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Kailyard and Scottish Literature Scottish Cultural Review of Language and Literature Volume 8 Series Editors John Corbett University of Glasgow Sarah Dunnigan University of Edinburgh James McGonigal University of Glasgow Production Editor Rhona Brown University of Glasgow SCROLL The Scottish Cultural Review of Language and Literature publishes new work in Scottish Studies, with a focus on analysis and reinterpretation of the literature and languages of Scotland, and the cultural contexts that have shaped them. Further information on our editorial and production procedures can be found at www.rodopi.nl Kailyard and Scottish Literature Andrew Nash Amsterdam - New York, NY 2007 Cover painting: Sir James Guthrie, A Hind’s Daughter, 1883, Oil on canvas, ©National Gallery of Scotland Cover design: Gavin Miller and Pier Post The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of “ISO 9706: 1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents Requirements for permanence”. ISBN-13: 978-90-420-2203-4 ©Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2007 Printed in The Netherlands To my parents This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 11 Chapter One: The Invention of the Term 17 Chapter Two: Regionalism, Representation and the Art of J.M. Barrie 49 Chapter Three: S.R. Crockett: Romancing Galloway 91 Chapter Four: The Sentimental Art of Ian Maclaren 129 Chapter Five: The Marketing of Kailyard and the Debate over Popular Culture 169 The Critical Kailyard 203 Chapter Six: Bibliography 251 Index 265 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements This book has its origins in a Ph.D thesis on J.M. Barrie and the Kailyard written at the University of St Andrews. I owe a considerable debt to Robert Crawford who provided energetic and enthusiastic support for me and my work from the moment I began doctoral research under his supervision. I also benefited from conversations about the subjects of this book with Douglas Dunn, R.D.S. Jack, Murray Pittock and, especially, Ian Campbell, who really sparked my enthusiasm for Scottish literature. Vincent Giroud and the staff of the Beinecke Library, Yale University, were extremely helpful during my period of research there. The general editors at SCROLL, especially Sarah Dunnigan and Jim McGonigal, have been patient, helpful and accommodating. In completing the book I benefited from working with Adam White, who wrote an MA dissertation on Kailyard at the University of Reading in 2005. My thanks go to all and also to Jonathan Bell and, most of all, to the two people to whom the book is dedicated. Portions of Chapter 5 of this book appeared in an earlier form in an article in Scottish Studies Review (Vol. 5, No. 1, Spring 2004), and reappear here by permission of the editors and the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. This page intentionally left blank Introduction What is Kailyard? It may be that some apology is due by anyone who refers to the Kailyard. Most readers must be weary of the outworn word itself, as they are of the class of writing for which it stands. But the word has become part of the language, and will probably survive the books which it connotes. (Rix 1897) So began an article published in the Glasgow Evening Times on 6 January 1897 by a writer signing himself “Rix”. His words could hardly have been more prophetic. One hundred and one years later, Donald Dewar, then Secretary of State for Scotland, participated in a debate about the likely cultural effects of devolution and spoke of his fears that a devolved structure for