Religion and the poetic imagination : a study of the relationship between religious vision and poetic expression in Scotland from the fifteenth century to the present
The revival of Scottish letters in the twentieth century has helped re-instate the late Middle Ages as perhaps the most creative period in the history of Scottish literature. This has been accompanied by the recognition of the part played by subsequent historical events, such as the Reformation and the Union of Crowns, in undermining the national culture and therefore in dislocating the cultural tradition. However, the present study springs from the question as to whether this modern response has not itself largely failed to recognize the essential qualities of the pre-Reformation heritage, which is likewise to mis-interpret the true nature of the subsequent loss, and is indeed ultimately a testimony to the fact that on this level, the cultural disjunction still pertains to those who seek its remedy. Part One of this study, which consists of the first four chapters, seeks to ascertain the true nature of the medieval poetic vision. Chapters I and II are concerned with the poetry of Robert Henryson, as the poet most conscious of its nature. However, Chapters III and IV will illustrate that this same presence is at the heart of the poetry of the other major pre-Reformation poets, in the fifteenth and sixteenth
Donnelly, William J.
Philosophy
Religion and the poetic imagination : a study of the relationship between religious vision and poetic expression in Scotland from the fifteenth century to the present. The revival of Scottish letters in the twentieth century has helped re-instate the late Middle Ages as perhaps the most creative period in the history of Scottish literature. This has been accompanied by the recognition of the part played by subsequent historical events, such as the Reformation and the Union of Crowns, in undermining the national culture and therefore in dislocating the cultural tradition. However, the present study springs from the question as to whether this modern response has not itself largely failed to recognize the essential qualities of the pre-Reformation heritage, which is likewise to mis-interpret the true nature of the subsequent loss, and is indeed ultimately a testimony to the fact that on this level, the cultural disjunction still pertains to those who seek its remedy. Part One of this study, which consists of the first four chapters, seeks to ascertain the true nature of the medieval poetic vision. Chapters I and II are concerned with the poetry of Robert Henryson, as the poet most conscious of its nature. However, Chapters III and IV will illustrate that this same presence is at the heart of the poetry of the other major pre-Reformation poets, in the fifteenth and sixteenth
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