They are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country, and no great mischief if they fall. Consider the letter wolfe wrote five years after participating in the slaughter of highland scots at culloden in 1746, in which he envisages the vanquished highlanders becoming useful. Already a bestseller in canada, no great mischief the title comes from general wolfes callous reaction to the death of highlanders enlisted in britains efforts to. Alistair macleod musters all of the skill and grace that have wo. Instead, as the title forewarns, the macdonalds are at the mercy of history. These dismissive sentiments persist into our era as we follow the desperately sad story of the chagos islanders.
This is and most likely will remain alistair macleods only novel. The novels title quotes general wolfe, who had fought against the. No great mischief is a 1999 novel by alistair macleod. No great mischief comes from a letter from general wolfe about the highlanders fighting with him to take quebec. Consider the letter wolfe wrote five years after participating in the slaughter of highland scots at culloden in 1746, in which he envisages the vanquished highlanders becoming useful auxiliaries. The titles words, no great mischief, were once scornfully applied by general wolfe to the highlanders fighting alongside him on the plains of. The full quote is no great mischief if they fall as he didnt regard the scots. Yet they are there in the neardarkness with their own hopes and dreams and disappointments.
Alistair macleod used it as the title of his novel about the lives of the said. They are, he said, hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country and no great mischief if they fall. Tis no great mischief if they fall general wolfe famously remarked as he sent the black watch off to scale the heights of abraham during the siege of quebec in 1759. An earlier use of the citation that macleod used for his title appears in gibson, john g. No great mischief reading group guide knopf doubleday. Youngs adaptation of alistair macleods awardwinning 1999 novel. Macleods title comes from what general james wolfe said about his highland soldiers before the battle of quebec in 1759, that it would be no great mischief if. Already a bestseller in canada, no great mischief the title comes from general wolfes callous reaction to the death of highlanders enlisted in britains efforts to wrestle canada from. The best scene in no great mischief really, the only good one occurs in the second act and takes place in the 1960s, in a mine on cape breton. No great mischief isnt a family saga hollywood tale. Already a bestseller in canada, no great mischief the title comes from general wolfes callous reaction to the death of highlanders enlisted in britains efforts to wrestle canada from france no great mischief if they fall tells the sprawling story of one scottish clan, the macdonalds, who come to cape breton from scotland in the 18th century and struggle valiantly to maintain their pride and identity up through the end of the millennium. It was certainly not a new idea to use highland troops for overseas. No great mischief all the usual problems that face stage adaptations of novels are on almost clinical display in david s. General james wolfe, between the lines the globe and mail.
No great mischief is not a historical novel, except in the sense that the. In the landscape around me, those who harvest the bounty of the earth are stilled for the day. To never return no great mischief by alistair macleod mary. The phrase no great mischief will resonate with alert readers.
When 20thcentury macdonalds talk about wolfe, its as if theyre just waiting for the right moment to take him out behind the barn and toss him like a caber. About this guide the following questions, discussion topics, and author biography are intended to enhance your groups reading of alistair macleod s first novel, no great mischief. The title comes from general james wolfe s assertion of the fierce scottish highlanders, whom he summoned to fight in the battle of plains of abraham. Alexanders grandfather characterized wolfes description as a cynical comment p. The title, no great mischief if they fall, is found most easily in findlay, j.