Ossian controversy

E939553

The Ossian controversy was an 18th-century scholarly and literary dispute over the authenticity of James Macpherson’s purported translations of ancient Gaelic epic poems attributed to the bard Ossian.

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Label Occurrences
Ossian controversy canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event ⓘ
literary controversy ⓘ
scholarly controversy ⓘ
cause publication of James Macpherson’s Ossian poems ⓘ
country Scotland ⓘ
hasAspect debate over Macpherson’s methods of translation ⓘ
debate over fabrication versus compilation of sources ⓘ
impact on concepts of primitivism and the sublime ⓘ
influence on Romantic nationalism ⓘ
nationalist claims about ancient Scottish literature ⓘ
question of existence of original Gaelic manuscripts ⓘ
reception of Celtic culture in Europe ⓘ
hasToDoWith Celtic revival ⓘ
linked to: Celtic Revival

Gaelic literature ⓘ
James Macpherson ⓘ
Ossian ⓘ
Scottish Enlightenment ⓘ
epic poetry ⓘ
literary forgery ⓘ
impact boosted European interest in Celtic and Nordic antiquity ⓘ
influenced early Romantic literature and aesthetics ⓘ
involvesPerson David Hume ⓘ
Denis Diderot ⓘ
Henry Mackenzie ⓘ
Hugh Blair ⓘ
James Macpherson ⓘ
Johann Gottfried Herder ⓘ
Malcolm Laing ⓘ
Napoleon Bonaparte ⓘ
Samuel Johnson ⓘ
Sir John Sinclair ⓘ
Thomas Gray ⓘ
involvesWork Fingal, an Ancient Epic Poem in Six Books ⓘ
Temora, an Ancient Epic Poem in Eight Books ⓘ
The Works of Ossian ⓘ
location Great Britain ⓘ
Ireland ⓘ
continental Europe ⓘ
mainSubject authenticity of the Ossian poems ⓘ
notableCritic Samuel Johnson ⓘ
notableDefender Hugh Blair ⓘ
positionHeldBySome Ossian poems are free adaptations of oral and manuscript sources ⓘ
Ossian poems are genuine ancient Gaelic epics ⓘ
Ossian poems are largely Macpherson’s own composition ⓘ
relatedTo Celtic Twilight ⓘ
James Macpherson Ossian poems ⓘ
Ossian ⓘ
Romanticism ⓘ
literary forgery debates ⓘ
startTime 1760s ⓘ
timePeriod 18th century ⓘ

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Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.