Just a few weeks ago, in a tutorial for the Postcolonial Studies course I am taking, I heard that, at a university in Britain, someone had put Lewis Grassic Gibbon’sSunset Songon the curriculum - a selection which struck me as incongruous, having read the book in a Scottish Literature class. I thought to myself, how far can one go in the mission of reading a postcolonial context onto or into any text? Is it enough for a text to display some sort of theme of displacement or estrangement, a struggle with identity, for it to be postcolonial? If this question is to be answered in the affirmative, and if ‘postcolonialism is extended to an increasing number of contexts, a need to rely upon theoretical models that lack materialist specificity in favour of general applicability’ is indispensable. Although ‘postcolonial theory is often seen as applicable to contexts that are not colonial’, as it deals with issues of displacement, marginalisation and otherness in general, one Scottish play registered to me as befitting perfectly well both a colonial context, as well as one of displacement and marginalisation, is Liz Lochhead’sMary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off(MQS). Although it can be seen as a history play, it is effectively a revisitation of the history and myths that surround Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, which seeks to ‘debate the ideas and representations of “Scottishness”’ in a Scotland that is nowadays still subjugated by the English supremacy in Britain.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Role of Identity and National Symbols
3. Language and Cultural Hegemony
4. Religious Tension and Fragmentation
5. Modern-Day Implications and Historical Continuity
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this work is to argue for the inclusion of Liz Lochhead’s play, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, in a postcolonial studies curriculum by demonstrating how the text effectively mirrors the struggles of national identity, cultural marginalization, and colonial influence.
- The intersection of postcolonial theory and Scottish literature.
- Deconstruction of national identity and "pop semiotics" in Scotland.
- Linguistic hegemony and the role of language in cultural dominance.
- The impact of religious division on identity formation.
- Historical continuity of subjugation as portrayed through contemporary settings.
Excerpt from the Book
The friction between the two queens and their respective kingdoms
The friction between the two queens and their respective kingdoms is marvellously exemplified throughout the novel in the usage of the Scots and the English Language, and the religious tension. Mary, for instance, is ‘a French-woman speaking Scots, not English’ and a devout Catholic, and stands thus in binary opposition to Elizabeth, a staunch Protestant, who maintains a haughty English accent. The issue of language within literature, and in connection with identity, calls for Ngugi to be quoted. As he contends, ‘language, any language, has a dual character: it is both means of communication and a carrier of culture’.
Considering this, it is interesting that Mary’s Scots is heavily accented, suggesting that she is not identifying with the country she is the sovereign of. ‘Ah dinna think Ah’ll ever understand this country o’ mine’, she sighs, ‘my kingdom. Alternately brutal and boring. And I canny mak sense o’ it at a’. Hence, although she speaks Scots, her French accent ‘signals early in the play her cultural displacement within the politics of the British Isles’.
What is more, the contempt towards Scots today is already a flourishing prejudice in Mary’s time. When Elizabeth is inquiring to Marian, her maid, about Mary’s amusements, they ‘scornfully laugh’ at the fact that she writes poetry in ‘Scots’. ‘The dismissive inverted commas framing “Scots” indicate already the sense of superordinate status which English was increasingly to assume’. This little episode between the queen and her maid is an unspoiled example of how English exerts its linguistic hegemony over Scotland.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the author’s interest in applying postcolonial theory to Scottish literature, specifically using Liz Lochhead’s play as the primary subject.
2. The Role of Identity and National Symbols: This chapter analyzes how the play uses the character La Corbie to deconstruct Scottish pop semiotics and the impossibility of a singular, unitary image of Scotland.
3. Language and Cultural Hegemony: This chapter examines the friction between the two queens through their language use, highlighting how linguistic differences function as tools of colonial power and cultural identity.
4. Religious Tension and Fragmentation: This chapter explores the role of religious conviction in the play, specifically John Knox’s intolerance, and how such ideologies lead to the fragmentation of national identity.
5. Modern-Day Implications and Historical Continuity: This chapter discusses the play's concluding scenes in a modern playground, illustrating that recent generations continue to perpetuate historical cycles of prejudice and division.
6. Conclusion: This chapter reinforces the argument that postcolonial critical strategies are highly appropriate for analyzing Scotland’s historical and cultural position within the British Isles.
Keywords
Postcolonialism, Scotland, Liz Lochhead, Mary Queen of Scots, Identity, Cultural Hegemony, Language, Religion, Nationalism, Marginalization, British Isles, Postcolonial Theory, Historical Myth, Displacement, Subjugation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the suitability of Liz Lochhead’s play for a postcolonial studies curriculum by examining it through the lens of postcolonial theory.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include national identity, the tension between different cultures and religions, the power of language, and the historical marginalization of Scotland.
What is the core research question?
The paper asks whether Scottish literature, and specifically this play, can be effectively analyzed using postcolonial theoretical models despite the complex and often debated nature of Scotland's colonial status.
Which methodology does the author apply?
The author applies postcolonial critical strategies to read the text, drawing upon theorists like Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Homi K. Bhabha to analyze cultural and linguistic displacement.
What does the main body of the text cover?
It covers the symbolic role of the two queens, the impact of religious conflict, the hegemony of the English language, and the perpetuation of past prejudices in contemporary Scotland.
Which keywords best describe the study?
Key terms include Postcolonialism, Scottish identity, cultural hegemony, linguistic dominance, and historical continuity.
How does the play depict the concept of "Scottishness"?
The play challenges the idea of a "unitary image" of Scotland, suggesting instead that it is a varied and complex nation defined by its historical struggles with language and religion.
Why does the author cite the playground scene in the final analysis?
The author uses the playground scene to demonstrate that children continue to enact the "pride, prejudice, and cruelty" of history, suggesting that past cycles of division are still present in modern Scotland.
How does the author interpret the religious conflict in the play?
The religious conflict, particularly represented by John Knox, is interpreted as a "nihilistic destructiveness" that contributes to the fragmentation of national identity.
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- Jenny Roch (Autor:in), 2006, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off - A Text for a Postcolonial Studies Curriculum?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/50453
