The Genius of Scotland: The Cultural Production of Robert Burns, 1785-1834

The Genius of Scotland explores the wide-ranging reception history of Robert Burns in the 18th and 19th centuries. The book investigates the figure of Burns as a ‘cultural production’ that was constructed by warring cultural forces in the literary marketplace. The Genius of Scotland debunks both the hagiographic and vituperative representations of the poet from this period, revealing not only how (and why) he was culturally produced as a national ‘genius’ but also how the process continues to influence our understanding of Burns into the present day.