As its title forecasts, this monograph is focused on changing depictions of Scottish identity over two centuries. Leveraging close readings of chronicles and literary texts allows Kate Ash-Irisarri to consider the “emotive potential of history” (3) as writers invoked memory to highlight patriotic feelings and community identity. By laying out her discussions of texts in a chronological order, Ash-Irisarri highlights changing strategies as they developed over time, further reinforcing her argument as it plays out sequentially from chapter to chapter.
The robust Introduction situates the book’s topic within Scottish struggles for independence from English rule, raising questions of both national identity and medieval theories of memory. Ash-Irisarri draws from a wide range of theorists and studies, effectively providing a valuable review of scholarship on the topics. Having grounded her approach and tied together nationalism and memory, she establishes a solid foundation for the rest of the discussion.
The opening chapter is focused on the question of borders: not just where they were seen to be, but also what they signified for people living in the Middle Ages. Two chronicles, Thomas Gray’s Scalacronica and Andrew of Wyntoun’s Original Chronicle, and Richard Holland’s satiric poem Buke of the Howlat serve as textual exemplars, taking the discussion of borders beyond the Marches to Ireland and Norway as well. Meanwhile, the concept of borders is expanded from a geographical notion to cultural identity, bolstering Ash-Irisarri’s argument that the preservation and communication of shared memories help form a collective national ethos.
Two important elements of national identity in the medieval era were origin myths and royal genealogies, the topics of Chapter 2. The foundation legend of Scota and Gaythelos and its role in Walter Bower’s Scotichronicon and related chronicles provides a source for Scottish identity that has its roots in a venerable past that was brought to Scotland by its mythical founders and which symbolically carries on in the blood of its people. This includes its rulers, such as Alexander III of Scotland and Robert the Bruce, whose genealogies are discussed as they were depicted in the Scotichronicon and the Scalacronica. The adaptations and sharing of these stories over time lead Ash-Irisarri to posit that “memorial knowledge can be useful to a nation’s sense of itself only by being continuously present” (78).
The Great Cause, Edward I’s call to share documents as evidence of England’s sovereignty over Scotland, comes to the forefront of Chapter 3, especially how it was portrayed in an abridged version of the Scotichronicon. In this instance, the fallacious assertion that Edward not only collected but also destroyed written documents allowed Walter Bower to showcase elements of the past, encouraging the continuance of patriotism on the part of the Scots. Ash-Irisarri then moves on in the next chapter to a discussion of Blind Hary’s Wallace, a poem with distinct hagiographical overtones that celebrates Scottish identity and resolve in the face of ongoing oppression. By depicting “a collective audience’s ideas about what the past should be” (97), the writings discussed in these chapters support the assertion that historical and literary texts are integral to identity shaping and preservation.
The closing chapters situate the 1513 Battle of Flodden as a turning point from which to study national memory. Using close readings of literary texts such as Lyndsay’s The Dreme, the satiric Testament of the Papyngo, and Wedderburn’s The Complaynt of Scotland, Ash-Irisarri argues that reflecting on the past, along with its successes and setbacks, allows audiences to preserve their longstanding cultural identities while simultaneously positioning themselves in their contemporary times. In the brief conclusion to the book, she spotlights Scottish ambivalence to the unification of Scotland and England under King James. The study of selected Scottish writings over the latter Middle Ages illustrates the complex and changing nature of memories and their depictions as a national culture shaped and honed its identity.
This monograph is a solidly supported exegesis of chronicle histories and literary pieces that encourages readers to consider the roles of storytelling and rhetoric as they influence patriotic and cultural understanding. The book’s structure, with chapters that flow seamlessly from one to another, incorporating helpful introductions and summaries, keeps the running argument in the forefront, and the ample quotations, footnotes, and bibliography provide substantial evidence and support. This thought-provoking study will be of value to a range of scholars across a variety of fields in medieval studies.