Here’s tae us, no. 2: gendering the nation
I left off last time with a question about the pageant heroes in the commemorative image shown of the 1934 Pageant of Ayrshire. The answers to this question are as follows, clockwise from the top:
Robert Burns (one of the top 5 stars of Scottish pageants); Robert the Bruce (born in Ayrshire but also in the top 5 nationally); King Alexander III of Scotland (vanquished the Vikings in 1263); John Brown (well-known Covenanting martyr); King Coilus (reputed ancient Brit King of Carrick); King Haco (Viking anti-hero beaten by Alexander III at the Battle of Largs) and last but not least, William Wallace (another of the top 5).
3 out of 7 is a pass! As a professor pal of mine scored nil...
They are of course, all blokes. And that, I’m afraid, is a bit of a pattern in Scottish historical pageants. This is not to say that women don’t make an appearance but more usually they own the title ‘Mrs’ or ‘Lady’ and share the stage with a ‘Mr’ or ‘Lord’… share usually being a wee bit of an overstatement for the extent of their roles, and the same applies to ‘Queen’ in the company of an array of Scottish Kings.
Just as a disclaimer before I go any further… Those Scottish pageants I’ve looked at so far are from the early and mid-twentieth century, so it’s possible things may change when I do research on pageants from later on in the century. Frankly though, I’m not that hopeful where there the gender identity of episode headliners is concerned. The neglect of Scottish women in the historical landscape has been widely addressed in my neck of the woods over the last few decades, but there’s a way to go yet and rumblings still erupt every now and again about the relationship between the writing of history and the gendering of Scottish identity. While I’m certainly up for challenging the myth of the masculine nation, it is with the deepest regret that I have to report that no armour-clad, female warrior type figures have surfaced YET in pageants north of the border. There’s no good blaming the authors of pageants from this period, it’s the professional historians of yesteryear who should be under scrutiny…
There is one Queen however, who does get to take centre stage in many pageants... Thus far in my researches, the number-one female, pageant favourite north of the border (and by a Lang Scots Mile) is Mary Stuart (she who got her heid chopped aff!)... predictable enough you might think given her oft-time status as a romantic heroine. Yet less predictable is the treatment she gets in historical pageantry. This varies enormously. Sometimes tragedy reigns (no pun intended) but other times she, can you believe, headlines in episodes that are clearly intended as light-relief.
In the most recent example I’ve looked at where Mary turns up (the Pageant of Ercildoune held in Berwickshire in 1934) she appears in episode 4 (of 6) having a jolly day out and accompanied by her entourage who for once are not plotting to assassinate one another. Music and dancing feature! Episodes 2 and 3 in this particular pageant are about the BIG Scottish tragedy that owns the name of Flodden. Mary Q’s place in the pageant was as the antidote to this misery and a means of raising the spirits of the, no doubt, by then emotionally exhausted audience.
This variety of dramatic interpretation may of course mirror the ambivalence of Scots towards her as an historical figure. However, the gender implications of this treatment are more interesting. As well as being a monarchical character symbolic of Scottish political misfortunes, as a woman, the feminine frivolity associated with her (often negatively) is sometimes used in a wholly optimistic way in the service of pageant narratives. In Scottish historical pageantry she is a woman for all seasons indeed… but regardless of the role assigned to her, it is her femininity that is to the fore. It does seem that whether tragic or happy she is a foil for a great deal of martial masculinity.
Representations of masculinity in Scottish pageants are illuminating in respect of the nations’s reputation, for the historical interpretations these rested on are imbedded in the national consciousness. Here again, research on historical pageantry will be able to make a contribution to a vibrant area of enquiry that is interested in how and where certain versions of masculinity (both positive and negative images) became associated with Scottishness.
Just in case, if anyone is looking for a few female potentials for lead pageant figures, there’s no need to stick with Mary Stuart. There’s plenty more to choose from! Just to prove that history in Scotland has and is, rising to the challenge of re-writing the national story, some fine publications that might be consulted are linked here:
http://www.euppublishing.com/book/9780748640164
http://www.euppublishing.com/book/9780748632930
Linda Fleming