"The Graves of the Gallant Highlanders": Memory, Interpretation and Narratives of Culloden

Title"The Graves of the Gallant Highlanders": Memory, Interpretation and Narratives of Culloden
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsJohn R. Gold, Margaret M. Gold
JournalHistory and Memory
Volume19
Issue1
Pagination5-24,26-38
ISSN0935560X
Abstract

The battlefield at Culloden (Scotland), which witnessed the defeat in April 1746 of the forces of Prince Charles Edward Stuart in a battle against forces loyal to the Hanoverian King George II, remains a site charged with powerful associations. Largely forgotten for a century, the memories of the battle were steadily revived and recast under the influence of romantic Jacobitism, eventually turning the battlefield from undifferentiated moorland into sacred space. This article traces this process and reflects on its lasting implications. After surveying the nature of Jacobitism, especially its transformation from a political to a predominantly romantic movement, it considers film representations of Culloden as a way of unpacking the myths of romantic Jacobitism. The type of reinterpretations found in film, however, have only slowly permeated the narratives presented at the site itself. The conclusion discusses issues arising from the experience of Culloden, making particular reference to the recently announced Memorial Project. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

URLhttp://search.proquest.com.libproxy.cc.stonybrook.edu/docview/195097314/140C6E4027352A2A1DA/1?accountid=14172
Short Title"The Graves of the Gallant Highlanders"