The Journalistic Writings of John Buchan: Selected Essays, Reviews, and Opinion Pieces

The twenty-five essays collected in this volume are a small selection from over 1,000 articles and reviews which Buchan wrote during his career as a journalist. … But the literary connections in Buchan’s journalism are by no means limited to his literary essays; they are represented here by essays on politics, imperialism, and race. Buchan’s work is particularly sensitive to, in his view, the malign effects of modernity. These effects can be psychological, or physical, or a combination of the two. Indeed the literary connections in Buchan’s journalism are generally so pervasive that different selections of essays could be made concentrating on non-literary topics, which would contain a significant number of ideas and themes that are reflected in his literary work.

Introduction

Essays

1. 'Robert Louis Stevenson'
2. 'Nonconformity in Literature'
3. 'The National Malaise'
4. 'The Celtic Spirit in Literature'
5. 'An Imperial Club for London'
6. 'The Glamour of High Altitudes'
7. 'The Life of the Kaffir'
8. 'The Practical Mystic'
9. 'Sir Richard Burton'
10. 'The Urban Sentiment'
11. 'Local Colour'
12. 'History and Life'
13. 'George Meredith'
14. 'The 'Poetics' of Aristotle'
15. 'Greek Religion and Modern Folk-Lore'
16. 'The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century'
17. 'African Secret History'
18. 'Montrose'
19. 'Ypres To-Day: A City of the Dead'
20. 'A New Defence of Poetry'
21. 'This Freedom'
22. 'Adventure Stories: From Defoe to Stevenson'
23. 'The Most Difficult Form of Fiction'
24. 'Conservatism and Progress'
25. 'England's Changing Face'

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