Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Arts and Humanities Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 57

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Robert Burns To Maria Riddell, A Lost Burns Manuscript And A Victorian Facsimile, Patrick Scott, Ronnie Young Dec 2022

Robert Burns To Maria Riddell, A Lost Burns Manuscript And A Victorian Facsimile, Patrick Scott, Ronnie Young

Studies in Scottish Literature

Reviews the textual history of Robert Burns's brief letter to Maria Riddell, in spring 1795, in Dumfries, mentioning the miniature portrait by Alexander Reid; notes that the manuscript, owned in the late 19th century by Dr Thomas C.S. Corry of Belfast, and later by John Gribbel of Philadelphia, cannot now be located; and describes and illustrates the facsimile made of it in 1864 for Vincent Brooks in the Autographic Mirror, now the only source of this letter manuscript available to the Glasgow editorial team for the forthcoming Oxford edition of Burns's Correspondence.


Burns And The Altar Of Independence: A Question Of Authentication, Patrick Scott, Gerard Carruthers Dec 2022

Burns And The Altar Of Independence: A Question Of Authentication, Patrick Scott, Gerard Carruthers

Studies in Scottish Literature

Describes and illustrates the only known manuscript of Robert Burns's short 'Poetical Inscription for an Altar to Independence'; notes ongoing disputes over the authenticity of several other of Burns's political poems from the 1790s; traces the manuscript's provenance from the Kern sale in 1929 (when it was cataloged as genuine) to Sotheby's in 1982 (when it was cataloged as a forgery), to its current location in the J.M.Shaw Collection, Florida State University Libraries, where more recent internal records catalogue it as authentic; points out evidence confirming its authenticity; and provides the first collation of the manuscript against the text published …


Burns And Jean Armour, Ellisland, 1788: A Letter Fragment In The Roy Collection, Patrick Scott Dec 2022

Burns And Jean Armour, Ellisland, 1788: A Letter Fragment In The Roy Collection, Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Describes and illustrates a two-sided fragment of Robert Burns's letter from Ellisland to his wife Jean Armour, in Muchline, from September 12, 1788, concerning her move to join him, and news for his brother Gilbert. Only four letters from Burns to Jean are now known; the main body of this letter was printed by Waddell in 1869, and was later recorded in the Honresfield Collection (now the Blavatnik-Honresfield Collection), but this section, now in the G. Ross Roy Collection at the University of South Carolina, was snipped off by the then-owner Mary MacLaughlan Nicolson for a collector before Waddell saw …


Robert Burns’S Life On The Stage: A Bibliography Of Dramatic Works, 1842–2019, Thomas Keith Dec 2021

Robert Burns’S Life On The Stage: A Bibliography Of Dramatic Works, 1842–2019, Thomas Keith

Studies in Scottish Literature

This article traces the changing history of how the Scottish poet Robert Burns has been portrayed on stage, both in Scotland and elsewhere, discussing the the issues playwrights have faced and some of the approaches they have used, and provides an annotated chronological bibliography of ninety plays about Burns's life written or first staged between 1842 and 2019, with information on first known performance and on any published versions or known manuscript or typescript, and with brief notes where information is available on the style of the play and critical reaction.


'We'll Ne'er Forget The People': The Roy Manuscript Of Burns's 'The Dumfries Volunteers', Patrick Scott Dec 2021

'We'll Ne'er Forget The People': The Roy Manuscript Of Burns's 'The Dumfries Volunteers', Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

A brief illustrated report on an early manuscript of Burns's song "The Dumfries Volunteers ("Does haughty Gaul invasion threat"), now in the Roy Collection, University of South Carolina Libraries, originally sent by Burns to the editor of the Dumfries Journal, and published there on May 5, 1795, but unavailable to Kinsley and other recent editors.


From Skiddaw To Scruffell: Sightlines Over The Solway, Christopher Donaldson, Joanna Taylor Oct 2021

From Skiddaw To Scruffell: Sightlines Over The Solway, Christopher Donaldson, Joanna Taylor

Studies in Scottish Literature

Explores the geography, and literary antecedents, of William Wordsworth's poems about Robert Burns from the visit he and his sister Dorothy made across the Solway Firth to Dumfries and Ellisland in 1803, and discusses the link they made between the two mountains of Skiddaw in Cumberland and Curfell or Criffel on the Scottish side of the Firth.


