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Verse Epistles

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A Burns Companion

Part of the book series: Literary Companions ((LICOM))

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Abstract

During the time of Dunbar (c.1460–c.1520) Scottish poets indulged in furious ‘flyting’ sessions, exchanging abusive and vituperative poems (the best known being the four-part ‘The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy’). By the eighteenth century, the flyting tradition had given way to a milder tradition of verse epistles, generally full of personal praise and occasional in manner. Both Ramsay and Fergusson wrote verse epistles that began and ended in salutation and offered comments on particular subjects or occasions.

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© 1991 Alan Bold

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Bold, A. (1991). Verse Epistles. In: A Burns Companion. Literary Companions. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21165-4_14

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