Macpherson the Historian: History Writing, Empire and Enlightenment in the Works of James Macpherson

Mairi MacPherson; Jim MacPherson

This is the first book-length study of James Macpherson (1736-1796) that considers him as an historian. From his early poetry, to the Ossianic Collections, his prose histories, and his later political writing, Macpherson's subject was the past and he engaged with the latest Enlightenment theories about how to write history.

Macpherson the Historian examines James' published works, from the neoclassical verse of 'The Highlander' (1758) to his pamphlets defending the British imperial state during the late 1770s. In all of these texts, Macpherson wrote as an Enlightenment historian, where ideas about narrative, philosophy, and erudition were interwoven with eighteenth-century debates about the Highlands, commercial modernity, and the British Empire.

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Macpherson the Historian

History Writing, Empire and Enlightenment in the Works of James Macpherson

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Contents

Frontmatter
pp i-iv

Contents
pp v-v

Acknowledgements
pp vi-viii

Introduction: James Macpherson, the Enlightenment and Eighteenth-century History Writing
pp 1-22

1 - Frameworks and Genealogies: Macpherson the Historian in Context
pp 23-47

2 - Poetry: James Macpherson’s History Writing in The Highlander and Ossian
pp 48-104

3 - History: James Macpherson’s Narrative Prose Histories
pp 105-170

4 - Politics and Empire: James Macpherson’s Political Writings and the Crisis of Empire in the Late 1770s
pp 171-240

Conclusion: James Macpherson – Enlightenment Historian and Imperial Gael
pp 241-247

Bibliography
pp 248-282

Index
pp 283-288

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Macpherson the Historian

History Writing, Empire and Enlightenment in the Works of James Macpherson

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