Minority Literatures and Modernism : Scots, Breton, and Occitan, 1920-1990

Calin explores the 20th-century renaissance of literature in the minority languages of Scots, Breton, and Occitan, and demonstrates that all three literatures have evolved in a like manner, repudiating their romantic folk heritage. "A renascence of literature written in minority languages has been taking place in Europe. In this study, William Calin offers a comparative analysis of three twentieth-century minority-language literatures flourishing today in the United Kingdom and France - literatures written in Scots, Breton, and Occitan.". "For each of the three literatures, Calin examines the major writers and their masterpieces in poetry, the novel, and theatre. His thesis is that all three literatures have evolved in a like manner, repudiating their sentimental, romantic folk heritage and undertaking to create in terms of European modernism and postmodernism. Combining a variety of modern critical approaches with theoretical and cultural considerations, Calin demonstrates the intrinsic importance of these literatures and their contribution to culture in both aesthetic and broadly human terms. His conclusion raises a number of questions: Is there a common form of narrative prevalent in minority cultures that is neither realism nor metafiction? Is the minority-language theatre limited to plots treating past history and the rural present? How can high modernist poetry express regional concerns yet attain universality? What constraints are imposed on writers working in minority languages, and what traits will be shared by minority literatures?" "Calin's pioneering study is the first comparative examination of the Scots, Breton, and Occitan achievements as parts of an international, European totality, underscoring in comparative terms their contribution to Europe as a whole."--BOOK JACKET.

A quiet renaissance has been unfolding in certain parts of Europe - a renaissance of literature written in minority languages. In this book, William Calin explores the renaissance through an examination of twentieth-century works in Scots, Breton, and Occitan minority languages flourishing inside the borders of the United Kingdom and France.

For each of the three bodies of literature Calin considers major authors whose works include novels, poetry and plays, and shows that all three literatures have evolved in a like manner, repudiating their romantic folk heritage and turning instead to modern and postmodern concerns. Drawing on current critical theories in periodization, postcolonialism and cultural studies, Calin raises a range of comparative questions: Is there a common form of narrative prevalent in minority cultures that is neither realism nor metafiction? Is the minority-language theatre limited to plots treating past history and the rural present? What is the relationship between the minority literature and literature in the national language? What kind of history should be written on the literatures of Scotland, Brittany and the South of France, manifest in their several languages?

Calin's pioneering study is the first comparative scrutiny of these minority literatures and the first to bring all three together into the mainstream of present-day criticism. His work demonstrates the intrinsic importance in their twentieth-century renewal, as well as their contribution to global culture, in both aesthetic and broadly human terms.

A quiet renaissance has been unfolding in certain parts of Europe - a renaissance of literature written in minority languages. In this book, William Calin explores the renaissance through an examination of twentieth-century works in Scots, Breton, and Occitan minority languages flourishing inside the borders of the United Kingdom and France. For each of the three bodies of literature Calin considers major authors whose works include novels, poetry and plays, and shows that all three literatures have evolved in a like manner, repudiating their romantic folk heritage and turning instead to modern and postmodern concerns. Drawing on current critical theories in periodization, postcolonialism and cultural studies, Calin raises a range of comparative questions: Is there a common form of narrative prevalent in minority cultures that is neither realism nor metafiction? Is the minority-language theatre limited to plots treating past history and the rural present? What is the relationship between the minority literature and literature in the national language? What kind of history should be written on the literatures of Scotland, Brittany and the South of France, manifest in their several languages?Calin's pioneering study is the first comparative scrutiny of these minority literatures and the first to bring all three together into the mainstream of present-day criticism. His work demonstrates the intrinsic importance in their twentieth-century renewal, as well as their contribution to global culture, in both aesthetic and broadly human terms. "Calin's pioneering study is the first comparative examination of the Scots, Breton, and Occitan achievements as parts of an international, European totality, underscoring in comparative terms their contribution to Europe as a whole."--Résumé de l'éditeur CONTENTS 7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9 INTRODUCTION 11 SCOTLAND 23 BRITTANY 109 OCCITANIA 201 POSTMODERN 283 CONCLUSION 311 NOTES 333 SCOTS GLOSSARY 357 BIBLIOGRAPHY 359 INDEX 387