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Gaelic Literature
of the Prose: introduction |
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N.B. This site is best viewed on a
desktop or laptop PC Introduction This present work is based upon my thesis presented
for the degree of M.Litt. at the The work has been brought up to date with the
inclusion of material from the intervening twenty-odd years. However, I should point out that this new
material has not been researched as comprehensively as that in the original
work. This has led to certain
inconsistencies, but I felt it better to update the work to some extent
rather than not at all. Sources Although the title of this bibliography refers to
the literature of Skye, it also encompasses the literature of the islands
immediately adjacent to Skye: Raasay, The main categories of my source materials were
periodicals, anthologies, individual collections and miscellaneous books and
articles in the libraries of As this is a bibliography of printed works, there
are no main entries for manuscript or other non-print material, although
references may be made to such material in the annotations, along with
listings in the ‘References and Sources’ section. Criticisms :
Translations Critical material is normally referred to in the
annotation, rather than being cited as a main entry. Translations are not normally noted unless
they have been published alongside works cited. Language Use Where an author’s name is used as a main heading, I
normally use the Gaelic form if this occurs in any of that author’s works
which are cited. However, there are
certain exceptions. For instance, the
greater part of the work of Coinneach MacLeòid has been published under the
anglicised form of his name, Kenneth MacLeod and this is the form which I use
as the main heading. In all cases,
appropriate cross-references are made. Where any item cited is exclusively in Gaelic,
Gaelic descriptive terms are usually used within the citation, e.g. fear-deasachaidh, etc. Individuals: Poets, Songwriters, Traditional Singers,
Authors, Collectors etc. I generally include material by persons who belong
to the area through birth or long residence. Bibliographical
Form Citations are made in the form of the Anglo-American
Cataloguing Code, with some modifications to accommodate the nature and form
of this work. ____________________________ Traditional Prose: Single
Items Material listed in this section ranges from
transcriptions of full length tales taken from oral recitation, through
literary versions of traditional tales, to descriptive and anecdotal
material. All the items have been
collected from, or written by men and women from the area. Each item is listed under the name of the
reciter, collector or author within a single alphabetical sequence. As far as this section is concerned, my definition
of ‘traditional’ has a certain flexibility. Generally, material composed for
publication is included if the matter is traditional and the style does not
vary too much from the traditional.
For instance, the subject matter of Niall MacLeòid’s ‘Gaol Gaidhealach’
in his Clàrsach an Doire is
certainly traditional, but his style varies so much from the traditional that
‘Gaol Gaidhealach’ is listed in the section for non-traditional creative
prose while the other three stories in Clàrsach an Doire are
listed with traditional prose collections. Traditional Prose:
Collections As well as single items, there are several
collections. For example; tales and
lore collected by Calum
I. MacLean, tales and lore collected from Hugh MacKinnon and
collections of the published compositions of individual authors, most notably
the Rev. Tormod
Domhnallach. Non-traditional Creative
Prose The short story is well represented in this section
in a wide range of styles from writers like Màrtainn Domhnallach, Ailean Caimbeul, Eilidh
Watt etc. Included too, is one of
the few full length novels ever to be published in Gaelic, Angus Robertson’s An t-Ogha Mór. There is evidence of the persistent influence of the
Rev. Norman MacLeod, ‘Caraid nan Gaidheal’, in the
use of the dialogue form first popularised by him in An Teachdaire Gaelach.
This may be seen in items by John Lorne Campbell and T. M. MacCalmain. A number of sketches and short plays are listed,
most of them the work of Domhnall
Grannd. Journalism and
Miscellaneous Prose Material in this section is listed on a fairly
selective basis. Material written by
people belonging to Skye and its adjacent islands is usually only included if
it has specific reference to the area.
This means that what is listed for writers like T. M. MacCalmain and Màrtainn Domhnallach does
not represent anything like their total output. However, in such cases I try to include in
the notes some discussion of the nature and scope of their literary
activities. |
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© Sabhal Mòr Ostaig 2018