Includes bibliographical references (p. [349]-376) and index
"A renascence of literature written in minority languages has been taking place in Europe. In this study, William Calin offers a comparative analysis of three twentieth-century minority-language literatures flourishing today in the United Kingdom and France - literatures written in Scots, Breton, and Occitan." "For each of the three literatures, Calin examines the major writers and their masterpieces in poetry, the novel, and theatre. His thesis is that all three literatures have evolved in a like manner, repudiating their sentimental, romantic folk heritage and undertaking to create in terms of European modernism and postmodernism. Combining a variety of modern critical approaches with theoretical and cultural considerations, Calin demonstrates the intrinsic importance of these literatures and their contribution to culture in both aesthetic and broadly human terms. His conclusion raises a number of questions: Is there a common form of narrative prevalent in minority cultures that is neither realism nor metafiction? Is the minority-language theatre limited to plots treating past history and the rural present? How can high modernist poetry express regional concerns yet attain universality? What constraints are imposed on writers working in minority languages, and what traits will be shared by minority literatures?" "Calin's pioneering study is the first comparative examination of the Scots, Breton, and Occitan achievements as parts of an international, European totality, underscoring in comparative terms their contribution to Europe as a whole."--Jacket
