Literary Forgery In 18th Century - James Macpherson

Leaving this negative view aside, we can find numerous literary texts wonderful in their originality, some of them being the very basis of human culture. But forgeries are, of course, always present. And while some critics believe that a forgery can be of a great artistic value, others refuse to grant any distinction between the historical authenticity and the literary worth. “If they were not ancient, they had no value as literature.”

Although literary fraud is nearly as old as writing itself, it flourishes through the period of the 17th and 18th century. The process can probably be traced to the Renaissance and even earlier, but one especially interesting point is the Age of Sentiment, beginning in the late 18th century. The most impressive example is James Macphe

James Macpherson’s obsession was history, and this is why he created a situation in which the past would be almost an imperative. The 1707 Act of Union, which united Scotland with England, practically erased the Scottish Parliament, and the country’s independence, from existence. Although the Act was a result of discussion and not England’s military power, it caused confusion among the Scottish people, who were in danger of loosing their national identity.

Within Scotland unification intensified the tension between Highlanders and Lowlanders, who already felt that they did not share a common origin. Also, though England was in a dominant political position, it lacked a sense of cultural identity. The main reason for this was the fact that in the late 17th and early 18th century, the kings of either Dutch or of German extraction ruled England. By excavating and transforming the poems of Ossian, Macpherson offered a way for uniting the identities of Highlanders, Lowlanders and English alike. This gave both countries a renewed sense of cultural identity, at the same time easing the tension between Scotland and England, as well as between Highlanders and Lowlanders within Scotland.

The Ossianic controversy soon became personal and it started many violent arguments. During all this time, Macpherson himself, the cause of all these debates and the only person who could end them, kept aloof, and refused to show the evidence of originality of Ossian’s poems, which he claimed he possessed. Those who did not believe in the authenticity of Ossian’s poems called him an impostor; those who did believe accuse him of being an unskilled translator. And both sides were attacking him for his obstinacy in refusing to come out with his testimony.

Some topics in this essay:
Dr Smith, , John Sinclair, Timothy Brennen, Johannes Brahms, Dr Graham, Dr Johnson, James Macpherson, Son Fingal”, Clan MacDonald, “poems ossian”, dr graham, dr johnson, authenticity poems, james macpherson, macpherson’s death, 18th century, ossian’s poems, partly genuine, scotland england, partly genuine partly, sense cultural identity, third century gaelic, dr johnson laing, sir john sinclair,