“Why do I connect that cookery book with Communions?” A critical examination of the lives of women of the manse in the novels of O. Douglas (Anna Buchan)

Abstract

This thesis examines the depiction of the lives of women of the manse offered by the novelist O. Douglas. O. Douglas is the pseudonym of Anna Buchan (1877-1948), who was a daughter of a Free Church minister, brought up in Pathhead, Kirkcaldy then Gorbals, Glasgow. She was a highly popular author in her own time (one of Hodder and Stoughton’s top five bestselling authors) yet in comparison with her brother John Buchan has since largely been forgotten by readers and scholars. She wrote three novels inspired by her experiences of growing up in a manse: The Setons (1917), Ann and Her Mother (1922) and Eliza for Common (1928). The women of the manse in these and other works by Anna Buchan will be compared and contrasted with literary and real-life contemporaries.

The first two chapters of this thesis situate Anna Buchan in her historical context with a particular focus on her upbringing in the manse. They also consider the literary influences on Anna Buchan and attempt to situate her work in its literary context. The next three chapters explore Anna Buchan’s depiction of women of the manse at worship, in the parish and at home. The first of these considers Anna Buchan’s depiction of the experiences these women had of public worship, their personal devotional practices and their overlooked role providing hospitality during sacrament times. The next examines the diverse range of activities these women of the manse carried out in the parish. These activities included visiting, teaching in the Sunday school and most significantly fundraising. The final substantive chapter examines Anna Buchan’s depiction of manse life for these women. The examination of her portrayal of women of the manse as being responsible for maintaining the household finances is of particular significance.

This thesis contributes to knowledge in the fields of both Scottish literature and Church history. In the field of literature, it provides a new appreciation of the historical context in which Anna Buchan was writing and its literary influence. In the field of Church history, this examination of Anna Buchan’s novels offers a fresh and extensive insight into the contemporary lives of women in the manse through Scottish literature of the early twentieth century. Anna Buchan’s novels are examined as historical source material, and their significance as early twentieth century propaganda for the improvement of the lives of women of the manse is uncovered. In this thesis the novels are read alongside Anna Buchan’s autobiography Unforgettable, Unforgotten (1945) and her manuscripts and papers which are primarily held in the National Library of Scotland. This thesis demonstrates the importance of literary sources for uncovering the often overlooked voices of women in the church.