The Natural-Supernatural Solway, Fiona Stafford Oct 2021

The Natural-Supernatural Solway, Fiona Stafford

Studies in Scottish Literature

Explores, through discussion of Burns's letters from Annan Water on the Solway, and in his poems, Burns's treatment of the supernatural, specifically his references to treatment of Kelpies, the mythical Scottish waterhorses seen in the destructive force of Solway tides and storms, carrying this forward to the work of Allan Cunningham, including his story “Judith Macrone, the Prophetess” (1821) and his poem "The Mermaid of Galloway" (1810).


‘Yon High Mossy Mountains’: A Burns Song Manuscript From The Roy Collection, Patrick Scott Aug 2020

‘Yon High Mossy Mountains’: A Burns Song Manuscript From The Roy Collection, Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses and collates variants from a second autograph manuscript of Burns's song "Yon High..." or "Yon Wild Mossy Mountains," in the Roy Collection, University of South Carolina, reviewing the evidence on provenance, and assessing the purpose of the variants in the Roy manuscript.


The King And The People In Burns And Lady Nairne, With A Coda On Jane Austen’S Favorite Burns Song, Carol Mcguirk Aug 2020

The King And The People In Burns And Lady Nairne, With A Coda On Jane Austen’S Favorite Burns Song, Carol Mcguirk

Studies in Scottish Literature

Explores the treatment of the monarchy, and the Jacobite song tradition, in Robert Burns (who "refuses political silence yet ... embraces indirection, even contradiction") and Caroline Oliphant, Lady Nairne (whose "lyrics highlight Scottish solidarity... offering her readers [and the performers of her songs] an immersion experience in being Jacobite"), with discussion also of Jane Austen's favourite Burns song "“Their Groves of Sweet Myrtle,” suggesting that this is echoed in Austen's Emma.


The Roy Manuscript Of Burns’S 'To John Syme', Patrick Scott Dec 2019

The Roy Manuscript Of Burns’S 'To John Syme', Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Describes the only known authorial manuscript of a short poem by Robert Burns, now in the G. Ross Roy Collection at the University of South Carolina, providing a collation of variants among the early texts, and discussing the reliability of the transcripts of such Burns epigrams or versicles made by Burns's friend John Syme, on which editors must rely for other Burns items.


Books Noted And Received, Patrick Scott Dec 2019

Books Noted And Received, Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

This list covers a first group of the books received or noted since publication of SSL 43:2; this preliminary proof version will be expanded shortly, and further titles from this period will be noticed in a future issue. Inclusion in this list need not preclude possible subsequent discussion in a more formal review.


Translations Of Robert Burns In The Russian Book Market: The Old And The New, Natalia Kaloh Vid Dec 2018

Translations Of Robert Burns In The Russian Book Market: The Old And The New, Natalia Kaloh Vid

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses the influence of Samuil Marshak's long-dominant Russian translations of Robert Burns's poems and the more recent anthologies and translations that "broke the Marshak monopoly," and briefly examines why, in publishing terms, the Marshak translations are still the most widely available.


Robert Burns In Print At The National Library Of Scotland, Robert Betteridge Dec 2017

Robert Burns In Print At The National Library Of Scotland, Robert Betteridge

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses the early Burns editions now in the National Library of Scotland, compares the NLS holdings to those of other major UK research libraries, examines the limited role of the deposit privilege in bring early Burns editions to the Advocates' Library before the founding of the NLS, and provides examples of significant early editions that were subsequently acquired for the library by purchase and donation.


The Scotch Bard And 'The Planting Line': New Documents On Burns And Jamaica, Clark Mcginn Dec 2017

The Scotch Bard And 'The Planting Line': New Documents On Burns And Jamaica, Clark Mcginn

Studies in Scottish Literature

Based on newly-identified documents, reexamines Burns's plan in 1786 to emigrate to Jamaica to take a job on a Scottish-owned slave plantation, and the timing and circumstances of his eventual decision to stay in Scotland, concluding that Burns "kept his options open to the last moment," and that the new documents might mean Burns "sought to prosper from chattel slavery," and "only dropped the opportunity because a better offer came along, not because of any moral scruples."


'Not In Egerer'? (Some Of) What We Still Don't Know About Burns Bibliography, Patrick Scott Dec 2017

'Not In Egerer'? (Some Of) What We Still Don't Know About Burns Bibliography, Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Briefly reviews developments in Burns bibliography since J.W. Egerer's Bibliography of Robert Burns (1964), examines the kinds of material that Egerer aimed to include and exclude, and presents a series of brief case-studies illustrating the desirability of additional research, especially on early publication in non-book formats, for obtaining a fuller picture of Burns's textual history and readership.


