Examining the ways in which Scottish writers challenge the idea of national identity

Abstract

This article explores how John McGrath and Tom Leonard seek to expose and dispel received ideas about what Scottish national identity is, and present what they view as a more accurate and representative image of Scottish national identity. McGrath does this in his play, The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black, Oil, through his satirical approach to tackling issues such as exploitation that has been faced by Scots over the years as a means of inspiring future generations to fight for Scottish integrity and way of life. Leonards’ approach varies in both form and content as we see him deconstruct negative ideas and prejudices surrounding Scots dialect in his series of poems, Unrelated Incidents, to offer validation to Scots dialect as a literary language which can and should be used to create recognised and respected works of literature. Both authors look at issues of anglicisation with McGrath focusing on how the tragedies of Scottish history must be remembered, considered, and brought into the way we understand modern Scotland as a distinct and separate nation. He looks particularly at exploitation of Scottish resources and the suppression of the Gaelic language. Leonard looks at the ways in which the anglicisation of Scottish culture has led to Scots dialect being viewed as intellectually inferior to standard English especially in academic circles. He writes phonetically in the working class Glaswegian dialect to throw a stark contrast against the anglicised version of Scots accepted in other literary works. Both McGrath and Leonard present an impassioned defence for the importance of the appreciation of Scottish people, culture, and language, fuelled by their Scottish nationalities.