James Macpherson Criticism
James Macpherson (1736–1796) was a significant literary figure in the 18th century, known for his controversial publication of the Ossianic poems, which he claimed were translations from an ancient Gaelic poet named Ossian. These works, including Fingal and Temora, were initially celebrated for their evocative portrayal of the Gaelic heritage and natural landscapes of Scotland, resonating with a sense of national identity amidst cultural shifts favoring English dominance. However, the authenticity of these poems was challenged by figures like Samuel Johnson and David Hume, fueling a prolonged debate over their origins. Despite these controversies, the poems gained immense popularity across Europe, influencing the German Romantic movement as highlighted by Tombo, and even captivated Napoleon Bonaparte.
Born in Ruthven, Scotland, Macpherson was educated at King's College and Marischal College in Aberdeen, and later at Edinburgh University. His early work, The Highlander, displayed his deep connection to Gaelic culture, as discussed by John J. Dunn. Encouraged by the success of his initial translations, Macpherson embarked on expeditions to collect Gaelic manuscripts, which led to his production of the Ossianic epics. The stylistic choices in these works, as Robert Fitzgerald notes, were deliberately crafted to mimic the feel of direct translations from an ancient language.
The Ossianic poems were pivotal in shaping perceptions of the Scottish Highlands and contributed to a burgeoning European interest in Romanticism and primitive idealism. Critics like Robert Folkenflik argue that Macpherson's work fulfilled a cultural yearning for a heroic past, a sentiment echoed across Europe. Although initially seen as fraudulent, modern criticism has shifted towards appreciating the cultural impact and literary qualities of Macpherson's works. As per Peter T. Murphy, Macpherson adapted Gaelic traditions to the modern age, providing a valuable contribution to literary and cultural history.
Contents
- Principal Works
-
Essays
-
General Survey and First Notices: General Considerations upon the Reception of the Ossianic Poems in Germany
(summary)
In the following excerpt from his landmark study of Macpherson's influence on German Romantic poetry, Tombo surveys the history of the poet's popularity in that country.
-
The Fugitives from the Happy Valley
(summary)
In the following excerpt from an essay first published in 1916, Saintsbury discusses the poetic merit of Macpherson's Ossianic poems apart from the issue of their authenticity.
-
Fingal: The Garbh mac Stàirn and Magnus Ballads and Fingal (contd.)
(summary)
In the following excerpt from his book-length study, Thomson offers a detailed examination of the Gaelic verses Macpherson used to create some of the central scenes in his epic Fingal.
-
The Style of Ossian
(summary)
In the following essay, Fitzgerald shows how Macpherson's literary style was shaped both by his exposure to Gaelic sources and the necessity of making the poetry sound like a translation.
-
'Ossian' Macpherson and the Gaelic World of the Eighteenth Century
(summary)
In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture at the University of Aberdeen, Thomson relates both Macpherson's Ossianic poetry and the controversy over its authenticity to social and political circumstances in Scotland during the eighteenth century.
-
James Macpherson's First Epic
(summary)
In the following essay, Dunn argues that The Highlander, a long poem Macpherson published as a young man under his own name, demonstrates a commitment to Gaelic history and his Highland heritage that predates his 'discovery' of Ossian.
-
Macpherson, Chatterton, Blake and the Great Age of Literary Forgery
(summary)
In the following essay, Folkenflik argues that eighteenth-century English culture made literary forgery both practically and imaginatively useful for several different writers, including Macpherson.
-
The Gateway to Innocence: Ossian and the Nordic Bard as Myth
(summary)
In the following essay, Greenway offers a reinterpretation of Macpherson's Fingal, maintaining that the poem functions as a 'mythic narrative.'
-
Notions of Poetry and Society in the Controversy about Ossian
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Simonsuuri examines some of the literary and philosophical preconceptions that underlay the enormous popularity of Macpherson's Ossianic Poems in the eighteenth century.
-
'Those Scotch Imposters and their Cabal': Ossian and the Scottish Enlightenment
(summary)
In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture in 1980, Sher argues that Macpherson's 'translations' of Gaelic poetry were in some part the product of a group of literary figures in Edinburgh with whom Macpherson was associated and who provided the financial and intellectual support that made the project possible.
-
Fool's Gold: The Highland Treasures of Mac-Pherson's Ossian
(summary)
In the following essay, Murphy places both Macpherson's accomplishments and the controversy surrounding them in the context of the Scottish sense of national heritage in the eighteenth century.
-
Ossian: Success or Failure for the Scottish Enlightenment?
(summary)
In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture in 1986, Colgan traces some of the contemporary influences on Macpherson's poetic vision and argues that Scottish intellectual culture bears at least some responsibility for his literary deceptions.
-
The Effects of Ossian in Lowland Scotland
(summary)
In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture in 1986, Leneman describes how Macpherson's poetry influenced the Scottish perception of the Highlands.
-
Ossian: The Voice of the Past
(summary)
In the following excerpt from his book-length study of literary forgeries, Heywood examines the evolution of Macpherson's fictitious historical vision, focusing on the method of access to the past and the authenticating procedures used in his forgeries.
-
General Survey and First Notices: General Considerations upon the Reception of the Ossianic Poems in Germany
(summary)
- Further Reading