The Deeper World of Outlander

History and Homages Symbolism and Sources Sassenachs and Spankings Adoring Outlander Outlander’s Sassenachs More Outlander Tidbits

History, Homages and the Highlands: An Outlander Guide

by Valerie Estelle Frankel

With oodles of steamy romance, paranormal time travel, adventure, and much more, Outlander is sweeping the nation. From over a dozen volumes to its newest incarnation as a breathtaking Starz show, it continues to delight, even with subtle, clever changes. But what was life really like then – from kilts and bagpipes to selkies and the fair folk? Who was Bonnie Prince Charlie and why was his campaign so disastrous for the Highlanders? Discover the story’s roots, from Doctor Who to Brigadoon to Game of Thrones. Learn to speak Scottish, uncover the difference between Beltane and Samhain, explore customs of Highland weddings, tour Versailles and Edinburgh, and dive into the rich era of history that pervades this incredible epic.

Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: LitCrit Press (November 8, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692328076
ISBN-13: 978-0692328071
Price: 2.99/9.99
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches

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Introduction 7

Salutes, Homages, and Influences

Doctor Who 9

Game of Thrones 11

Other Cable Shows 13

Brigadoon 16

The Wizard of Oz 17

Alice in Wonderland 17

Anachronisms 18

Cameos 25

Adapting the Books

The Actors 30

The Credits 32

First Person 34

The 1940s 37

The Episodes 41

Genre

Historical Fiction 52

Fantasy 54

Science Fiction 56

Romance 61

Characters

Claire 65

Jaime 67

Frank 74

Black Jack 76

Laoghaire 78

Geillis 79

Murtagh 81

Angus and Rupert 82

Ned 84

Jenny 84

Ian 85

Colum 86

Dougal 86

Eighteenth Century Scottish Culture

Bagpipes 90

Beggars 91

Black Watch 92

Cattle Raiding 94

Charms 94

Circle Dancers 97

Clans 99

Drinks 102

The Fair Folk 104

Food 108

Freemasons 111

Gaelic Language 112

A Gentleman’s Education 117

Kelpies and the Loch Ness Monster 121

Kilts 124

Medicine 127

Money 130

Music 132

Peat 132

Redcoats 133

Rent Collecting 134

Silkies 136

Tartan 138

Tea Leaves and Palmistry 141

Thistles 143

Tourism 144

Waulking Wool 145

Weddings 146

Witchcraft 148

Women’s Clothes . 151

Magic

Sun Feasts, Fire Feasts, and Holidays 155

Time Travel and Magic Guide 165

Traveling the Stones 165

Other Magical Powers 170

History

History of the Stuart Kings 173

Historical Figures

Bonnie Prince Charlie 179

Lord Charles Grey 183

Clan Fraser and Lord Lovat 184

Mother Hildegarde 190

Flora MacDonald 191

George VI 193

Jenny Cameron 193

King Louis XV of France 194

Clan MacKenzie 196

Mayer Rothschild 198

St. Germain 199

William, Duke of Cumberland 203

Place Guide

Scotland 205

England 219

France 223

Ireland 227

Rome 227

New World 227

Appendicies

About Gabaldon 229

Similar Books 231

Scottishisms 233

Reading Order 239

Cast 243

Works Cited 245

Index 253

The Symbolism and Sources of Outlander
The Scottish Fairies, Folklore, Ballads, Magic and Meanings That Inspired the Series

Publisher’s Site Amazon Page

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-9952-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-4766-2116-6
appendices, bibliography, index
softcover (6 x 9) 2015

Available Spring/Summer 2015

Outlander is much more than a television romance about a World War II nurse and a Jacobite soldier in a fetching kilt. The series—and the massive serial novel on which it is based—has been categorized as a period drama, adventure saga, military history and fantasy epic. Inspired by the Irish legends of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the prophecies of Brahan Seer, the storyline is filled with mythology and symbolism from around the world, from the Fair Folk and the Loch Ness monster to wendigos, ghosts, zombies and succubae.

Literary references abound, from the Bible to the classics, to Shakespeare and the English romantic poets. The series is also rich with its own symbolism: heather and white roses, the dragonfly in amber, Claire’s blue vase and wedding gown, her wedding ring and pearl necklace. This book explains the many myths, legends and symbols and literary references found in the series.

Introduction 1

Symbols

Book Titles and Covers 5

Clothes 18

Jewelry 30

Animals 37

Plants 42

Show Symbols 44

Other Symbols 47

Literature and Music

Literature 57

Writing on Writing 65

Literary Anachronisms 66

Music 74

Myth

Myth and the Standing Stones 81

Sun Feasts and Fire Feasts 95

Scottish Folklore

Fairies and Their Kin 107

Gods, Saints, and Devils 125

Local Legends 135

Magical Animals 139

People and Their Talents 143

Rituals and Ritual Tools 164

Other Cultures’ Folklore

Caribbean-African/Vodou 173

China 176

Europe 180

Native American 190

Norse Myth 195

Conclusion 196

Appendix 1: Titles in the Outlander Series 197

Appendix 2: The Starz Series Cast and Creators 199

Bibliography 201

Index 205

Scots, Sassenachs, and Spankings: Feminism and Gender Roles in Outlander

May 2015.

