Two Americans in Edinburgh

Overview and Issues

Two participant impressions of the Dorothy Dunnett Weekend in Edinburgh, 2016

• WG131

Abstract

The authors (father and daughter) describe their motivation in attending the Weekend thus: "For several years we have fantasised, somewhat wistfully, that we would take four days and fly the 12,000 miles to drop in on Edinburgh for the April AGM and meet the keepers of the Dunnett flame. What makes them tick, how do they express their passion for Dunnett’s uniquely nuanced worldview? What new insights might they offer on the manifold characters in the two series? How do they live and breathe the history of the 15th and 16th centuries, as viewed through the Dunnett lens?." The authors write of a genuinely engaging social and intellectual weekend covering academic lectures, tours to novel locations whilst also offering their own insightful commentary on the issues under discussion (The Books That Made Lymond, The Engima of Francis Crawford amongst others.)

Author

• Allison Walsh Kurian and Christopher Walsh

Dunnett Book Citations

• TLC
• HoN

Historical People

• Scott Richardson
• Dr Richard Serjeantson
• Dr Deidre Serjeantson
• Dorothy Dunnett
• Cicero
• Dr Fiona Watson
• Edward I of England
• Longshanks
• St Margaret
• Robert the Bruce

Fictional Characters

• Francis Crawford of Lymond
• Philippa Somerville
• Niccolò

Locations

• Edinburgh
• Dumferline Abbey
• Gavrock Hotel, Edinburgh

Literature

• (none)

Illustrations and Photos

• Edinburgh Castle from the Botanic Garden. Photo: Anne Buchanan.
• Interior of Dunfermline Abbey Church Photo: Tom Blackie

Historical Events

• 1304 in Dunfermline. The English King Edward I, Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, stayed north of the Firth of Forth for the first time in the winter and thereby convinced the Scots to sue for peace.

• Reinterment of Robert the Bruce in 1818.

Other References

• (none)

Quotes from Dunnett

• (none)