The historical novels of Sir Walter Scott – the substantial factor in the formation of Scottish national identity at the turn of XVIII–XIX centuries

Abstract

The paper discusses the influence of Walter Scotts historical novels on the formation of national identity of Scotland at the turn of the eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries. In the current geopolitical situation, considering the growing wave of separatism, the relevance of the study of national identity formation process cannot be overemphasized. In the paper the author analyzes the historical preconditions of Scots national consciousness formation. The author also considers characteristics of historical and cultural development of the region. According to the author, James MacPherson and Bishop Percys works were equally important for national disunity overcoming in Scotland and Britain as a whole. Particular attention is drawn to the role of Sir Walter Scott in the process of national revival in Scotland. Such novels as Waverley, Puritans, and Rob Roy introduced the general public with the mental basis of the Scottish people. Having opened national character features and religious foundations of the Scottish worldview for a wide range of readers, the author awakened the interest of the British society to the heritage of Scotland, thereby laying the basis for a successful integration of the two peoples into a single nation. Sir Walter Scott managed to revive national prestige of Scotland that had fallen victim after the signing of Union in 1707.