Scotland: Background of Literature

[Music] the names of Scott Burns Carlile and Stevenson are familiar to most of us much of their writing was of the land and people of Scotland for a better understanding of the novels poems essays and stories which these men wrote we need to understand something about the country itself something about Scotland background of literature this is Scotland that part of Britain which lies north of England from the southern counties which which are called the Borderlands through the industrial belt that includes Edinburgh on the fth of fourth and on up into the northern Highlands there is scarcely a corner of Scotland that is not furnished historians with famous events and writers with romantic stories even today for instance the southeast part of the Borderlands is still called Scott country this is the region that made Sir Walter Scott famous and conversely Sir Walter Scott immortalized this land Sir Walter once said to my eye these gray Hills and all this wild border country have Beauties peculiar to themselves the country that borders the river Tweed is truly Scott's domain here near the banks of the river he built his famous home Abbotsford many of his novels were written with Within These stately walls Scott was a prolific writer Waverly Rob Roy the heart of Midlothian the Fair Maid of Perth marmian the lay of the last Minstrel the Lady of the Lake and Castle dangerous in these and other poems and novels we can read of the characters that were inspired by the history and enchanting Beauty of Scotland if thou wouldst view Fair Melrose or right go visit it by pale [Music] Moonlight thus Scott sang of beautiful Melrose Abbey on the banks of the Tweed Scott never tired of looking at this ancient Monastery the broken arches the ruined central tower and the delicate tracery of the East window are all beautifully described in the lay of the last Minstrel near Melrose is another Abbey equally famous dry here after a life of tremendous literary output Scott was buried in 1832 the Romantic border country itself gave Scott his name the great romantic breathes there a man with soul so dead who never to himself hath said this is my own my native land an equally famous son of that native land was Robert Burns he was the best interpreter of Melodies and moods of Scottish life particularly as he found it in his native County of air the plowman poet as he was called was a farmer who knew the beauty of the earth and its creatures in such poems as to a mountain Daisy to a mouse the lazy mist a red red rose the cotter's Saturday night we can read Burn's love of simple familiar scenes here are his beloved bunks and bra of Bonnie dun and the old Brigadoon which you can read about in tamoshanter The thatched Cottage in Alaway where Burns was born is now a memorial to the people's poet thousands of visitors a year testify to the fame of the peasant's son who wrote the rank is but the guine stamp the man's the G for that when Burns died at the age of 37 in this house at Dum freeze he had won the rank of the greatest of Scottish poets the burns Memorial was financed with Sir Walter Scott's help but Burns has made his own monument in the hearts of all men should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind should old acquaintance be forgot and old langine north of the Borderlands is the great water inlet called the fth of fourth the fth is on the East Coast that Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote about in kidnapped this historic Bridge spans the water of the fourth and Carries traffic to and from a city that for centuries has been a center of Scottish life that city is Edinburgh it is the birthplace of both Walter Scott and Robert Lewis Stevenson all hail thy palaces and Towers wrote Burns when he visited the city mine own romantic Town said Scott of this city where he was educated and spent his early years edinburgh's famous Royal mile is lined with historic landmarks among them the famous Church of St Giles with its Memorial to Stevenson the Royal mile ends at Holy Roode house once the residence of Mary Queen of Scots holy rud house is the symbol of Scotland's haunting and poetic past in Scott's novel Waverly you can read about holy Roode and about the famous ball given in the palace by Bonnie Prince Charlie today Edinburgh centers about famous princess Street which is the modern heart of Midlothian the tall spire on the left is edinburgh's memorial to Scott it is a reminder of the golden age when Edinburough played host to literary Giants that included Thomas Carlile and Daniel defol not far from Edinburgh is the statue of Alexander selker you have read his actual Adventures as retold by Daniel defo in Robinson cruso North of of Edinburgh and the fth of fourth are the highlands occupying 2/3 of all Scotland my hearts in the highlands sang Bobby Burns Highland scenery is characterized by Rolling Hills or bravs fast tumbling streams fogs and gray Mists and sparkling lakes or locks all these beautiful elements are woven throughout Scottish and English literature if I did not see the Heather at least once a year said Sir Walter Scott I think I should die Heather and Highlands locks and Brays are all part of the natural stage for which Scott wrote his Lady of the Lake this is the country where the Stag at Eve had drunk his fill where danced the moon on Mon's re a region so wondrous wild the whole might seem the scenery of a fairy dream these are the trosx hills in perthshire where the actual scenes of the Lady of the Lake attract many visitors one of those scenes is the lake itself just as Fitz James saw it one burnished sheet of living gold lock Catrin L beneath him rolled and here in listening mood she seemed to stand the guardian NAD of the Strand thus did Scott describe his Lady of the Lake standing on the shores of Lo Catrine another lady and another Lake have given the world a far more tragic story this is Loch Len where on an island Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned you can read the tragic story in Scott's book The Abbott not far from L Le stands Sterling Castle the same Sterling Tower of yore that Scott described in the Lady of the Lake today Scottish children play beneath the ancient castle where Mary Stewart became Queen of Scotland while still a child Sterling Castle scene of exciting Scottish history and literature is only one of many famous landmarks glams is typical of the baronial castles the battle towers the dungeon keep the loophole grates where captives weep all the details so well pictured by Scott and marmian are to be seen in many castles this is coder the famous castle which you should remember when reading McBeth according to Shakespearean tradition King Duncan was murdered by McBeth in Carter Castle beautiful Lo Lomand is in the country of Rob Bry the Robin Hood of the Highlands another landmark of the Highlands is the monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie who led the Highland Clans in a tragic attempt to gain the Throne of Scotland the Bonnie Prince and other Heroes and heroins that we read about are not unlike Scottish people today Highland girls still bring to mind Burns lines I set me down with right good will to sing my Highland last all and there is still the indomitable Spirit of Scots W Bruce has often LED that Spirit Springs from the land itself it is the proud impetuous romantic Spirit from which so much of the literature has drawn its character by understanding the country itself we can better appreciate its literature the Romantic literature of [Music] Scotland