There are some satirical writings in the intellectual production of David Hume, among which is the pamphlet entitled "The History of the Proceedings in the Case of Margaret, commonly called Peg, only lawful sister of John Bull", anonymously published in 1760, better known as "Sister Peg". It is a burlesque historical-political allegory composed as a sequel to John Arbuthnot’s "History of John Bull" (1712), the subject of which is the proposal to extend the Militia Act to Scotland, the parliamentary debate that followed, and the analysis of the international affairs between England and Scotland. The work was generally been attributed to Adam Ferguson until 1982 when David R. Raynor, in his 1982 edition of the text, dispelled all doubts by showing that the work was by Hume. More recently, new studies have appeared, including that by Richard B. Sher, aimed at re-attributing authorship to Ferguson. My article aims to ensure that it was indeed Hume who wrote Sister Peg for mostly political reasons, dealing with the intellectual profile, cultural context, ideological orientation, interests of the author, and coherent connection with his other political and satirical works.
Ci sono alcuni scritti satirici nella produzione intellettuale di David Hume, tra cui il pamphlet intitolato "The History of the Proceedings in the Case of Margaret, commonly called Peg", pubblicato anonimo nel 1760 e meglio noto come "Sister Peg". Si tratta di una burlesca allegoria storico-politica composta come sequela della "History of John Bull" di John Arbuthnot (1712), dedicata alla proposta di estendere il "Militia Act" alla Scozia, al dibattito parlamentare che ne seguì e all'analisi delle relazioni internazionali tra Inghilterra e Scozia. L'opera è stata generalmente attribuita ad Adam Ferguson fino al 1982, quando David R. Raynor, nella sua edizione del testo per i tipi della Cambridge University Press, fugò ogni dubbio, dimostrando in maniera pressoché definitiva che si tratta di un testo ideato e scritto da Hume in persona. Recentemente sono apparsi nuovi studi volti a riattribuire la paternità dell'opera a Ferguson. Il mio articolo intende dimostrare, confutando le argomentazioni delle tesi opposte a quella di Raynor, che fu davvero Hume a comporre "Sister Peg" per motivi di natura storico-politici, legati al profilo intellettuale, al contesto culturale, all'orientamento ideologico, agli interessi dell'autore e alla connessione coerente tra il testo di questo pamphlet e altre sue altre opere politiche e satiriche.
Political Satire in the Scottish Enlightenment: the Case of Hume’s “Sister Peg”
Pupo Spartaco
2021-01-01
Abstract
There are some satirical writings in the intellectual production of David Hume, among which is the pamphlet entitled "The History of the Proceedings in the Case of Margaret, commonly called Peg, only lawful sister of John Bull", anonymously published in 1760, better known as "Sister Peg". It is a burlesque historical-political allegory composed as a sequel to John Arbuthnot’s "History of John Bull" (1712), the subject of which is the proposal to extend the Militia Act to Scotland, the parliamentary debate that followed, and the analysis of the international affairs between England and Scotland. The work was generally been attributed to Adam Ferguson until 1982 when David R. Raynor, in his 1982 edition of the text, dispelled all doubts by showing that the work was by Hume. More recently, new studies have appeared, including that by Richard B. Sher, aimed at re-attributing authorship to Ferguson. My article aims to ensure that it was indeed Hume who wrote Sister Peg for mostly political reasons, dealing with the intellectual profile, cultural context, ideological orientation, interests of the author, and coherent connection with his other political and satirical works.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
