Brigadoon: Lerner and Loewe's Scotland

Since the 1950s, Brigadoon has been accepted as a representation of Scotland. Brigadoon's Scotland consists of a highland landscape with lochs, mists, castles populated by fair maidens, warlike yet sensitive kilted men, and bagpipers. Much of this comes from the invented traditions of Scotland, such as kilts and clan tartans; late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Scottish literature; Scottish propaganda for tourism following World War II; and Scottish popular culture. In spite of Lerner's well-written book, Loewe's charming music, and Agnes De Mille's exciting choreography, the Scottishness of the work received, and still receives, the most attention. Brigadoon's inauthentic or dubious depiction of Scotland points to the complex relationship between popular culture, history, and art. But is Brigadoon Scottish? I will argue that Brigadoon reflects an example of discursive unconsciousness, drawing on Scottish literary traditions, what Scotland's own popular culture produced as Scottish and devices that are viewed as Scottish by the western world.