. Part III discusses Jenkins's foreign fiction (1960-1974). It examines Jenkins's treatment of the imperial theme in a historical and literary context, and discusses some aspects of postcolonial theory in relation to Jenkins's analysis of cultural and racial tensions between Empire and colony. It further establishes Jenkins's interest in the limits of human moral capacity, highlights the importance of individual self-discovery in his character portrayals, and suggests that the universality of human moral perception and experience is central to his work. Part IV deals with Jenkins's later Scottish fiction (1968-2000). It suggests that Jenkins's later fiction both repeats and diverges from his earlier work, and that the later narratives are marked by greater authorial detachment and narrative ambivalence than the earlier work. It then discusses how Jenkins continues to address issues of self-discovery and morality, as well as comments on the incre~ingly se~f-reflective nature of his most recent fiction. 3 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 5 Declaration ............................................................................................................................................. 6 List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... 7 Part I: Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 8 Part II: The Early Scottish Novels .......................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 1: Ironies of Love: So Gaily Sings the Lark (1950) and Love is a Fervent Fire (1959) ............... 26 Chapter 2: The Betrayal of Innocence: Happy for the Child (1953) and The Changeling (1958) ............ .45 Chapter 3: Religion, Myth, and Symbolism: The Thistle and the Grail (1954) and The Missionaries (1957) .................................................................................................................................. 64 Chapter 4: Moral Extremes: The Cone-Gatherers (1955) ....................................................................... 84 Chapter 5: Escape, Sacrifice, and Redemption: Guests of War (1956) .................................................... 94 Chapter 6: Innocence Lost, Innocence Regained: A Love ofInnocence (1963) ..................................... 107 Part III: The Foreign Fiction ................................................................................................................ 119 Chapter 1: Beyond Scotland ............................................................................................................... 119 Chapter 2: Journeys of discovery: Some Kind of Grace (1960), The Tiger of Gold (1962), and 'A Far Cry From Bowmore' (1973) ...................................................................................................... 130 Chapter 3: Eastern Visions: Dust on the Paw (1961) and The Holy Tree (1969) ................................... 144 Chapter 4: Art, Love, and the Human Family: The Sardana Dancers (1964) ........................................ 163 Chapter 5: Subjugation, Surrender, and Sacrifice: The Expatriates (1971) and 'Imelda and the Miserly Scot' (1973) ....................................................................................................................... 171 Chapter 6: Rewriting a Story? A Figure ofFun (1974) and Leila (1995) ............................................. 181 Part IV: The Later Scottish Fiction ...................................................................................................... 193 Chapter 1: Repetition and Innovation: Irony, Ambivalence, Enigma .................................................... 193 Chapter 2: Treachery, Escape, and Banishment: A Very Scotch Affair (1%8) and Fergus Lamont (1979) ........................................................................................................................................... 199 Chapter 3: Pushing to Extremes: A Toast to the Lord (1972), A Would-Be Saint (1978), The Awakening of George Darroch (1985), and Just Duffy (1988) ................................................................... 214 Chapter 4: Self-reflection and Re-examination: Poverty Castle (1991), Willie Hogg (1993), and Poor Angus (2000) ...................................................................................................................... 246 Part V: Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 264 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 270 4 Dedicated to my father and mother and to the memory of my grandfather Tileinka6 foreldrum minum at Steinstu.ni og einnig minningu Gisla afa mins 5 Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my supervisor, Professor Douglas Gifford, for his professional guidance, support, and enthusiasm for the subject during the preparation and writing of this thesis. I would also like to thank the CVCP and the ORS Award Scheme for helping me fund my research. My special thanks to Robin Jenkins, for writing all those books, for being so welcoming when I visited him to his home, and for his correspondence with me through the years. My special thanks also to Julian D' Arcy and Sarah Dunnigan, for their guidance and advice, and to Judith Harriman of the Computing Service for her technical help. Many thanks to Dr Margery McCulloch for her advice and help; to Joyce Dietz, for being level-headed, sympathetic and supportive; and to other staff members of the Scottish Literature Department who gave me their encouragement and advice. Special thanks to Jackie Fairgrieve, for the boozy Jenkins 'tutorials'; to Amanda McLeod & Johanna Tiitinen, for the 'girly' talks and culinary delights; to Hazel Hynd, for her many and invaluable tips on language, style and content, and for being a comrade-in-suffering; to Katy Gordon, for getting there and inspiring the rest of us; and to Monica Germana, for her Mediterranean love of life. More special thanks to S61a, for having such faith; to Catherine Mcinerney & Goth Dunns, for their friendship and support; to Amr Saher & Ahmed Eiweida in the 'Eastern Division', for all the good times; to Susan Thomson & John McMonagle, for providing a balance; and to Masoud Murad, for never ceasing to ask. Special thanks also to Chris Thomson, for putting up with me during stressful times, and for sharing the laughs during others; to Mani Rao, for putting up with my irregular hours, for her encouragement and for the sampling of Indian cuisine; to Martin Axford, for teaching me about my own country while I studied his; and to all the others who have in one way or another helped and encouraged me during my writing of this thesis. Very special thanks to my parents in the North ofIceland, for believing in me, encouraging me, and feeding me love and food during my visits home; to my brothers, Gisli, Sammi, Gulli, and Amar,