The Literature of the Kailyard

The Literature of the Kailyard

Millar, J.H.

The New Review (London)

Extended critical article by J.H. Millar widely regarded as the text that established the 'Kailyard' label as a term of dismissal for Scottish regional fiction. Examines Barrie, Crockett, and Ian Maclaren as representatives of a parochial school of fiction, tracing the movement's origin to Barrie. Subjects Crockett's humour and prose style to sustained mockery, quoting extensively from The Raiders and The Lilac Sunbonnet. Argues that Crockett's celebrity is entirely a product of uncritical log-rolling in the religious press and elsewhere, and that he has no genuine call to literature. Concludes with a broader attack on the cultural influence of the Dissenting interest in fiction. Influence of W.E.Henley suggested though signed J.H.Millar

The New Review, Vol. XII, No. 71, April 1895, pp. 383–394

https://srcrockett.scot/library/Reviews/MAG149_NewRev_Millar_1895.pdf