Tradition and Rebellion: The Poetry of John Davidson

Hynd, Hazel (2001) Tradition and Rebellion: The Poetry of John Davidson. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

John Davidson (1857-1909): Tradition and Rebellion The thesis is in four chapters with an introduction and conclusion. It deals principally with the poetry of John Davidson though, where appropriate, there is discussion of his plays, novels and short-stories. Chapter 1 deals with Davidson's formative influences and stresses the importance of his background in forming some of the most fundamental and enduring concerns within his writing. Particular focus is given to outlining the influence of factors such as Knoxian Calvinism, the Scottish social environment and landscape, and issues of rebellion and dissociation expressed through recurrent themes of familial tension and division. Chapter 2 aims to illustrate that Davidson's displaced status is a key factor in producing the innovative modernist propensity and style of his work. Issues of identity and displacement are examined as factors which motivated Davidson's experiments with the form and subject-matter of his poetry and influenced his use of multiplicity of voice, dramatic persona, irony, dualism and contradiction. Davidson's subsequent influence upon the writing and thought of Hugh MacDiarmid is also examined in this section. Chapter 3 examines Davidson's attempts to engage with and manipulate concepts of Scottish and British identity; and his preoccupation with themes of war, empire and the nature of the heroic nation. Chapter 4 examines the relationship of Davidson's ideas to Scottish thought. Davidson is contextualised in this respect through the use of comparison with writers such as James Thomson and Robert Buchanan, and more particularly to Thomas Carlyle. This chapter also deals with features of irony and dualism and with Davidson's use of language in relation to the subject of identity and the nature and function of the writer.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: Douglas Gifford
• Keywords: British & Irish literature
• Date of Award: 2001
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2001-76187
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 19 Dec 2019 09:15
• Last Modified: 19 Dec 2019 09:15
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/76187