Learning about the Ettrick Shepherd
After the business was dealt with, the speaker was introduced as Allan Stevenson who, besides being a member of the EK Probus, is a retired engineer and a keen scholar of Robert Burns.
But in contrast, he started to talk about James Hogg. These two men grew up and indeed were part of the enlightenment of the 18th and 19th centuries.
This was a time when Scotland contributed to science, philosophy, history, economics, literature and in many other fields.
The Scottish contribution was far in excess to the size of the country but at its heart was education from an early age, so awakening the enquiring minds that were lying dormant in Scotland.
While Burns was known as the ploughman/Ayrshire poet so James Hogg became known as the shepherd poet, or the Ettrick Shepherd.
James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading.
He liked to style his self to be the true successor to Robeert Burns and is considered as such.
Probably his most famous book, or remembered, was “The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.”
It was first published in 1824 and is considered by many literary critics to be the most significant and influential novel of the 19th Century.
He was much lauded and supported by Sir Walter Scott.
Hogg had many similarities as Burns – started writing early; Burns, 15, and Hogg 23. Both loved the lassies, earned and loved money but neither could hold on to it. Both became Poet Laureates for the masonic lodge by Kilwinning No 2.
Both had fertile imaginations and both wrote long poems; Burns with ‘Tam o’Shanter’ at 243 words and Hogg with ‘Kilmeny’ at 331 words.
Both moved to Edinburgh, the centre of 18th and early 19th Century society.
Finally like Burns, Hogg’s works became international as the diaspora of Scots to the States, Canada and beyond took it with them. Hogg he was a widely-read, deep-thinking man respected in his time and still is today.
The vote of thanks was given by Angus McConnell who said he had been riveted by Allan’s research and entertained beautifully.
The next meeting will be today at 2pm for 2.30pm in the Old Parish Church Hall on Glebe Street, East Kilbride, when an officer from the Police Dog Training Unit will talk about the training of police dogs.