“The Overlap of Myth and History”: Scottish Identity through Walter Scott to James Robertson in the Testament of Hideon Mack

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to look at the works of Walter Scott and James Robertson through the lens of Scottish identity representation, and study Scott´s influence on The Testament of Gideon Mack by Robertson. The work takes a postcolonial approach to conceptualizing national identity. Scott´s influence on Robertson´s novel can be traced at different levels. Gérard Genette´s theory of transtextuality is used to discover all types of literary dialogue between the two authors. The analysis of The Testament of Gideon Mack is performed with the purpose of identifying the echoes and connections with Scott, on the one hand, and Robertson´s original techniques of portraying Scottish identity, on the other.