Burns And Chapbooks: A Bibliographer's Twilight Zone, Iain Beavan Dec 2017

Burns And Chapbooks: A Bibliographer's Twilight Zone, Iain Beavan

Studies in Scottish Literature

Based on records for 358 chapbooks containing material by Robert Burns, published in Scotland, England and Ireland, between the 1780s and the 1880s, provides statistical information on their distribution by date and place of publication, and discusses some of the special research issues raised by this publication format, especially relating to the attribution (and misattribution) of authorship.


An Ssl Research Symposium: Introduction: New Developments In Robert Burns Bibliography, Gerard Carruthers Dec 2017

An Ssl Research Symposium: Introduction: New Developments In Robert Burns Bibliography, Gerard Carruthers

Studies in Scottish Literature

Introduces four talks given at the National Library of Scotland on March 16, 2017, at a workshop on New Developments in Robert Burns Bibliography, jointly convened by Robert Betteridge of the National Library and by Prof. Carruthers, as general editor of the AHRC-funded project Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century, arguing that "every bit as much as literary criticism or textual editing, bibliographical studies need generational renewal."


Towards A New Bibliography Of Robert Burns, Craig Lamont Dec 2017

Towards A New Bibliography Of Robert Burns, Craig Lamont

Studies in Scottish Literature

Introduces and describes the first phase of a new, free on-line resource from the University of Glasgow, A Bibliography of Robert Burns for the 21st Century: 1786-1802, based on fresh examination of multiple copies in several Scottish libraries, as well as in collections in the US and Canada, providing significantly-expanded entries for the early book-publication of Burns's poetry, and so allowing textual editors a more complete record of the textual history of Burns's work.


Scotland And The Caribbean, Jo Durant Dec 2016

Scotland And The Caribbean, Jo Durant

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses (and summarizes) Michael Morris's recent book Scotland and the Caribbean, c. 1740-1833, concluding that it should be welcomed, not only as an introduction to specific writers, but as a good introduction to recent debates on the legacy of Caribbean slavery, as seen from a Scottish perspective.


Books Noted And Received, Patrick G. Scott Nov 2016

Books Noted And Received, Patrick G. Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Short reviews or brief notices of seventeen books published or received since publication of Studies in Scottish Literature, 42:1 (Spring 2016).


The W. Ormiston Roy Memorial Lecture: Who Wrote The Scots Musical Museum? Challenging Editorial Practice In The Presence Of Authorial Absence, Murray Pittock May 2016

The W. Ormiston Roy Memorial Lecture: Who Wrote The Scots Musical Museum? Challenging Editorial Practice In The Presence Of Authorial Absence, Murray Pittock

Studies in Scottish Literature

James Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum, published in six parts in Edinburgh over the period 1787-1803, is now inextricably linked to its greatest contributor, the poet, song-writer and song-collector Robert Burns. This lecture builds from Murray Pittock’s recent editorial work on Johnson’s collection, forthcoming in the new multivolume Oxford Edition of Robert Burns, based at the University of Glasgow. The lecture shows that the apparently-innocent question “Who wrote the Scots Musical Museum?” is a complex one, raising very fundamental questions about the nature of authorship and editorship in the necessarily collaborative and social enterprise of song publication, and it …


Tam O' Shanter And Aesthetic Cultural Nationalism, Gerard Lee Mckeever May 2016

Tam O' Shanter And Aesthetic Cultural Nationalism, Gerard Lee Mckeever

Studies in Scottish Literature

Drawing on recent debates about Burns and Scottish romanticism, particularly comments by Murray Pittock, Nigel Leask, and Ian Duncan, discusses the pivotal scene in Robert Burns's poem "Tam o' Shanter," in which Tam's vision of the witches' carnival is framed by the window of Alloway Kirk, and argues that this can be read as a framing and aestheticization not only of folk heritage, but of a national self-image, a recalibration of nationhood.


