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Kieffer (2001) University of Stirling Department of English Master of Philosophy Aspects of education in Scottish literature September 2011 Georges Kieffer 1322161 Supervised by Doctor Scott Hames Acknowledgements Many thanks to my supervisors Doctor Scott Hames and Doctor Roderick Watson, to Chantal, Sally, and Jeannot (my wee family), as well as to Fiona and Donald from Larbert for their home hospitality when in Scotland. Abstract The dissertation analyses various aspects of education in Scottish literature. The thesis attempts to answer the following key questions: If historically speaking the Scottish educational system is said to be one of the best, why then are there hardly any reflections of this ideal to be found in Scottish literature? Why are most teachers described as dysfunctional and the schoolchildren as frustrated with the system? The dissertation examines literary examples taken from recent or contemporary Scottish literature. However, the opening chapter centres on kailyard literature and myth-making contained in the meritocratic lad of pairts imagery. The second chapter analyses how the schoolchild perceives education. Chapter three focuses particularly on dysfunctional representations of the teacher, whereas chapter four attempts conclusively to show that the representations of education in Scottish writings do not correspond to the ideals expressed in George Davie's Democratic Intellect. Table of Contents Chanter Title Page l Number Number 1 Preface 5 ----- I 1 The Democratic Intellect and kailyard 7 1,1 Historical background 7 I 1,2 Some definitions and criticism of kailyard literature 12 1,3 Literary examples of education contained within the kailyard 18 -- ---- t-- -- - --- --- --- --------- --- -- ------ - - -1 1,4 Conclusion 27 I 2 The schoolchild in Scottish literature 29 I 2,1 The break with kailyard as illustrated through George Douglas 29 : Brown's The House with the Green Shutters i 2,2 The schoolchild as represented in the works of Nan Shepherd, 43 l Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Muriel Spark ------f--------- -- --- 2,3 Conclusion 76 I I 3 The teacher and his various functions and dysfunctions in 77 I modern Scottish literature ! 3,1 Sociopolitical background 77 3,2 James Kelman's A Disaffection and the philosophical 80 framework -------------- ---- 3,3 George Friel's Mr Alfred MA., analysis of a burnt-out teacher 103 3,4 Alasdair Gray - In the company of Mad Hislop 119 3,5 Conclusion 128 4 The continuation of disillusionment in education 129 i --" 4,1 William Mcllvanney's Docherty 129 4,2 The dark vision of Gordon Williams 140 4,3 Robin Jenkins- The teacher as Good Samaritan? 154 ! 4,4 General conclusion 160 -------------- ---------------- Booklist 164 I __ __j Preface The first reason for writing this thesis stems from personal experience gained in the teaching profession in Luxembourg over a period of twenty-five years. The subject I teach is English, although I used to teach Ethics and Computing. My career includes working in various schools, both Lycees Techniques and Lycees Classiques, as well as teaching adults in the Luxembourg prison and at the language centre for adult tuition. In addition to classroom experience, I have worked in the field of social work with an emphasis on links between education and employment. I have also written three novels in Luxembourgish, containing literary elements of teaching. Having had some experience with the Luxembourg education system, I am now interested in discovering the role education plays in another country. Between 1984 and 1987 I studied English, Spanish and Fine Arts at the University of Stirling. Coming from a rigid and selective school system, I especially enjoyed the professionalism and freedom of the Scottish system of education. I came to wonder about the interconnection between the Scottish school system and the representation of said system - or systems - in recent and modem literature. The opening chapter shall consider some of the particularities of the Scottish structure of education. The development of school throughout the centuries, the part played by the Church and Calvinism, the influence of the Enlightenment, various modem political changes and their wider implications will be briefly considered. Certain myths like the lad of pairts, the rivalry between the "English" and the "Scottish" 5 educational agendas, and ideas contained in George Davie's Democratic Intellect will be explained and explored. This background will allow us to ask and partly answer the following central question. A number of historians and critics have viewed the Scottish educational system as a source of national pride. Why then is there no reflection of this esteem in Scottish literature? Why are most of the protagonists of the novels to be discussed frustrated pedagogues who never seem to have embraced the ideals of the Democratic Intellect? One should add that the fictional works to be analysed are not socio-historical documents. George Douglas Brown, Robin Jenkins and James Kelman provide an artistic rendering of aspects of education through their works but by no means can their venture be a substitute for statistical data and historic records of the school situation and educational discussions taking place during the authors' times of writing. This is a literary rather than historical investigation. 