1、 Ghost Returns: Confirming Death or Seeing the Light Again?

The history of Scottish supernatural literature is widely explored, with literary works reproducing history through Gothic imagery and bizarre events. David Grieg's play 'The Mysterious Destruction of Prudencia Hart' showcases the protagonist's experiences in supernatural stories, echoing the story of mortals venturing into the elf world in Walter Scott's' Scottish Borderlands Folk Collection '. The demon images in Scottish literary works, such as those described in the works of Robert Burns, James Hogg, and James Robertson, embody the mystery of supernatural creatures and a profound understanding of the human world. Prudentia's experience in the hellish library beneath the modern supermarket parking lot symbolizes the exploration of history and culture in Scottish literature. John Pinkerton's "Scottish Poetry Collection" showcases the complexity of Scottish cultural identity through the revival of early Scottish literature. The emergence of magic or mystery books in Scottish literature, such as "The Last Bard's Song" and "Gideon Mac's Will," reflects Scotland's two perspectives on history: acknowledging its "primitive" past and self-awareness of civilization. Although modern Scotland advocates rationality and science, supernatural phenomena are still active in literature, challenging the conventional concepts of modern society. James MacPherson's "Fragments of Scottish Highland Poetry" and Alice Thompson's "The Lighthouse: Ghost Stories" demonstrate how Scottish literature absorbs, adjusts, and alters supernatural phenomena, integrating primitive beliefs into modern criticism.

2、 Ghostly Presence: Fantasy Poetry and Real History

Scottish Highland Poetry Fragments "is a collection of poems created by MacPherson, claiming to be a translation of ancient Gaelic mythology, but actually based on Celtic legends. The poetry collection tells the war stories of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish warriors from the perspective of the wandering blind poet E Xiang, while mourning the passing of Scotland. The poem connects Scotland with death, mourning, and the past, outlining the mythological background of ancient history and introducing modern events such as the Battle of Kalodon. McPherson combined this battle with Gothic mourning, presenting different cultural memories through poetry rather than directly stating history. The descriptions of war scenes in the poem, such as soldiers attacking, the voices of dead soldiers, and the spirits of the dead, are full of hints rather than direct statements, allowing readers to glimpse the scenery of the Scottish Highlands in modern times. MacPherson imitated the ancient Greek blind poet Homer's Iliad and promoted its Scottish version, narrating ancient Scottish legends through storytelling. Neoclassicism praised Homer, and MacPherson used it to introduce the ancient Greek civilization to the educated British. The Scottish Highland Poetry Fragments and other poems became popular in Europe and were highly praised by Hugh Blair, becoming a complex, profound, and literary center of Scottish culture. Blair transformed Scotland's violent history into elegant literary works, suitable for teaching in universities. He compared MacPherson and Homer, firmly imprisoning Scottish historical figures in the past, providing readers with another form of history and stimulating literary perception. The ghostly past in the poem is immersed in the long river of history, while being endowed with new forms to delight modern readers. McPherson's poetry revolves around ancient history and modern past, with the "ghosts" involved in the generation of literary taste at that time, and thus revived.

3、 The Slave Trade: Expressions of Dreams and Illusions

Alice Thompson's novel 'The Lighthouse' explores Scotland's role in the Atlantic slave trade through supernatural elements. The story is set in 1807 and reveals the history of Scotland's involvement in the slave trade through the fictional inhabitants of Jacob Island and a shipwrecked slave ship. In the novel, the experiences of the amnesiac Lucia and the little girl Grace symbolize Scotland's forgetting and avoidance of this history. Grace's mother was a slave, and her illusions and memories reflect the suffering of the slaves. The ghosts and illusions in the novel symbolize Scotland's repressed memories of the slave trade history, while Lucia's ambiguous identity reflects the uncertainty of history. The Lighthouse explores the complexity of historical memory through non-linear narrative and multiple voices. The novel also reveals the racist ideas in 19th century Scottish literature by comparing it with Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island". The Lighthouse ultimately indicates that there are still many unsolved mysteries and forgotten pasts in Scottish literature and history.