Alexanders grandfather characterized wolfes description as a cynical comment p. This beautiful, elegiac novel portrays a tightlyknit scottish family plagued by loss and clinging loyally to the legacy of its heroic past. 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. As related in the novel, general wolfe describes the members of the macdonald clan who fought under his command at quebec by writing in a letter, they are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country, and no great mischief if they fall.
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. 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. The novels title quotes general wolfe, who had fought against the. 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. Instead, as the title forewarns, the macdonalds are at the mercy of history. Alistair macleod musters all of the skill and grace that have wo. No great mischief isnt a family saga hollywood tale. No great mischief seems to be too ordinary to win so many prestigious literary awards and though i liked the novel i wasnt impressed greatly. Alistair macleod used it as the title of his novel about the lives of the said. In the landscape around me, those who harvest the bounty of the earth are stilled for the day. They are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country, and no great mischief if they fall. No great mischief comes from a letter from general wolfe about the highlanders fighting with him to take quebec. They are, he said, hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country and no great mischief if they fall. It was certainly not a new idea to use highland troops for overseas.
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. The title, no great mischief if they fall, is found most easily in findlay, j. Youngs adaptation of alistair macleods awardwinning 1999 novel. Macleod s 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 they fall. To never return no great mischief by alistair macleod mary. 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. The titles words, no great mischief, were once scornfully applied by general wolfe to the highlanders fighting alongside him on the plains of abraham. 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 titles words, no great mischief, were once scornfully applied by general wolfe to the highlanders fighting alongside him on the plains of. No great mischief all the usual problems that face stage adaptations of novels are on almost clinical display in david s. The phrase no great mischief will resonate with alert readers. 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. This is and most likely will remain alistair macleods only novel. An earlier use of the citation that macleod used for his title appears in gibson, john g. Yet they are there in the neardarkness with their own hopes and dreams and disappointments. 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. 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. No great mischief reading group guide knopf doubleday. 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.