Scottish Gaelic Prose: The Nineteenth Century (P00865)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LLC-P-P00865

This course examines the making of the modern tradition of printed Gaelic prose, as published in books and journals in the course of the nineteenth century. The quality of nineteenth-century creativity is often seriously underestimated by critics, and the century's output of Gaelic prose, like its output of verse, is not infrequently disparaged. The course will consider:
1) The emergence of the written tradition, and the development of secular writing from religious roots;
2) Aspects of the relationship between oral and written narrative, especially that designed for printing;
3) The expanding range of themes and styles, and the factors (including English literary models) which shaped these;
4) The gradual spread of 'popular' styles of writing by the last quarter of the century;
5) The creation of the modern Gaelic printed book, and the contribution of particular publishers, notably Archibald Sinclair.

Each topic will be introduced by a brief overview sketching the main features of the genre, but the primary emphasis will be on the examination in class of a text or texts exemplifying the genre. The course will be delivered in Gaelic and/or English as appropriate to the nature of the class and the topic.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Admission to MSc (T) Scottish Studies

? Co-requisites : Modern Scottish Cultural History

? Costs : Because of the difficulty of accessing books published in the first half of the nineteenth century, and sometimes later, texts will be provided as bound photocopies. A price for this booklet has yet to be finalised.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Celtic, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will have the opportunity to examine a range of nineteenth-century Gaelic prose writings, and to familiarise themselves with the challenges which had to be surmounted by writers and publishers of Gaelic prose texts. They will learn to handle orthographic variation in different texts, and they will become familiar with a wide variety of language registers.