February 21: Robert Burns
Burns is still known as the "Poet of Scotland," and the poems assigned are those in which Burns is particularly devoted to the theme of Scotland.  They are also rather fiery and emotional.  Why is Burns still so beloved by Scots as a voice of the nation?  What is the cultural importance of celebrating Scottish food and drink?  What is the haggis for Burns beyond a meaty dish made of ground sheep's innards?  Why the celebration of drinking in "Scotch Drink"?  What does drinking have to do with national pride?  Why evoke Wallace's name in "Scots Wha Hae."  Who is the oppressor in the poem? What is Burns's position on the Jacobites and Prince Charles?  Why the shift in his political allegiances depicted in "Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat"?  Why is the oppresor suddenly France (Gaul) in the poem?  Why is he suddenly proclaiming "God Save the King (George, not Charles)"?  Discuss the "national voice" of Burns, the image of the Union, of Scottish distinctiveness, or of cultural resistance to foreign rule in one, two, or three of the poems.

February 28: Sir Walter Scott: Waverley, (read to 144, Chapter 18)
Also read "A Postscript Which Should Have Been a Preface"
1. In the first fourth of the novel or so, the reader receives an introductory account of the "hero" of the piece, the Englishman Edward Waverley.  What kind of man is he?  How does  the nature of Waverley's education determine his character?  What was his education like?  What sort of books did he like to read?  Why is recent British history (Jacobitism) such a touchy subject in his family?  How do the political differences of his father and uncle determine Waverley's own worldly circumstances?  Is Waverley an attractive character?  Why would a Scot like Scott make the main character of his "Scottish" novel an Englishman?  Discuss Waverley's background and character in the early part of Waverley.

March 7: Waverley (read to 337, Chapter 47) (Pick one)
1. In this section of the novel, Waverley finally makes his way to the Highlands and is hosted by the clan chief and Jacobite Fergus Mac-Ivor in his Highland stronghold.  How are the Highlands depicted?  How are they different than Lowland Scotland or the rest of Great Britain?  What sort of character is Fergus himself?   What are his relations with his clan?  What motivates him to serve the cause of  Prince Charles?  What is his sister Flora like?  What are her politics?  Does Waverley like the Highlands?  Discuss the novel's depiction of the Highland world and/or Waverley's impressions of that world.

2. After a brief time when Waverley rejoins anti-Jacobite forces, he is again thrust into the Jacobite Highland world of Fergus and even signs on to the cause.  Why the constant switching of sides?  What motivates Waverley, an English soldier in George's' army, to join the Jacobite forces?  What is so alluring about the Jacobite cause?  What role does love play in his decisions?  Does Waverley's "inconstancy" reflect ill on his character?  Does the novel depict him as a base traitor or noble knight in the Jacobite cause?  Discuss Waverley's "wavering" loyalty in the later part of the novel.