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: LitCrit Press (May 13, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692449086
ISBN-13: 978-0692449080
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches

Gushing fans of Outlander name it the feminist Game of Thrones. Is it? More action-packed than a romance, this historical time travel narrative soon transforms into a war saga. Claire delights as the fierce, prickly World War II nurse who falls for Jamie, the sensitive Highlands outlaw. He offers more than a fling or even a timeless love, as he guides the heroine to a deeper level of spirituality. Of course, Diana Gabaldon explores much about modern gender construction. Her heroines shoot pirates while the Highlanders blend courtly gallantry with bloodthirsty battles. How the books and show address nudity, violence, gender roles, and the elusive female gaze reveals much about the characters as well as ourselves.

Introduction 11
Gender and Storytelling
Point of View and Voice 13
Sex Scenes and Gaze 20
Bechdel Test and Female Friendships 32
Overcoming Rape 38
Performing Femininity 47
Weddings and Marriage 59
Women’s Issue Fiction 70
Genre 78
Women’s Gender Roles
Strong Woman 89
Promiscuous Heroines 104
Mothers 109
Playing the Housewife 116
Femme Fatales 125
Prostitutes 129
Women and Politics 131
Older Women 134
Goddesses 142
Circle Dancers, Travelers, and Witches 146
Characters as Other
Nationality, Race and Religion 163
Disability 167
Homosexuality 170
Men’s Gender Roles
New Men 179
Frank vs Jack Randall and the Love Triangle 191
When Men Were Men… 198
Misogynists 214
Men’s Communities 219
Male Hierarchy and Allegiance 224
Fathers 229
Conclusion 235

Appendicies
Reading Order 236
Episode Guide 237
Cast 238
Works Cited 239
Index 247

Adoring Outlander: Essays on Fandom, Genre and the Female Audience

Introduction: On Modern Multi-Genre and a New Age for Fandom

Part I: Gabaldon’s Fans, Forming Communities
“A Love Letter to Scotland:” The Creation & Conception of Heritage
Stephenie McGucken, University of Edinburgh
Engaging with “Herself”: Fandom and Authorship in the Age of Tumblr
Jennifer Phillips, University of Wollongong, and Katharina Freund, Australian National University
Diana Gabaldon’s Excerpts and Daily Lines: When the First Read is a Re-Read 70
Jessica Matthews, George Mason University
Melodrama, Gender, and Nostalgia: The Appeal of Outlander
Eleanor Ty, Wilfrid Laurier University
Part II: The Romance Question – Is it or Isn’t it?
“Linked…through the body of one man”: Black Jack Randall as a Non-traditional Romance Villain
Michelle L. Jones, University of Regina
The Good, the Bad and Lord John Grey: Observations on Desire, Sex, Violence, Lust and Love
Sandi Solis
Travelling Through Time and Genre: Are the Outlander Books Romance Novels?
Jodi McAlister, Macquarie University
Gabaldon and the Practice of Gay Male Homoerotic Reading
Anthony Guy Patricia, Concord University
Part III: Putting the Speculative in Speculative Fiction
The Short Stories on the Science Fiction Shelf or Lord John Grey Complicates Matters as Usual
Valerie Estelle Frankel
Half-Ghosts and their Legacy for Claire, Jamie and Roger
Stella Murillo
Confrontational Content, Gendered Gazes and the Ethics of Adaptation in Outlander and Game of Thrones
Jennifer Phillips, University of Wollongong
The Heroine’s Journey: Claire Beauchamp Reclaims the Feminine
Patti McCarthy, University of the Pacific
Contributors
Appendices
Series Reading Order
Television Episode Guide
Television Cast

Outlander’s Sassenachs

Outlander’s Sassenachs: Essays on Gender, Race, Orientation and the Other in the Novels and Television Series McFarland and Co.

Contents
Introduction 4
Part I: Questions of Diversity 9
Privilege and Pity: Jamie on Slavery, Racism, and Disability 10
Valerie Estelle Frankel
Culloden and Wounded Knee: Genocide, Identity and Cultural Survival 30
Sandi Solis
Claire Kens Well: Appropriation and Itinerant Performance in Outlander Onscreen 50
Elizabeth Elaine Tavares, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Part II: Eighteenth Century Masculinity 70
Gazing at Jamie Fraser 71
Araceli R. Lopez, San Jose State University
Jamie’s “Others”: Complicating Masculinity and Heroism through his Foils 86
Jennifer Phillips, University of Wollongong, Australia and Wuhan University, China
Being Lord John: Homosexual Life in Georgian London 108
Valerie Estelle Frankel
Part III: Women’s Choice for Time Travelers 131
Men, Women, and Birth Control in the Early Outlander Books 132
Nicole duPlessis, Texas A&M University
The Beaton: Healing as Empowerment for Claire Beauchamp 154
Sarah Stegall
Part IV: Claire as Feminist, Postfeminist, Anti-Feminist 166
Reviewing Linear Time: History Repeating all Over Again (Now, Against You) 167
Fernando Pagnoni Berns and Leonardo Acosta Lando, Universidad de Buenos Aires
The Way We Were: Nostalgia, Romance, and Anti-Feminism 185
Victoria Kennedy, Wilfrid Laurier University
Outlander from Book to Screen: Power in Gender and Orientation 204
Yvonne Leach, Drexel University
Contributors 240
Appendices 244
Book Reading Order 244
Television Episode Guide 246
Television Cast 248