The "Scottish Hard Man"

[Matthias]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for information on the term "Scottish Hard Man" in literature which I need for a student's project on Scottish literature. There was not much to find via google, so perhaps someone here can help me out. This might be common knowledge in the English speaking world, as the term seems to be used quite often.
I'm German, so I can only guess what the classical "Scottish Hard Man" is, but I suppose there is more to it than bearded blokes with kilts and claymores...

Any help would be appreciated.

Matthias

[Zippy]

Hi Matthias,

What a strange subject for a literature class, but ten out of ten for originality!

If you're looking for a book about the 'Scottish Hard Man' then you could check out The Big Man by William McIlvanney - it's a fantastic read. Or, alternatively try No Mean City by A. McArthur http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0552075833/202-5710721-2747063?v=glance&n=266239

The 'Scottish Hard Man' has evolved since William Wallace's time and is now probably more associated with the working class people who lived in places like the Gorbals in Glasgow or more recently in the council estates around the bigger cities. It’s a difficult thing to describe to someone who isn’t from Scotland, but basically this is one of the very few countries where it’s still not all right for a man to show weakness. We tend to drink hard, smoke lots, eat unhealthily and fight at the drop of a hat – and worse still, not give a damn about the consequences. I’m not sure if this is the cause or the consequence of being a ‘Scottish Hard Man’.

Of course this is a tremendous generality, but that’s basically it. I could give you my pet theory about how the legend of the hard man came about (something to do with a generation of Scottish children being reared on cowboy movies!), but wouldn’t want to bore you.

Read McIlvanney’s book, it’ll answer most of your questions.

Zippy.