Author Description
Spanning seven centuries of Scottish verse from the thirteenth to twentieth century, The Oxford Book of Scottish Verse presents 326 poems by nearly one hundred poets. Including verse by such notable poets as John Barbour, William Dunbar, Alexander Scott, Robert Burns, James Hogg, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Andrew Young, Edwin Muir, Hugh MacDiarmid, Edith Robertson, Kathleen Raine, Norman MacCaig, and George MacKay Brown, the volume provides a full and balanced representation of the depth of Scottish verse. The editors have emphasized verse written in Scots as opposed to English and have focused on verse written before 1603 in an attempt to do justice to the much-neglected achievements of Scottish poetry in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, as well as to that of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates the historical trajectory and linguistic evolution of Scottish poetry across seven centuries. Editors John MacQueen and Tom Scott utilize their expertise in Scottish literature to curate a collection that highlights the distinctiveness of the Scots language. The primary argument posits that Scottish verse, particularly from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, represents a significant and under-recognized contribution to the broader canon of world poetry.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A collection of 326 poems spanning the thirteenth to the twentieth century.
- Works by nearly one hundred distinct poets, including John Barbour, Robert Burns, and Hugh MacDiarmid.
- A specific editorial emphasis on verse composed in Scots rather than English.
Scope Limits
- The collection does not provide exhaustive biographical data for every included poet.
- It does not attempt to cover contemporary Scottish poetry written after the late twentieth century.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and critics frequently identify this anthology as a foundational reference for those studying the development of the Scots language in verse. Experts highlight the editors' deliberate focus on pre-1603 works as a significant contribution to the preservation of early Scottish literary history.
Page Count:
672
Publication Date:
1989-06-01
ISBN-10:
019282600X
ISBN-13:
9780192826008
History
Poetry
Scottish literature
Scottish poetry
Literary Criticism
Anthology