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Scotland in Robert Burns' Poetry

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Scotland in Robert Burns' Poetry MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature Scotland in Robert Burns’ Poetry Bachelor Thesis Brno 2013 Author: Supervisor: Andrea Tošovská Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. Declaration Hereby I declare that I have compiled this thesis on my own and all the sources of information used in the thesis are listed in the references. Brno, 17 April 2013 ………………………………....... Andrea Tošovská Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. for her kind advice, valuable feedback, and continuous support. Annotation This bachelor thesis deals with the theme of nature in Robert Burns’ poetry. The main aim of the thesis is to explain the role of nature in Burns’ poems and songs, the message of the poems, and functioning of nature as a means of poems from the point of view of a literary device. The introductory part focuses on the natural and historical attributes of Scotland to introduce the Scottish identity and an objective context in which the poems were written. The theoretical part also provides an insight into pre-romanticism, defines natural poetry, and briefly describes Robert Burns’ life and work. The main part of the thesis deals with analyses of selected natural poems using a method of close textual analysis. Key words Robert Burns, nature, natural poetry, attributes of Scotland, love, song, close textual analysis, pre-romanticism Anotace Tato bakalá řská práce se zabývá tématem p řírody v poezii Roberta Burnse. Hlavním cílem práce je vysv ětlit roli p řírody v Burnsových básních a písních, poselství básní a funkci přírody z pohledu literárního prost ředku. Úvodní část se v ěnuje p řírodním a historickým atribut ům Skotska pro nastín ění skotské identity a poskytnutí objektivního kontextu, v jehož rámci básn ě vznikaly. Teoretická část dále poskytuje nahlédnutí do preromantizmu, definuje přírodní poezii a stru čně představuje život a tvorbu Roberta Burnse. Hlavní část práce se zabývá analýzou vybraných přírodních básní pomocí metody „close textual analysis“. Klí čová slova Robert Burns, p říroda, p řírodní lyrika, atributy Skotska, láska, píse ň, close textual analysis, preromantizmus Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 6 2. The Scottish Identity: Natural and Historical Attributes of Scotland ................... 7 3. The Life and Times of Robert Burns ........................................................................ 9 4. Pre-Romanticism and Natural Poetry ..................................................................... 11 5. Poetry Analysis .......................................................................................................... 13 5.1 To a Mouse .......................................................................................................................... 14 5.2 My Heart’s in the Highlands ............................................................................................... 19 5.3 The Rosebud ........................................................................................................................ 23 5.4 I Love My Jean .................................................................................................................... 27 5.5 Address to the Woodlark ...................................................................................................... 31 5.6 The Lazy Mist....................................................................................................................... 35 6. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 38 Works Cited ...................................................................................................................... 41 Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 45 5 1. Introduction This thesis aims to examine the theme of nature in the poetical work of Robert Burns. It concentrates on the role of nature and natural elements in the poems, the message transferred through these elements, and the place of nature in the poems from the point of view of literary devices. The main reason why I have chosen the topic regarding poetry and analysis of poetical work is that I consider it very challenging on one side and very enriching on the other. The world of poetry always seemed to me ambiguous; in fact, inaccessible. Yet, after encountering with the poetry of Robert Burns, I discovered that it does not have to be that way. Robert Burns helped to create Scottish national identity and shape the external image of Scotland, and I wish to find the merit of natural poetry in this process. Moreover, I intend to answer a question what message and ideas are communicated through Burns’ natural poetry. The introductory theoretical part of this thesis is divided into three brief chapters. The first chapter is focused on the natural and historical attributes of Scotland which have been shaping the national Scottish identity. The purpose of the chapter is to provide the reader with an objective image of Scotland as the background of the poems and resulting eighteenth century atmosphere in the country, which is likely to be projected in the analyzed poems. The second chapter introduces the life and personality of Robert Burns and clarifies his status in the society of the eighteenth century and today. The third chapter introduces the literary movement Robert Burns pioneered, the pre-romanticism, to depict the overall character of Burns’ work and his approach to poetry. In addition, the basic typology of natural poetry is presented and a definition of natural poetry is provided in order to illustrate its variety and specify the analyzed subject. The main part of the thesis deals with analyses of selected natural poems using a method of close textual analysis, investigating the text in depth from different perspectives. In order to select poems with different attributes, I conducted a thorough research of Burns’ poetry. The aim of analysing the poems is to question the thematic and structural role of nature. The major research question attended is, “What is the extent of variations of usage of nature and natural elements in the poetical work of Robert Burns?”. The final part of the thesis provides conclusion based on individual analyses and answers the main research question in general. Appendix of this work includes Czech translations of analyzed poems by Josef Václav Sládek and Ji ří Valja. 6 2. The Scottish Identity: Natural and Historical Attributes of Scotland Moulton claims that music about Scotland derives from the physical land, people, history, and stories of Scotland (22). I suggest that this proposition might be extended fully on all poetical work devoted to Scotland. The composer as well as the poet must try to interpret a certain place, and translate it into sounds or rhymes. They are both inspired by the landscapes, weather, and life which, in case of the poet, transform into words and create verbal Scotland. I agree with Moulton’s (22, 23) further suggestion that the images provided and evoked by these works form the imagination of an audience in and out of Scotland and provide specific portrayal of the country. For an outsider with no experience related to Scotland, these representations become reality. It is vital to provide the reader of this thesis with a brief survey into the attributes of breathtaking Scottish scenery and haunting history to allow him to create own perception and facilitate comprehension of the subsequent analyses. Scotland’s identity was shaped distinctively by its geography and wild nature. Geographical features separate the nation into three main regions maintaining some linguistic and cultural autonomy: the Highlands, Lowlands, and islands. The Lowlands are and were the most populous area with the largest cities such as Glasgow or Edinburgh and, naturally, have been for centuries the seat of government. The Highlands, on the other side, are rugged, mountainous area, with narrow valleys, lochs, and harsh living conditions. (Moulton 24; “Lowlands”) The earliest inhabitants of Scotland had to resist many different invading groups which is where the roots of Scotland’s fierce sense of independence lay. The longest and most serious conflict the country experienced was with England. As Moulton concludes, the tense relationship was encouraging the Scottish to differentiate themselves from the neighbours by establishing their own traditions and sense of nationality (32). During the Scottish struggles for independence, a national hero arose; William Wallace. Although he was caught and killed in the fourteenth century after betrayal of a fellow Scot, he inspires Scottish nationalism to this day (Moulton 33). The most celebrated of Scotland’s documents, the Declaration of Arbroath (1320), is one of the consequences of the spread of nationalism stirred up by Wallace. The document is praised for its claim that men are inherently free, and a king is ultimately answerable to his subjects stating that if the king 7 of Scotland should give up, and agree to make the kingdom subject to the king of England, the Scottish should drive him out as their enemy. (“The Declaration of Arbroath, 1320”) Following almost three hundred years of internal conflict with England culminated with the execution of catholic Mary Queen of Scots by her cousin Queen Elizabeth
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