ABSTRACT
InchapterfourwesawhowtheOssianicromancearticulatesacentral fissurewithinEnlightenmentthought.Thepoemsattempttobringabouta unionbetweenpolitemannersandmartialheroisminordertoforgeanew sortofSentimentalethosofactivecitizenship,butintheeventonlyencode theculture'ssuspicionsthatthesethingsremainantithetical.Wesawhow Ossianreconditionsviolenceandmartialactivityforanageofpoliteness butonlyatthecostofitseffectiveness,relevance,andindeedthecoherence ofnarrativeitself.AtthesametimewewitnessedhowOssiandemonstrates thatmoralsentimentasanethicalsystemistooreliantonfailureand attendantpathostosupportanysortofpragmaticcodeoflivinginwhich virtueisasociallyconstructiveforce.TheOssianicromanceoffersasocial fantasythatrevealsitsstatusasfantasywithinitsveryarticulation.
