Bannockburn afc
An intriguing survey of Scottish literature in relation to its representation of the nation s most famous battle for independence Robert the Bruce s defeat of the English in 1314 at Bannockburn and to the modern independence movement The chapter on Burns was probably the strongest not surprising since Crawford has also published a biography of the national poet 288
Robert Crawford FRSE FBA b 1959 is a Scottish poet scholar and critic He is emeritus Professor of English at the University of St Andrews.
Bannockburn shelford road 
How writers have imagined the idea of Scottish independence over 700 years Poet and critic Robert Crawford explores in eloquent detail the literary cultural background to Scottish nationalism in the lead up to the referendum on independence for Scotland in September 2014 He begins with the totemic Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 in which the Scots routed the English and preserved their independence until the two nations peacefully united in 1707 Continuing up to the present day he examines how writers have set out in poetry fiction plays and on film the ideal of Scottish independence Publication coincides with the 700 year anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn 1314 2014 This engagingly written volume begins with an English poet in residence at the 1314 battle The book then traces how that famous victory has been interpreted and reinterpreted imaginatively It moves from vivid medieval epics in several languages through the Romantic political imagination of Robert Burns to the striking part played by twenty first century poets novelists and dramatists in creative attempts to answer the 2014 Should Scotland be an independent country Here are the nationalist poetry of Hugh MacDiarmid and the gore of Braveheart and Black Watch the Surrey novelist who celebrates Scotland s political freedom in her international best seller and the bisexual Jewish American who develops a nuanced theory of Scottish nationalism in opposition to the oppressive rhetoric of fascism Bannockburns concludes with a spirited discussion of literature and Scotland s 2014 referendum From The Bruce to contemporary literature and modern day campaigning Bannockburns is revelatory Bannockburns Scottish Independence and Literary Imagination 1314 2014.
