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Immortal Memory

Immortal Memory

£30.00

Immortal Memory—Burns and the Scottish People

How Robert Burns became Scotland's national poet


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About the Ebook

Robert Burns was by far and away the most iconic figure in nineteenth-century Scotland. Multiple editions of his works poured incessantly from the presses. Unprecedentedly large crowds gathered to commemorate him at huge festivals and at the unveiling of memorials. His work was at the heart of the palpable rise of Scottish-ness that swept Scotland from the 1840s through to the First World War, including demands for Home Rule.

If Walter Scott imagined Scotland, Burns shaped it. He gave ordinary Scots in what had been one of the most socially uneven societies in Europe a sense of self-worth and dignity, and underpinned demands for political and social justice. In this major new book, Christopher Whatley describes the several contests there were to 'own' - and mould - Burns, from Tories through Radicals to middle-class urban improvers. But the Kirk condemned Burns as the Antichrist, deplored the Burns cult ('Burnomania') - a slur on a nation that prided itself on its strict Presbyterian inheritance. The result is a fascinating picture of the role Burns played after his death in shaping multiple facets of Scottish society.


Why You'll Love This Ebook

  • Discover how Burns became a unifying symbol of Scottish national identity
  • Explore the cultural and political uses of his memory since 1796
  • Engage with rigorous historical analysis of literary celebrity
  • Read another scholarly title from John Donald - Specialists in Scottish History

About the Author

Christopher Whatley is Professor of Scottish History at Dundee University. He has published widely, and his books include The Scots and the Union (EUP).


Publication Details

Publisher: John Donald (an imprint of Birlinn Ltd)

Publication Date: 19 September 2016

Print Length: 347 pages (Ebook edition)

ISBN (Ebook): 9781788853637

Format: Ebook


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