Fall 2010Professor John Niles
MWF 11–11:50 am4281 H.C. White
English 518: The Scottish Tradition (#84194)
= Folklore 518 (#84418); counts toward the Celtic Studies Certificate
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This is a course in the Scottish tradition in literature. Emphasis will fall first of all on three major authors whose collective works have gone far to define Scotland in the popular imagination: Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Burns. We will then turn to works, such as popular ballads, folktales, and “folk” autobiography, that illustrate the mental outlook and the verbal arts of ordinary people.Readings will be drawn from both Highland and (especially) Lowland regions, with an eye to the tensions that complicate those two oppositional categories. Literary texts will be studied in relation to language and dialect, to the adaptation of folk traditions, to the creation of a sense of the Scottish past, and to competing concepts of national and regional identity. Use will be made of audio resources (through assigned CDs and other recordings) and relevant visual materials
A “Scottish film club” may or may not be formed as a parallel non-graded student-run activity. This is up to the participants in the course.
During the course of the semester, a web-based publishing project, Scottish Voices, will be in the process of construction under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. Thiswill make available, via the World Wide Web, a large set of photos, texts, audio recordings, and video recordings drawn from the instructor’s Scottish field collection. An effort will be made to integrate this projectinto the course so that students can draw on it before publication.
INSTRUCTOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION
Office hours: MF 3-3:50 pm and by appointment, 6131 H.C. White Hall. (608) 265-9836.
onal web page:
REQUIREMENTS
Two analytical papers (counting 15% and 25% of the final grade, respectively), a midterm exam (15%) and a final exam (in-class; 20%). The remainder of the grade (25%) will be assigned on the basis of regular attendance and participation in class, quality of work on quizzes, and fulfillment of any ungraded assignments or extra-credit reports.
TEXTS
Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, ed. by B. Menikoff(Random House).
Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales, ed. by R. Luckhurst (Oxford).
Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy, ed. by I. Duncan (Oxford).
Robert Burns, Selected Poems, ed. by C. McGuirk (Penguin).
Betsy Whyte, The Yellow on the Broom (Chambers).
Duncan Williamson, Fireside Tales of the Traveller Children (Canongate).
Scottish Traditional Tales, Scottish Tradition 17 (Greentrax CD).
The Muckle Sangs: Classic Scots Ballads, Scottish Tradition 5 (Greentrax CD).
Fitzroy MacLean, Scotland:A Concise History, rev. ed. (Thames and Hudson).
A course reader (CR).
PROSPECTIVE SCHEDULE (subject to change)
F Sept 3Introduction to the course.The land and early history of Scotland. Begin reading MacLean, Scotland: A Concise History (browse).
M Sept 6LABOR DAY.
W Sept 8Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, seen in relation to Scottish history and geography.
F Sept 10Kidnapped.
M Sept 13Kidnapped.
W Sept 15Kidnapped.
F Sept 17Kidnapped.
M Sept 20The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde.
W Sept 22The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde; “The Body-Snatcher.”
F Sept 24Stevenson, selected poetry (CR).
M Sept 27Sir Walter Scott, selections from Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (CR).
W Sept 29Other poetry composed in Scots dialect: Henryson, Dunbar, MacDiarmid (CR).
F Oct 1Video: “The Guid Scots Tongue.” Part 4 of the PBS series The Story of English.
Start reading Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy.
M Oct 4Rob Roy.
W Oct 6Rob Roy.
F Oct 8Rob Roy.
M Oct 11Rob Roy.
W Oct 13Rob Roy.
F Oct 15Rob Roy.
M Oct 18Rob Roy.
W Oct 20Wrap-up of Stevenson and Scott. Review.
F Oct 23MIDTERM EXAMINATION.
M Oct 25Robert Burns, selected poetry. PAPER #1 DUE.
W Oct 27Burns, additional selections.
F Oct 29Burns, additional selections.
M Nov 1Eighteenth-century Gaelic poetry: Duncan ban MacIntyre (CR).
W Nov 3Twentieth-century Gaelic poetry: Sorley MacLean (CR).
F Nov 5The travelling people of Scotland: Duncan Williamson, introduction to Fireside Tales of the Traveller Children; Betsy Whyte, The Yellow on the Broom.
M Nov 8The Yellow on the Broom.
W Nov 10Whyte, “One-Eye, Two-Eyes, Three-Eyes” (Scottish Traditional Tales CD); “The Twa Sisters” (The Muckle Sangs CD).
F Nov 12Duncan Williamson, selections from Fireside Tales.
M Nov 15Duncan Williamson, additional tales.
W Nov 17Selections from Scottish Traditional Tales (CD).
F Nov 19“Classic” folktales from the Highlands and the Lowlands (CR).
M Nov 22Selections from The Muckle Sangs (CD), heard in conjunction with texts and performances from other sources (CR).
W Nov 24Additional selections from Scottish Traditional Tales (CD).
F Nov 26THANKSGIVING BREAK.
M Nov 29Additional Scottish ballad selections.
W Dec 1Additional Scottish ballad selections.
F Dec 3Student reports.
M Dec 6Student reports.
W Dec 8Student reports.
F Dec 10General review. PAPER #2 DUE.
M Dec 13No class: reading period.
W Dec 15IN-CLASS FINAL EXAM.