Customer Reviews

The Invention of Scotland: Myth and History

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At first sight, this awful book appears to be written under the influence of Social Constructionism. But Trevor-Roper was not a social constructionist in any of his other books. One must therefore assume that he simply hated and/or despised the Scots, as have so many of the English down through the centuries. See Adam Sisman's biography of him for more details.

HTR writes in TIoS that Scotland was a place where things were invented in one form or another to satisfy a nationalist void.

The premise of his book TIoS is that Scotland is great. The trouble is, nobody knew it. For most people, i.e. the English, ancient Scotland was a barbaric place devoid of culture, civilization and history. Starting in the 1400s Scottish historians, philosophers and writers set out to document a long, ancient and valid Scottish lineage. When none existed, history, literature and even dress of the Scots were "invented" and myths surrounding these societal fundamentals were developed, strongly embraced, and perpetuated.

TIoS is well written and documented extensively. The literary myth and ensuing controversy surrounding James MacPherson and Ossian took up a tedious majority of the book. It was disappointing, given the depth of detail, that the author did not include a single line or excerpt of Ossian/Macpherson's work. I wish that there were a couple of illustrations of original Highland dress. The author's descriptions were good, but I would like to see what the original costume, especially the belted plaid, looked like. A map of Scotland also would have been helpful.

The book left me thoughtful. Now I wonder about our own and other countries' glorious national inventions. It was told in a respectful and very knowledgeable way. It was trudging at times, often bogged down and dry, needed a better editor.

Reinforces what I, with roots in Scotland, thought all along, that we are a great race of people with the ability to tell the world. A must read for students of Scotland.

The Invention of Scotland: Myth and HistoryAuthor Hugh Trevor-Roper seems to be one of those self-loathing Scots who are against "all-things-Tartan". In his zeal to destroy the "Tartan Myth" and the popular world view of Scotland,he forgets that it precisely those national qualities which the world finds so irresistible.