'As I Walk'd By Mysel': A Burns Autograph Manuscript And The Problem Of Attribution, Patrick G. Scott May 2016

'As I Walk'd By Mysel': A Burns Autograph Manuscript And The Problem Of Attribution, Patrick G. Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Describes and illustrates Robert Burns's autograph manuscript of the song "As I walk'd by mysel'" (Kinsley 686), reviews the issues and problems in attributing manuscript songs to Burns, traces the provenance of the unique manuscript, and compares the Burns version to that published by David Herd's Antient and Modern Scotish Songs (1776 etc.), concluding that the manuscript was sent by Burns to James Johnson for possible inclusion in the Scots Musical Museum, and that, while the song is not original with Burns, he may have tinkered with specific phrases to improve it.


Radical Attribution: Robert Burns And 'The Liberty Tree', Corey E. Andrews Dec 2015

Radical Attribution: Robert Burns And 'The Liberty Tree', Corey E. Andrews

Studies in Scottish Literature

Discusses the political symbolism of liberty trees in the American and French revolutions, and in Scotland in Burns's period, as background to reconsidering the song "The Liberty Tree," first printed among Burns's work by Robert Chambers in 1838, the authorship of which has remained a subject for debate among Burnsians; examines the song closely in terms of phrasing to argue that it is unlikely to be by Burns; and draws a distinction between attributing the song to Burns and its evident reliance on his iconic standing both in his own time and among later Scottish radicals.


'Epitaph' On Grizzel Grim: A Newly-Discovered Manuscript In The Hand Of Robert Burns, Jonathan Henderson, Pauline Mackay, Pamela Mcintyre Dec 2015

'Epitaph' On Grizzel Grim: A Newly-Discovered Manuscript In The Hand Of Robert Burns, Jonathan Henderson, Pauline Mackay, Pamela Mcintyre

Studies in Scottish Literature

Describes and reproduces a newly-discovered Burns manuscript, with notes and numerical calculations relating to his work as an Excise Officer, and the four-line 'Epitaph' on Grizzel Grim (Kinsley II:926); discusses its publication history, attribution to Burns, and relation to Burns's ballad of similar title; gives a collation of variant readings; and transcribes related notes about the manuscript from the Craufurdland Castle papers.


The First Publication Of Burns's 'Tam O' Shanter', Bill Dawson Nov 2014

The First Publication Of Burns's 'Tam O' Shanter', Bill Dawson

Studies in Scottish Literature

Examines the early publication history of Robert Burns's poem "Alloway Kirk" or "Tam o' Shanter," which Burns wrote for Francis Grose's illustrated Antiquities of Scotl;and (1789-1791), describing Grose's method of publication in parts, restoring the priority of Grose's publication of the poem, and refuting assertions that the poem has appeared slightly earlier in two Edinburgh periodicals.


'They Gang In Stirks And Come Out Asses': Creative Writing And Scottish Studies, Liam Mcilvanney Nov 2014

'They Gang In Stirks And Come Out Asses': Creative Writing And Scottish Studies, Liam Mcilvanney

Studies in Scottish Literature

Recounts the experience as a student of the New Zealand poet James K. Baxter and discusses the interrelation of creative writing and literary scholarship, in Scottish universities and in New Zealand.


An Autograph Manuscript Of Robert Burns’S “Afton Braes”, Patrick G. Scott Nov 2014

An Autograph Manuscript Of Robert Burns’S “Afton Braes”, Patrick G. Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Describes and illustrates the autograph manuscript of the song "Afton Braes" ("Flow gently, sweet Afton"), by the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), recently acquired by the G. Ross Roy Collection, University of South Carolina Libraries, giving a collation of variants against the other major sources, examining the paper's watermark and excise stamping, and exploring both the provenance of the manuscript itself and its significance for the University of South Carolina.


Books Received, John T. Knox, Patrick G. Scott Aug 2013

Books Received, John T. Knox, Patrick G. Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Publication details and short descriptions of over thirty recently-published books in Scottish literature and related fields.


Robert Burns, James Johnson, And The Manuscript Of "The German Lairdie", Patrick Scott Aug 2013

Robert Burns, James Johnson, And The Manuscript Of "The German Lairdie", Patrick Scott

Studies in Scottish Literature

Reports, illustrates, and assesses a fragment of manuscript music now in the G. Ross Roy Collection at the University of South Carolina, for Burns's song "The German Lairdie," headed in Burns's hand, and possibly with the music in his hand also. A note with the fragment, which was exhibited as Burns's autograph in 1896, states that it had been sent by Burns to the Edinburgh editor and publisher James Johnson, for inclusion in his Scots Musical Museum.