Young Art and Old Hector
Encyclopedia
Young Art and Old Hector is a novel
by Neil M. Gunn
. It concerns itself with an 8-year-old boy "Young Art" growing up in the Scottish Highland community of Clachdrum and in episodic form, catalogues a series of adventures and occurrences in his life, often connected with his mentor figure "Old Hector", a local character and bootlegger
. The same characters would be used in the following satirical, fantasy novel, The Green Isle of the Great Deep
.http://www.harenet.co.uk/nmg/works/books/youngart.html
Like many of Gunn's novels, the plot is episodic and we are experience events such as the local Highland Games and the birth of Art's baby sister. Indeed several of the chapters appeared extant in other published forms.http://www.harenet.co.uk/nmg/works/books/youngart.html
The main climax of the novel is when Art, returning out of curiosity to a cave where he and a girl from the village thought a wild beast lived, uncover an illicit still run by Hector and Red Douglas (a local rascal). Art's brother Donul is also with them as they are making whisky for Duncan, Art and Donul's eldest brother's wedding. Art's discovery is of the still is fortuitous as on his way he encounters three excise agents or "gaugers", who are investigating Hector.
Throughout the book, Art also wishes to reach the River, a place he has never been, initially with Donul, but when Donul needs to leave to work on a cattle farm, it is Hector who takes Art to the river.
Hector's role is one of an idealised Gaelic
seanachie
, his knowledge of his local area and history not limiting him in his dealing with universal issues such as greed and land rights. The area known as the Clash, where Art and Donul go to snare rabbits early in the book is where Hector was born and was cleared
to the present village. The Clash is also where Hector takes the Gaugers to act as a red herring
when they are making enquiries about the still.
Art's role as the hero and saviour of Hector from the Gaugers is a theme which Gunn would develop in the following fantastical novel "The Green Isle of the Great Deep".
Art's triumph at the Highland Games is considered to be autobiographical due to Gunn's own talent at athletics.http://www.harenet.co.uk/nmg/works/books/youngart.html
century."http://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Hector-Modern-Scottish-Classics/dp/product-description/0285622544/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Neil M. Gunn
Neil M. Gunn
Neil Miller Gunn was a prolific novelist, critic, and dramatist who emerged as one of the leading lights of the Scottish Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s...
. It concerns itself with an 8-year-old boy "Young Art" growing up in the Scottish Highland community of Clachdrum and in episodic form, catalogues a series of adventures and occurrences in his life, often connected with his mentor figure "Old Hector", a local character and bootlegger
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
. The same characters would be used in the following satirical, fantasy novel, The Green Isle of the Great Deep
The Green Isle of the Great Deep
The Green Isle of the Great Deep is a 1944 dystopian novel by Neil M. Gunn. Whilst the book features two protagonists from his previous novel, Young Art and Old Hector, Gunn transports the characters into an allegory about totalitarianism and the nature of freedom and legend.-Plot:Young Art and Old...
.http://www.harenet.co.uk/nmg/works/books/youngart.html
Plot
Art is an eight year old boy and the book is seen mostly from his perspective. He comes from a large family and as his father is opften away fishing, his major father figure is Old Hector, the local elder who has a wide knowledge of local history and story and as is implied throughout the novel, then revealed in the final chapters, the finest bootlegger in the area.Like many of Gunn's novels, the plot is episodic and we are experience events such as the local Highland Games and the birth of Art's baby sister. Indeed several of the chapters appeared extant in other published forms.http://www.harenet.co.uk/nmg/works/books/youngart.html
The main climax of the novel is when Art, returning out of curiosity to a cave where he and a girl from the village thought a wild beast lived, uncover an illicit still run by Hector and Red Douglas (a local rascal). Art's brother Donul is also with them as they are making whisky for Duncan, Art and Donul's eldest brother's wedding. Art's discovery is of the still is fortuitous as on his way he encounters three excise agents or "gaugers", who are investigating Hector.
Throughout the book, Art also wishes to reach the River, a place he has never been, initially with Donul, but when Donul needs to leave to work on a cattle farm, it is Hector who takes Art to the river.
Themes
Art and Hector represent the extremes of youth and old age.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Isle-Great-Deep/dp/1904598684/ref=pd_sim_b2 The book is considered to be one of the "finest evocations of childhood ever written, conveying all the magic and misery and the bursting joys of being a small boy in a great and mysterious world."http://www.his.com/~rory/gunnbks.htmlHector's role is one of an idealised Gaelic
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels", including language and culture. As a noun, it may refer to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually.-Gaelic languages:...
seanachie
Seanachie
A seanchaí is a traditional Irish storyteller/historian. A commonly encountered English spelling of the Irish word is shanachie.The word seanchaí, which was spelled seanchaidhe before the Irish-language spelling reform of 1948, means a bearer of "old lore"...
, his knowledge of his local area and history not limiting him in his dealing with universal issues such as greed and land rights. The area known as the Clash, where Art and Donul go to snare rabbits early in the book is where Hector was born and was cleared
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...
to the present village. The Clash is also where Hector takes the Gaugers to act as a red herring
Red herring
A red herring is a deliberate attempt to divert attention.Red herring may refer to:* Red herring , the informal fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but does not address the issue in question....
when they are making enquiries about the still.
Art's role as the hero and saviour of Hector from the Gaugers is a theme which Gunn would develop in the following fantastical novel "The Green Isle of the Great Deep".
Art's triumph at the Highland Games is considered to be autobiographical due to Gunn's own talent at athletics.http://www.harenet.co.uk/nmg/works/books/youngart.html
Reception
The Times Literary Supplement stated that "Young Art and Old Hector" is the book which "affirms Neil Gunn's place as one of the most important Scottish writers of the Twentiethcentury."http://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Hector-Modern-Scottish-Classics/dp/product-description/0285622544/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books