Scottish Literary Review
- Scottish Literary Review
SCOTTISH LITERARY REVIEW is the leading international journal for Scottish literary studies, committed to approaching Scottish literature in an expansive way through exploration of its various social, cultural, historical and philosophical contexts, and of literary forms, both traditional and new. We are interested in comparative work with literatures from beyond Scotland, the interaction of literature with expressive media such as theatre and film, and in encouraging debate on issues of contemporary significance related to Scottish literary studies, so that SLR is both responsive to, and creative of, new readings and approaches. The journal is listed in the MLA International Bibliography and issues from 2013 onwards are accessible online as part of Project MUSE's Premium Collection.
Editorial
Scottish Literary Review begins a new decade with a new editorial team and a new appearance, although our mission statement remains the same: we continue to approach Scottish literature in an expansive way through exploration of its various social, historical and philosophical contexts, and of literary forms, both traditional and new.
The new co-editors are Dr Rhona Brown and Dr Scott Lyall, both of whom have had a long-standing connection with the Association for Scottish Literary Studies and Scottish Literary Review. Brown is Senior Lecturer in Eighteenth-Century Scottish Literature and the Periodical Press at the University of Glasgow, while Lyall is Lecturer in Modern and Scottish Literature at Edinburgh Napier University, where he focuses on Modernism and twentieth-century literature. Both have published widely in the field of Scottish literature, and both are previous Reviews Editors of Scottish Literary Review. Dr Kelsey Williams, Lecturer in Early Modern Literature at the University of Stirling, is new Reviews Editor. The three editors' work covers the full range of Scottish literature, reflecting the journal's inclusive approach to Scottish literary studies. We would like to thank the previous editor, Professor Gerry Carruthers, for his hard work for the journal over the past several years. We hope to maintain the high scholarly standards he has upheld during the time of his editorship. [End Page v]
The first issue of the 2020s also features a new cover design which reflects our grounding in Scotland but willingness to 'grow out' of those pages. Created by Andrew Redmond Barr, a writer and artist from Edinburgh with particular interest in literature, history and illustration, the journal's new cover emphasises both continuity and this new start.
The articles published in this edition indicate the continuing and growing transnational critical resonances of Scottish literature, reinforced by the international location of the contributors, from the United States, the Czech Republic, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Scotland. Many articles focus on Scottish literature's relationship with other cultures, including Thomas Carlyle's engagement with Assyrian philosopher Lucian of Samosata, Walter Scott's early reception and literary influence in China, Robert Louis Stevenson's writings about the cultures he encountered in the Pacific islands, and James Joyce's various uses of the work of Walter Scott. Others recontextualise well-known authors and texts by approaching them from new perspectives: the intertextuality of Muriel Spark's first novel, The Comforters, is examined from various angles, Stevenson and Scott are explored within the contexts of the marriage debate and new definitions of Scottish national identity, the detective stories of Ruaraidh Erskine of Mar are related to fin de siècle Symbolism, and an analysis of Thomas St Serfe allows a re-imagining of Restoration Scotland.
The escalating global health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges for academics and students throughout the world. We look forward to a period, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, when conferences, congresses, and seminars can be safely reconvened, and we send our friends, colleagues and subscribers worldwide the very best of wishes in these difficult times.
We also take the opportunity at this time to remember two recently departed and esteemed members of the Scottish literature community: John MacQueen, a well-respected scholar of Early Modern Scottish literature, and Margery Palmer McCulloch, a stalwart of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies and an admired Modernist researcher. [End Page vi]
