Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’
The poet Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978) was the major driving force behind the twentieth-century Scottish literary renaissance and was also a passionate Scottish nationalist. His poem ‘On a Raised Beach’ (1934) has been understood in theological and philosophical terms as a metaphysical exploration, al...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/1/31 |
| _version_ | 1797490785080311808 |
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| author | Richard H. Roberts |
| author_facet | Richard H. Roberts |
| author_sort | Richard H. Roberts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The poet Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978) was the major driving force behind the twentieth-century Scottish literary renaissance and was also a passionate Scottish nationalist. His poem ‘On a Raised Beach’ (1934) has been understood in theological and philosophical terms as a metaphysical exploration, albeit one grounded in an immediate experience of nature that took place on Shetland. In this paper, MacDiarmid’s epic is placed in the context of the present environmental crisis and the ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘On a Raised Beach’ can now be re-located within the hermeneutical tradition of ‘Geopoetics’, a Scottish genre that is articulated and asserted by the poet Kenneth White (1938–). Whilst, however, White draws upon the highly contested and polyvalent concept of ‘shamanism’ in elaborating his standpoint, we shall argue that it is also appropriate to look for affinities between this dynamic poem and the ethos and mysticism of ‘deep ecology’, a perspective that invokes the equally contested mythology of ‘Gaia’. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:38:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-158979d6f75b45d6abd6b4dc5dd1a8a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:38:01Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-158979d6f75b45d6abd6b4dc5dd1a8a92023-11-23T15:13:29ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-12-011313110.3390/rel13010031Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’Richard H. Roberts0Faculty of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UKThe poet Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978) was the major driving force behind the twentieth-century Scottish literary renaissance and was also a passionate Scottish nationalist. His poem ‘On a Raised Beach’ (1934) has been understood in theological and philosophical terms as a metaphysical exploration, albeit one grounded in an immediate experience of nature that took place on Shetland. In this paper, MacDiarmid’s epic is placed in the context of the present environmental crisis and the ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘On a Raised Beach’ can now be re-located within the hermeneutical tradition of ‘Geopoetics’, a Scottish genre that is articulated and asserted by the poet Kenneth White (1938–). Whilst, however, White draws upon the highly contested and polyvalent concept of ‘shamanism’ in elaborating his standpoint, we shall argue that it is also appropriate to look for affinities between this dynamic poem and the ethos and mysticism of ‘deep ecology’, a perspective that invokes the equally contested mythology of ‘Gaia’.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/1/31GeopoeticscrisisnaturepandemicHugh MacDiarmiddeep ecology |
| spellingShingle | Richard H. Roberts Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’ Religions Geopoetics crisis nature pandemic Hugh MacDiarmid deep ecology |
| title | Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’ |
| title_full | Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’ |
| title_fullStr | Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’ |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’ |
| title_short | Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’ |
| title_sort | hugh macdiarmid s on raised beach geopoetics in a time of catastrophic crisis |
| topic | Geopoetics crisis nature pandemic Hugh MacDiarmid deep ecology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/1/31 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT richardhroberts hughmacdiarmidsonraisedbeachgeopoeticsinatimeofcatastrophiccrisis |