Abstract
This thesis aims to explore Scottishness in modern Scottish detective fiction. Aiming to
uncover what Scottishness is, it examines to what extent Scottishness is reflected in modern
Scottish detective fiction. It also considers to what extent Scottish detective novels comply
with, or differ from, the characteristics of the crime fiction genre. The two contemporary
detective novels subjected to discussion are The Cutting Room (2002) by Louise Welsh and
The Sunday Philosophy Club (2004) by Alexander McCall Smith. These two detective
novels are completely different in tone and perspective. While the latter is a cosy crime
story, the former is a hardboiled detective narrative. The characteristics of Scottishness
focused on in the thesis are Scots’ affection for logical thinking, Scots affection for Scottish
landscape and Scots as patriotic and hardworking people. In contrast to these positive
characteristics, there are lots of negative features within the notion Scottishness: Scots are
losers; Scots have a lack of self-esteem. The result of this can be observed in Scots self
destructiveness, their pessimistic attitude and many Scots’ lack of relationships. Several
examples of these features are discussed.
Calvinism is a core element in the debate as to what constitutes Scottish identity, and
one main point argued in the thesis is that Calvinism is a central theme in both novels.
Hypocrisy exists extensively due to the strict religious regulations. Both the protagonists
Rilke and Isabel focus on this two-facedness. If the detective Rilke is two-faced and
struggles between good and evil, this is also a facet of the character detective Isabel
Dalhousie. Yet the latter negative sides are not as obvious as in Rilke’s character.
Both texts explicitly refer to a huge amount of Scottish culture markers and icons.
The authors not only attempt to tell stories about Scottish life but also seek to inform the
reader about Scottish society, culture and art. As seen throughout the thesis, one aspect of
Scottishness is the obligatory reference to literary forebears. Both authors use intertextuality
as a device to highlight Scottishness. The thesis shows that both novels include intertextual
references to the same classical Scottish authors (like Robert Louis Stevenson and James
Hogg) and also to the play Macbeth. Thus, the thesis demonstrates that Welsh and McCall
Smith are the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in today’s Scottish literature and that the detective
fiction formula is hardly the heart of these novels