HISTORY OF
ENGLISH
LITERATURE
PRESENTED BY
S.JAHIDHA NASRIN
THE AGE OF TRANSITION
ROBERT BURNS
ROBERT BURNS (1759-
1796)
AN INTRO:
ROBERT BURNS—Rabbie burns ,National
Bard, Bard of Ayrshire and Ploughman Poet…
BURNS ,A Topographic name of Scottish.
Poet and Lyricist.
NATIONAL POET OF SCOTLAND.
Born on 25 Jan 1759.
Family Life:
Father-William Burnes , Mother-Agnes
Broun.
Lived in small cottage ,Alloway , Ayrshire.
love for Poetry came from Agnes.
Learned reading and writing from William.
William widened burns’ thoughts and
emotions.
Age 15 -first song – ”HANDSOME NELL” –for a
young girl , Nellie Kilpatrick.
Managed both family farm and his energy for
works of lyrical genius.
Hard and bitter life –Farming and unsuccessful
other occupations.
Poetry grows-Political Influences.
Passionate about wine and women.
1784- meets Jean Armour, start a
family.
12 children by four women – nine
by Jean, by married her in 1788.
Four of them – illegitimate ,
cosidered legitimate by Scottish law
after their parents marriage.
POETRY LIFE:
Wrote songs and lyrics.
Mostly in scots.
Express farm life , Scottish culture , class and
religious distinctions.
Variety of forms- epistles, ballads, songs.
Sole poetical work-”Volume of poems”(1786)-
edited 5 times.
Best known tale-”Tam O’Shanter”(1793)-long
descriptive piece.
Use universal themes of love and nature.
Pre-Romantic poet– Sensitivity to nature , high
valuation of feeling and emotion , spontaneity, fierce
stance of freedom and against authority ,
individualism, and his antiquarian interest in old
songs and legends.
Qualities which link burns to Romantics – logical
responses to 18thc Scotland.
Themes includes republicanism ,radicalism ,Scottish
patriotism , Anticlericalism, Class inequalities,
Gender roles , Commentary on Scottish kirk ,
Scottish cultural identity , Poverty , Sexuality, and
Socialising.
FEATURES OF POETRY:
Lyrical in motive.
E.g. : Tam O ’Shanter.
Emotions and experience.
Humour and Pathos – Copious and
varied as subject matter.
Political and religious views –
scarcely deserved by admirers.
Style is noteworthy and position is
unique.
DEATH:
Died in 1796– aged 37,by rheumatic
fever after falling asleep at the road side in
pouring water.
His youngest son Maxwell Burns was
born on the day of his funeral.
In 1815– Burns’ remains are relocated to
a lavishly-built mausoleum.
YEAR WISE DETAILS:
1759 – Born in Alloway,Ayrshire.
1774 – wrote 1st song HANDSOME HELL
1781 – His father died , aged 62. family moves to
Mossgiel farm near Mauchline.
1784 – letter ‘e’ drops from surname , meets Jean
armour.
1785 – His 1st child ,Elizabeth Paton Burns was born
to Elizabeth Paton , his mother’s servant.
-- Affair with Margaret Campbell, who died of
typhus the next year.
--Pens ‘TO A MOUSE’.
1786 –- ‘Poems , chiefly in the Scottish dialect’
published.
-- Jean gives birth to twins, ROBERT BURNS and
JEAN BURNS.
1787 – Second edition of poems published in
Edinburgh.
-- Had affair with Edinburgh servant, May
Cameron.
-- Meets Clarinda…..another affair.
1788 – marries Jean Armour .
-- moves with Jean to Ellisland near Dumfries to
take a lease on a farm .
-- Twin girls born to Jean .
-- Had another affair with a domestic servant ,
Janet Clow and a son , Robert Burns Clow was born
to them .
1789 – A daughter , Francis Wallace Burns was born
to Jean Armour.
1790 – wrote ‘Tam O’Shanter’.
1791 – Become full-time exciseman.
1791 to 1794 – Becomes father of 4 more children ,
Elizabeth to Ann park ,and William Burns, Elizabeth
Riddel and James Glencairn burns to Jean Armour.
1796 – Dies at 37 in Dumfries.
-- Jean gives birth to his youngest son Maxwell
Burns during his funeral.
1815 – Burns’ remains are moved to a mausoleum.
FACTS ABOUT BURNS:
He began signing his name BURNS in 1786 following
his father’s death.
He has a national day on 25th Jan each year.
Burns suppers are celebrated on this day with haggis
and whisky-traditional dishes, and his best loved
works.
Died penniless , had debts of 14 euro.
More statues of Burns than any poets living or dead.
Burns’ poetry was brought into space by Astronaut,
Nick Partin .
Abraham Lincoln was a great admirer of Burns and
could recite his work by heart.
He never met his youngest son , Maxwell Burns .
A film about the life of of Robert Burns , starring
Gerard Butler .
THANK YOU
