Sunset Song is a 1932 novel by the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon. It is widely regarded as one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century, if not the most important. It is the first part of a trilogy A Scots Quair. Lewis Grassic Gibbon (13 February 1901 - 7 February 1935), born James Leslie Mitchell was a Scottish writer. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A Scots Quair is a trilogy by the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, describing the life of Chris Guthrie, a woman from the north east of Scotland during the early 20th century. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Jarrolds (also known as Jarrold The Store) is a large, family run department store in Norwich, England. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... “Scot” redirects here. ... Lewis Grassic Gibbon (13 February 1901 - 7 February 1935), born James Leslie Mitchell was a Scottish writer. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... A Scots Quair is a trilogy by the Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, describing the life of Chris Guthrie, a woman from the north east of Scotland during the early 20th century. ...

Plot introduction

The central character is a young woman, Chris Guthrie, growing up in a farming family in the fictional Estate of Kinraddie in "The Mearns" (Kincardineshire) in the north east of Scotland at the start of the 20th century. Life is hard, and her family is dysfunctional. Kincardineshire, also known as The Mearns (from A Mhaoirne meaning The Stewartry) is a traditional county on the coast of Northeast Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999...

Plot summary

Her mother, broken by repeated childbirths, commits suicide and poisons two young twins she has. Two younger children go to live with relatives, leaving Chris, her older brother Will and her father to run the farm on their own. Will and her father have a stormy relationship and Will emigrates to Argentina with his young bride. Chris is left to do all the work around the house. Soon after this, her father suffers a stroke, leaving him bedridden. For a time he tries to persuade her to commit incest with him, but as he is badly weakened he is not able to force her. He dies shortly afterwards. At his funeral, Chris realises what happened to her father and breaks down in tears as she never knew the hardship he has endured for them. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Chris, who has had some education, considers leaving for a job as a teacher in the towns, but realises she loves the land and cannot leave it, instead marries a young farmer called Ewan Tavendale and carries on farming. For a time they are happily married, and they have a son, who they also call Ewan. However when the First World War breaks out Ewan senior and many other young men join up. When he comes home on leave he treats Chris badly, evidently brutalised by his experiences in the army. Later she hears that he was killed in the war. Shortly after this she finds out the true story from another soldier from the area on leave: Ewan was shot as a deserter, but he died thinking of her. She begins a relationship with the new minister and she watches as he dedicated the War Memorial at the Standing Stones above her home. The Sun sets to the Flowers of the Forest, bringing an end to their way of life, forever. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Flowers of the Forest is a Scottish folk song lamenting the deaths of James IV, many of his nobles, and over 10,000 men - the titular Flowers of the Forest - at the Battle of Flodden Field in northern England in 1513, a significant event in the history of Scotland. ...

Major themes

The novel touches on several issues, including the nature of Scottish national identity, and the "peasant crisis" i.e. the coming of modernisation to traditional farming communities. The author also has some political opinions refected in the characters of Chae Strachan, the Socialist, and Long Rob, the pacifist, and he shows how they react to the coming of the war. The dilemma Chris faces over whether to continue her education or commit to a life in the land is also featured.

Literary significance & criticism

When it was first published, some readers were shocked by its realistic treatment of sex and childbirth, and its sometimes negative portrayals of family life. Some wondered if it had been written by a woman using a male pseudonym. Even now, some women have been known to refuse to believe that the description of childbirth at one point was written by a man. A pseudonym (Greek pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons true name. ...

The novel is written in an essentially artificial form of Scots intended to capture the colloquial speech of the Mearns peasants without being inaccessible to English speakers. Many readers find it strange at first, but get into it after a few pages. Scots refers to the Anglic varieties spoken in parts of Scotland. ...

It is told in the form of Flashbacks. It is mistakenly believed to be written in third person, however this is not the case as the flashbacks are narrated by Chris Guthrie herself.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

It was turned into a famous BBC television series, with Vivien Heilbron as Chris. The series made the important change of turning Chris into the narrator. There are also a number of adaptations for the stage. The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion...

External links

• 1971 BBC Scotland miniseries version of Sunset Song at the Internet Movie Database
• 2006 film version of Sunset Song at the Internet Movie Database
• Guide to a stage version of the novel