SOURCE: "Fergusson and the Tradition," and "Fergusson and Burns: Conclusion," in Robert Fergusson, Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1965, pp. 15-21, 152-63.

In the following excerpt, MacLaine offers an overview of the Scots poetic tradition and discusses Fergusson's place in the Scots poetic revival of the eighteenth century, summarizing his achievement "from both the historical and purely literary points of view. "

The Scots Poetic Tradition:

When Robert Fergusson burst upon the literary scene of Scotland in the 1770's, the native poetic tradition was in a rather precarious state. In the early part of the century, a group of writers and editors, led by Allan Ramsay, had attempted with partial success to revive interest in the ancient and honorable Scots literary tradition, and to bridge an almost fatal gap in the development of a distinctive national literature. This gap, separating medieval from modern Scots literature, resulted from the long barren period of...