A Scottish National Canon? ― Processes of Literary Canon Formation in Scotland

Stefanie Preuss is a product of the evaluation and canon program at the U. of Gottengen (DE). In this book, she looks at the ongoing evolution, beginning in the 1960s, of the idea of Scottish literature as a separate canon than English literature. The book investigates basic practical questions about what defines a canon of literature, and who decides. She begins with a chapter on theoretical considerations (the idea of a national canon for Scotland, which has no national state, as well as postcolonial concepts). The rest of the book considers the major social engines that develop the idea of a national canon of writing, one in each chapter: secondary schools, academia, literary histories, anthologies, publishers, and writers and their texts. She points out that writers create texts but academics guard their interpretation, that the driving force in the academic world is whether or not a "Scottish lit" class is offered, and that while academic studies often discount the influence of the publishing world, editors and publishers determine what "Scottish lit" texts will actually be available, and what writing they will contain. To date, there are abundant publications on specific aspects of Scottish writers and writing, but no general anthology of Scottish literature. Each chapter of this book except the first ends with a section of interim findings from practical research. Preuss writes for academic readers in English-language PhD programs with a specialty in national literatures, but her prose is clear and accessible. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)