Even after serious doubts began to circulate, from the likes of Johnson and his circle, that the Ossian poems were not genuine, people went on reading them. For a number of readers, the question of whether or not these texts were "real" was irrelevant.
Respond to this post by identifying some of the pleasures of the Ossian and Chatterton readings, independent of their authenticity.
We'll be talking about these issues more on Friday, with references to some contemporary responses to these authors, particularly Johnson's reflections on Chatterton (as recorded by Boswell) and Thomas Jefferson's interest in Ossian. (Note that Jefferson's remarks on Ossian are at the end of this PDF. The Ossian part begins on a page that also has this fascinating list of recommended books--what Jefferson thinks a learned person should have in his library--so I couldn't resist giving you the whole list and explanation as well.)
Please bring your printouts of Ossian and Chatterton to class, along with these two additional readings.
Deadline: Friday (3/6), 10am.
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6 comments:
Personally, I found the Chatterton text was a bit more enjoyable than the Ossian piece once you get past the difficult spelling. I think that the story of a heroic British man standing up for what he believes in was extremely appealing during the 18th century and even now. Leaving aside the issue of fakery, it is an interesting text that documents a real period of history in England, where there were surely men who refused to recognize Edward as the king and died in a similar fashion. Also, as mentioned briefly in class, the text is rather simplistic and can be read by a wide range of people, thus allowing the population to come together. The heroism and chivalry central to the piece is also just simply enjoyable to read because it takes the reader back to a time that we all tend to romanticize today.
I also found the Chatterton text to be more enjoyable. I really enjoyed how it tried to be something else. It made me think of the "Canterbury Tales" from the very beginning and since I enjoyed those so much, I guess I was destined to like this. I think the thing that I found to be most enjoyable was the language. Although it was rough starting out, it was fun to sit there and read in a dramatic voice instead of a hum-drum Johnson tone. It was a nice change of pace that I really appreciated.
I thought that most entertaining aspect of reading the Chatterton text was trying to decipher the words. It was difficult at first the try and read any of the poem because my mind was just processing the words as nonsense, but the more I read the easier it became to just start sounding out the words and imagine someone speaking them in an old British accent. I also found some of the footnotes of the Ossian reading to be entertaining, especially (as was mentioned in class) the last one. I found it extremely amusing that MacPherson didn't want to create a fake ending for his fake text. Maybe he ran out of ideas.
The Ossian text was not particularly enjoyable for me other than the final page filled with asterisks and that awesome footnote, but I definitely enjoyed the Chatterton reading. Though reading it appeared to be a daunting task at first, once I got used to the spelling I really got into it. Even though a lot of critics questioned the authenticity of these stories, that was the last thing on my mind when I read the texts. I read for the enjoyment of the story and I really liked the idea of Sir Charles being a noble hero of sorts. It's refreshing to be exposed to a character such as his and I liked that readers during that time (as well as readers of our time) are given a true hero.
I agree in that Chatterton was the most enjoyable. I found both to be enjoyable in that they're mythical and explain a journey, but the journey explained in Chatterton's poem is confident and inspiring. As expected with 18th century literature, it tells the story of an admirable and moral protagonist. Sir Charles can be seen as a role model, and readers are inclined to purchase this due to the lesson involved rather than the authenticity. The Ossian poem is pretty funny for us now (example- the footnote we discussed in class), and the mythical elements make it a bit fun. When he meets the woman in the story and the stars fill up the space, I felt as if it were referring to sex, and this again plays a part in the morality emphasis in most 18th century writings.
I agree with the general trend that Chatterton's work was more esthetically pleasing than the Ossian text, however I think the Ossian text has some more interesting nuances as a piece of folklore than the Chatterton text. Although both have footnotes the Ossian footnotes are extensive and create a historical and physical manifestation of the work in a readers mind. Also I think the minefield of asterisks adds a * fill in the blank* type of reading that I have yet to encounter in my reading of later C18 works. Leaving a scene or image to be filled in by the reader, is very interesting and McPherson does it with the ending as well. He allows the reader to imagine what might have happened. This to me is unique and makes Ossian more of an interest to me.
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