6 Chapter 1- The Democratic Intellect and kailyard 1.1 -Historical background The following survey on education in Scotland should mainly serve as a temporal reference point. As the scope of this work is literary analysis, what follows is by no means a complete history of Scottish education and must necessarily remain concise. For recent developments in Scottish education, the volume Scottish Education, by T.G.K. Bryce and W.M. Humes, has served as a valuable tool. 1 In their essay 'The Distinctiveness of Scottish Education', they state why Scottish education has the reputation for meritocracy and fostering social mobility: 'Belief in the worth and purpose of education is linked to the sense of national identity which is regularly invoked to draw attention to the differences between Scottish and English society.' According to Bryce and Humes, 'This takes the form of a story or "myth", shaped by history but not always supported by historic evidence, to the effect that Scottish society is relatively egalitarian and meritocratic' (Bryce and Humes, p. 109). We shall assess the implication of the quote in our discussion of George Davie's interrelated concept of the democratic intellect at the end ofthis section. But for the time being we will consider the historical development of Scottish education. The beginnings of the Scottish educational system can be traced back to monasteries like St Ninian's Candida Casa at Whithom or St Columba's at Iona in the 4'h and 6th century. For the next centuries the curriculum of these early teaching and learning centres depended on 'religion and sacred literature, with some attention to ancient Bryce, Tom and Humes, Walter, editors, Scottish Education, Second Edition, Post-Devolution, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2003. 7 language and astronomy' (Keay, p. 346). The marriage between Margaret of England and Malcolm III 'Canmore' and the accession of their learned son David to the throne (1084-1153) brought an English influence to Scottish education. Furthermore, the Celtic predominance was gradually replaced by the Roman form of an ecclesiastical structure. Abbey and cathedral schools appeared as forerunners of the grammar schools. The first three Scottish Universities were founded in St Andrews (1411), Glasgow (1451) and Aberdeen (1494), whereas Edinburgh was only established in 1586. In general these university structures were focused on Europe rather than England. Keay points out that they 'followed the student-led pattern of Bologna rather than the master-dominated pattern of Oxford' (Keay, p. 346). In 1496, an Act of the Scots Parliament was to decree a first form of compulsory education, albeit aimed at a small section ofthe population. By 1560, however, the First Book ofDiscipline set out to establish a national system of education. Keay adds that the aim was to foster the moral of each individual and thereby serve the good of the community. In an important note, as it is the root of the myth of the lad ofpairts, Keay stresses the fact that the act: made no distinction between rich and poor; and that advancement from one stage to the next was to depend on ability - factors that lay at the root of the Scottish tradition of democratic meritocracy (Keay, p. 346). This tradition of 'democratic meritocracy' becomes connected with the lad of pairts myth, which saw the local dominie providing additional instruction to the local prodigy. If we continue our historical journey, we will see that towards the end of the eighteenth 8 century there existed an expanding network of burgh and parish schools. Nevertheless, approaching the nineteenth century, the educational system was ill-equipped to meet the demands of the Industrial Age. One consequence of industrialism was the growing number ofthe population leaving the Highlands to seek jobs in big cities like Glasgow. 2 The provision of schooling was lagging behind this phenomenon. Whereas it was basically the state and the church which dealt with educational questions, industrialists like Robert Owen saw the merit of educating the children of his labourers at New Lanark mill. All, however, was not well with schooling in Scotland. The Scottish Act of 1872, under the guidance of the so-called Argyll Commission, deplored 'high absenteeism, widely varying standards, especially between rural and urban areas, a shortage of finance, and a general lack of systematic control'(Keay, p. 348). Despite these inadequacies, progress was made. In this light the Act saw the provision of a 'Scotch' Education Department, albeit in London, as Keay ironically remarks. It eventually developed into the Scottish Education Department in 1918, before finally moving to Edinburgh in 1939. As we reach the twentieth century we should pause for a moment or at least reconsider our historical perspective.
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