William Wallace: A National Tale

A deconstruction of the national biography and mythology of William Wallace Freed from the historian’s bedrock of empiricism by a lack of corroborative sources, the biography of this short-lived late-medieval patriot has long been incorporated into the ideology of nationalism. It is to explain this assimilation, and to deconstruct the myriad ways that Wallace’s biography has been endlessly refreshed as a national narrative, over many generations, that forms this investigation. William Wallace: A National Tale examines the elision of Wallace’s after-life into narrative ascendency, dominating the ideology and politics of nationalism in Scotland. This narrative is conceptualised as the national tale, a term taken out of its literary moorings to scrutinise how the personal biography of a medieval patriot has been evoked and presented as the nation’s biography over seven centuries of time. Through the verse of Blind Hary, the romance of Jane Porter, to the historical imaginations of Braveheart and Brave, Scotland’s national tale has been forged. This is a fresh, engaging and timely exploration into Wallace’s hold over Scotland’s national mythology. Key Features Reappraises William Wallace as a national figureBrings Wallace into the 2014 debateExplores Wallace variously as: A Protestant; A Scottish Chief; A Romantic Hero; a Hollywood HeroExamines Scotland’s obsession with the need for a national hero

Table of Contents:
Preface; List of Figures; 1. Episodic Nationalism; 2. National Tale; 3. Chronicles; 4. Hary’s Tale; 5. Fixing the Type; 6. The Scottish Chiefs; 7. A Distant Tale; 8. The Feminized Nation; 9. Tall Stories; 10. The People’s Tale; 11. A Nationalist Tale; 12. Moving Image; Bibliography; Index

About the Author :
Graeme Morton is Professor of Modern History at the University of Dundee having previous held the inaugural Scottish Studies Foundation Chair at the University of Guelph. His research focus falls on national identity, associational culture and diaspora studies. Recent publications include Ourselves and Others: Scotland, 1832–1914 (Edinburgh, 2012), A History of Everyday Life in Scotland, 1800 to 1900 (Edinburgh, 2010) and Irish and Scottish Encounters with Indigenous Peoples (Montreal & Kingston, 2013).

Review :
In this timely book Morton shows how the little that we know about Wallace has been grist to the mill of imaginative writers and politicians. He shows how this crucial and malleable figure in Scottish history and culture has been shaped and re-shaped by unionists and socialists as well as nationalists.