Tange, Hanne (2000) Writing the nation: four inter-war visions of Scotland. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5189/ 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] WRITING TBE NATION: FOUR INTER-WAR VISIONS OF SCOTLAND By Hanne Tange A thesis submitted to the University of Glasgow in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2000 Department, o fScottish Literature , University of Glasgow Q Hanne Tange Til Tange-klanen i medgangog modgang 3 Summary This thesisexamines the visions of Scotlandthat comeacross in the inter-warwritings of Hugh MacDiarmid,Neil Gunn,Lewis GrassicGibbon and Edwin Muir in relationto the ideasof the ScottishLiterary Renaissanceas a whole. The initial part, "Into the Renaissance",consists of a historical accountof Scottish political and cultural nationalismin the 1920sand 1930s,followed by an examinationof the ways in which the authorsassociated with the ScottishRenaissance participated in the constructionof Scotlandas an imaginedcommunity. Geography, history, religion, languageand literatureare identified asthe five predominantthemes in the inter-war tradition, on the basisof which the intellectualscreated an imageof the nation that could expresstheir twin philosophiesof nationalismand modernism. The secondpart, 'Tour visions of ScotlanV, is composedof closereadings of the work of Hugh MacDiarmid,Neil Gunn,Lewis GrassicGibbon and Edwin Muir in that order of appearance.The MacDiannid chapterbegins with a discussionof the poet's call for a ScottishRenaissance in the 1920sand 1930s.It is arguedthat MacDiarmidset out with a strongbelief in his own ability to awakenthe nation,but that he became increasinglydisappointed with the Scots' lack of responseto his programmetowards the end of the 1920s.This disillusionmentresulted in a changeof strategyin the 1930s when, on the one hand,he exchangedthe politics of the National Party for his personal ideologyof ScottishRepublicanism, while, on the other,he abandonedprevious attemptsto reform the Scottishnation in favour of an idealisedvision that was more compatiblewith his poetic aims "Ibe peripherymoves to the centre"focuses on the work of Neil Gunn.The two initial sectionsconsider how the novelist attemptedto rewrite Scottishgeography and history in the 1920sand 1930s.The fiction is comparedwith Gunn's non-fictional writings in order to demonstrateto what an extentthis revisionismwas motivatedby the author'spolitical nationalism.The third part discussesGunn's work of the late 1930s,in which he tried to balancehis personalideal of small-statenationalism against the internationalistphilosophies of communismand socialism.Hence Gunn remainedloyal to his nationalistbeliefs throughoutthe 1920sand 1930s,which makeshis vision of Scotlandthe most consistentof the four. Summary The chapteron Lewis GrassicGibbon begins with a discussionof the mannerin which the writer employsScottish geography, history andlanguage to constructhis imaginedcommunity of Kinraddie.The secondsection concentrates on the relationship betweenthe fiction of CloudHowe and the non-fictional"Condition of Scotland"genre that developedin the 1920sand 1930,whereas the third part considersthe implications of the author'sideological message. I concludethat Gibbon'sA ScotsQuair represents oneof the strongestimages of Scotlandthat emergedfrom the inter-warrevival, but also that it associatesthe nationwith thepasý which is to saythat it containslittle hopefor the future. Finally, "Wherethings miscarry" examines Edwin Muir's ambivalentrelationship with his homecountry. The chapterstarts with a brief accountof the writer's developmentin the 1920s,then moves into his criticism of the 1930s,which is more Scottishin orientation.It is arguedthat he originally sympathisedwith the ideaof a ScottishRenaissance when he first encounteredit in the early 1920s,but that he soon realisedthat Scotlandand the Scotsmight not live up to MacDiarmid'shigh expectations.The secondand third sectionsdiscuss how in Muir's writings of the 1930s the nation becamesynonymous with Calvinism,which againled the authorto conclude that Scotlandwas an artistic wasteland.Accordingly, Muir's work leavesa negative vision that may counterbalanceMacDiarmid's idealism. The concludingpart, "The dissociatedimagination? ", comparesthe four visionsof Hugh MacDiarmid,Neil Gunn,Lewis GrassicGibbon and Edwin Muir. It is demonstratedhow, on the onehand, the authors'use of geography,history, religion, languageand literaturein their writings increasethe visibility of Scotlandas an imaginedcommunity, whereas their lack of consensuson a numberof key issues,on the other,weakens the nationalistargument. On the basisof that, I claim that the legacyof the ScottishRenaissance within Scottishliterary tradition is the myths of continuity and dissociationwhich havebeen to the fore of the critical discoursein the twentieth century,but which mustbe deconstructedif one is gain a full understandingof the period. In consequence,I propose a cultural historical approachto the ScottishLiterary Renaissancewhich recognisesthe discursivenature of the literatureas well as the fact that we are essentiallydealing with a period of history. Tablc of contcnts: SUMMARY 3 ................................................................................................................................................ TABLEOF CONTENTS: 5 ................................................................................................ ............................... AwowLEDGEminm 6 ............................................................................................................................ AUMOR'S 7 DECLARATTON........................................................................................ ............................... INTRODUCTTON 8 ........................................................................................................................................ PART ONE: INTO THE RENAISSANCE.------ INTo RENAissANcE 16 THE ......................................................................................................................... 1919 16 on the edgeof catastrophe...................................................................................................... Enter "Hugh MDiarmid". Scottish in 1920s 1930s 21 nationalism the and ....................................... The Scotland 33 voiceof ....................................................................................................................... Beyond Renaissance 49 the ................................................................................................................... PART TWO: FOUR VISIONS OF SCOTLAND-- INTRODUCTORY 52 ...............................................; .................................................................................... ON SEEINGSCOTLAND HUGHM. 1919-43 54 WHOLE: ACDIAMID .............................................................. Calling ScottishReýaissance 1919-30 59 out the ................................................................................. "Lourd Hert 1930s 69 on my ". HughMacDiarmid's politics in the .................................................... Poet'sluck- Hugh MacMarmid's in 1930s 77 poetics the .................................................................... Hugh MacDiarmid in ScottishRenaissance 84 the ............................................................................... THE PEFjrHERY NEIL M. GUNN 192641 89 movEs To THEcENTRE: ......................................................... Too Neil Gunn's 1926-32 94 old and going under: space ..................................................................... TwoScottish histories 1933-41 103 ...................................................................................................... "The Macdonald day". Gunn's late 1930s 110 at the endof the - vision of the ..................................... Neil Gunnin ScottishRenaissance 117 the ........................................................................................... FROMScoTsHiRE MEARNs:LEWIS GRASSIC GMBON 1928-35 122 INTOTHE ............................................ Grassic Gibbon's 1930-32 127 art ofcommunity: ................................................................................ Between the Scotland Cloud Howe 136 old and a new: ........................................................................ Grey Granite: Nere tradition 143 and modernity meet ...................................................................... Lewis Grassic Gibbon in the Scottish Renaissance 151 ........................................................................ WHERE THINGSMISCARRY: EDWIN MUIR 191843 156 ................................................................................ In an age of transition: The 1918-28 161 growth of a critic ................................................................. Edwin Muir's Scottishiourney 1929-35 168 ........................................................................................