Aa My Mindin: Moving through loss in the poetic literary tradition of Shetland

Abstract

Shetland literature is often defined by loss – the loss of language, of a way of life, of a place within time itself. Shetland writers have historically responded to this landscape of loss through a stringent need for the preservation of tradition. This thesis is an attempt to understand that response, and to frame my own creative practice in dialogue with this tradition, whilst trying to create something new within it. In particular I will discuss the influence of Norn on this narrative of loss, and how the language came to be framed in death has contributed to this atmosphere of loss and desire for preservation. The Shetland poet Robert Alan Jamieson has written eloquently and insightfully on these matters; as such, the bulk of this thesis is given over to a critical reading of his collections, with a view to understanding his response, and through this coming to an understanding my own. Part of this thesis is creative practice, and the films produced in that regard can be viewed online following instructions contained within; the final part of the thesis is a critical framing of this practice using the framework built by the thesis prior to that point.