The Hidden Figures of the Scottish Literary Renaissance: Willa Muir

Abstract

[Abstract] The objective of this paper is the analysis of Willa Muir as a Scottish woman and as a writer, and how she is framed within the Scottish Literary Renaissance, which was a progressive tendency that reached its peak in the interwar period. We also aim to exhibit the importance that female figures had in this literary movement, highlighting Willa Muir. The methodology used was, firstly, that of bibliographical research, and, secondly, a close reading of the two chosen texts: “Women: An Inquiry” (1925) and Imagined Corners (1931). We analysed the main characteristics and repertoires of these works in an attempt to accurately assess Muir’s contribution to Scottish literature. This paper’s introduction provides the essential information on the literary movement and on the author’s life and work. Bearing in mind the characteristics of the movement, we highlight Willa Muir as she represents a key figure (due to her translations and her own contributions) of the Scottish Renaissance that has been hidden because of her gender identity. The main sections of this paper analyse on the one hand the Scottish Literary Renaissance (its characteristics, its aims, the historical and literary context, etc) and the role of women within this movement (the repression, the publishing conditions, and the pressure they suffered), and on the other hand Muir’s life and work, focusing our attention on two of her earliest literary productions. Section number 2 is an overview on Scottish Literary Renaissance. We will discuss how this movement was born as a reaction against the political and literary degradation of the previous century, caused by the political union of Scotland and England, and the use of outgrown literary forms such as the Kailyard and the Celtic Twilight. To solve this, many authors became politicians, and the translations of European contemporary works became crucial. However, the movement was dominated by men, who disregarded women’s literary production. As a result, since the 1990’s female scholars are reappraising these women’s texts, at least those that have been transmitted. Section number 3 focuses on Willa Muir, first on her biography and then on her works. Muir’s life greatly affects her books, so we will look into her life, demonstrating the veracity of that statement, her linguistic competence and her progressive views on topics such as motherhood, equality, and women’s creativity. First, we will do an analysis on her first essay “Women: An Inquiry”, which has not caught the 21st century attention due to her dated views on feminism and its contradictions. However, this piece is vital to understand her later productions, as it presents ideas that she will explore in her novels. Second, we will study Imagined Corners, Muir’s first novel and an exploration of the feminist thesis presented on her previous essay. This novel is more successful than the book in its depiction of a new model of womanhood: a woman who searches for her own worth outside of her role as a wife and/or mother. However, its portrayal of Scotland reflects Muir’s resentment toward the patriarchal society in which she grew up