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While the so-called Second Scottish Renaissance is said to have climaxed with writers and works such as James Kelman's innovative social realism or Alasdair Gray's postmodern metafiction, Scottish fiction today is seen as pertaining to a new historical phase – rethinking Scotland, Scottish identity, life in Scotland, etc. after the Scottish devolution. This seminar will study a range of contemporary fiction of the last decade or so, beginning with Kelman and A L Kennedy to move on to writers as diverse as Alexander McCall-Smith with his popular, humourous satires of Edinburgh middle-class society, Louise Welsh's dark crime fiction, and finally fascinating John Burnside, who fuses dystopia, dark realism and a technique of obsessive monologue reminscient of Beckett. Participants are requested to have obtained a copy of and have read A. L. Kennedy's Paradise (2004) by the beginning of term. Further texts will be announced. The Lektürekurs is designed to offer scope for the discussion of theoretical texts on Scotland after the devolution and of further primary literature. A moodle course will be available as of October 15th. |
