History as a semiological system in the works of Walter Scott

In this article the problems of the formation of national identity of the Scots at the turn of XVIII-XIX centuries are examined. Also the author analyses the historical conditions in which the formation of national identity took place and the role played by the Walter Scott's works in this process. This article deals with the problem of integrating the two previously opposing states of England and Scotland, forced under the conditions of the union of 1707 and the subsequent completion of the industrial coup to seek ways to consolidate and at the same time the possibility of preservation of ethnic uniqueness. The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of the historical narrative in the works of Walter Scott on the formation of the most important symbols of Scottish national consciousness that are the basis of national identity. As the research problem, the author has defined an attempt to assess the degree of narrativeness of the works of Walter Scott, since this factor is crucial in the process of "invention of traditions". The author of the article argues that a necessary condition of overcoming the "crisis of identity" of a nation is an appeal to its historical memory, both by political elites and intellectuals of our time. A transformation of Scottish identity at the turn of XVIII-XIX centuries, under the influence of the intellectual elite of the United Kingdom can serve as one of the successful models of national identity formation. Special attention is paid to the creativity of the first researchers of Scottish cultural heritage. The author notes that since the mid-eighteenth century the intellectual elite of Scotland drew the research interest to the heritage of the Scottish minstrels, preserved in legends and ancient ballads. The most interesting works in this area were written by James MacPherson and Bishop Percy. In the collection of MacPherson - the poems Oceana, as the author notes, was made the most important thing: the Gaelic poetic thinking has been translated into English. In the end the author concludes that Walter Scott, in the spirit of proconstruction, by referring to the "true Scottishness", built up the dichotomy "We-they", the required basic element of national identity. Folk ballads, national characters, historical events, arranged in a system of meaningful images are interpreted in accordance with the tastes and demands of modern reality - the reality of the turn of XVIII-XIX centuries. The increased social activity of the Scots and their role in economic and political life of the United Kingdom necessitated the formation of national consciousness of success and prosperity in the British Commonwealth.

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