Robert Burns and the Hellish Legion by John Burnett

Robert Burns and the Hellish Legion by John Burnett

Devils, witches and evil - the insubstantial but terrifying world of the supernatural as it was seen by Robert Burns and his contemporaries is examined in this new book, brought out for the 250th anniversary of the poet's birth. Several of Burns' poems dealt with the supernatural, the most famous of which, "Tam o Shanter", is examined in detail. It is from this poem that the book's title comes: 'And roars out, "Weel done, Cutty-sark!" And in an instant all was dark And scarcely had he Maggie rallied When out the hellish legion sallied.' In contrast with the 'other world' was the everyday lives of the country people and the nature of the material world in which they lived; the book also examines this and the changes that were taking place in Burns' time.

'The "hellish legion" referred to in the title of this informative and friendly book, is that body of witches, ghosts, satanic sprites and anything else devilish that might have informed the lives of Robert Burns and his fellow Ayrshire men and women, and further, his own epic poem, Tam o' Shanter... It's possible, then, to read Tam o' Shanter also as a nostalgic piece, a recording of a way of looking at the world that was passing by.' The Herald '... does an excellent job in introducing the man and the places in which he lived.' The Folklore Society

John Burnett is Curator in the Department of Scotland and Europe in the National Museum of Scotland, He is the author of several books on the history of sport in Scotland, one of which won the Mechaelis-Jena Ratcliff Prize for Folklore and Folklife Studies in 1999.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781905267316
ISBN 10	1905267312
Title	Robert Burns and the Hellish Legion
Author	John Burnett
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	NMSE - Publishing Ltd
Year published	2009-10-14
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.