Artificially defining Scotland

what is tartan

a textile design associated with but not limited to Scotland

who defined Tartanry

Tom Nairn

define tartanry

a stereotyped symbolic representation of Scotland

what quote from West summarises his distaste of Tartanistic ideas 

‘the hackneyed conceptualisation of Scotland’

what are legends

stories that are purported to be true, usually told about a historical figure which grow over time to become more fantastical 

how does Macbeth demonstrate a rewriting of history for political gain 

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to please James VI, who was a relative of MacDuff, who restored order by killing Macbeth and returning the rightful leader to the throne

in real life, Macbeth reigned successfully for 17 years 

how does MacPhearson’s Fingal illustrate Tartanry ideas

the piece claims to be an epic spoken poetry from an ancient Scottish Baird, but it is actually made up by the writer 

it holds themes of tartan, stereotypical symbols and the idea of Scots as ‘other’

how did Walter Scott contribute to idealised perceptions of Scotland

he was tasked with arranging George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1822, and sold a romanticised imagery, making the men dress in Highland wear which cemented the imagery of kilts as part of national identity 

what is romantic nationalism

the idea that a nation’s legitimacy stems from a shared culture, language and history

when was the Celtic revival and what did it involve

• early 20th century

• also known as the Scottish renaissance 

• increased intrigue in the early medieval period and sourcing a national identity for Scotland that is separate to that of Britain 

• also sparked the Arts and Crafts movement, which revolved around handmade and intricate design

when was the Kailyard School movement and what did it entail

• early 20th century literary movement

• literally means ‘cabbage patch’

• symbolised romanticised images of small village life as a direct response to the industrial revolution

who coined the term Balmorality

George Scott Moncrieff

how did Moncrieff define Balmorality

the romanticised and idealised vision of Scotland, influenced by Queen Victoria and Albert’s enthusiasm for the Highlands and Balmoral Castle

what quote from Moncrieff summarises his idea of Balmorality

‘a glutinous compound of hypocrisy, false sentiment and industrialism’

when did the Folksong Flyting occur

1964

who is Hugh MacDiarmid- what did he believe

• he changed his name to Celticise it

• wrote in and produced ‘Synthetic Scots’, an elevated medium of Scots that deemed it worthy of literary practice 

• he believed that Scottish history is a resource that should be used to produce modern and innovated works 

who is Hamish Henderson and what did he believe

• a folklorist and fieldworker 

• advocate for Scottish independence 

• he believed that folk culture is a resource for modern interpretation but in its raw form still remains culturally and politically relevant 

how did Clydesidism in the 70s and 80s act as counter culture to ideas of Tartanry and Kailyard School

• it was focused on urban working-class culture 

• associated with radical political movements, the masculine identity contrasts salient ideas of previous idealisations 

what is Caledonian antisyzygy 

the idea that Scotland lacks a coherence in culture and identity

what is Scottish cringe

the sense of inferiority and commodity felt by those belonging to Scots culture

it is encouraged by the government and tartanry ideas

leads to Scots speakers viewing themselves as deviant of English norms