ABSTRACT
Intrigued and puzzled by the ‘authentic letter’ from Blackwood’s — and suspicious of the truth of James Hogg’s story — the Editor decides to talk with Hogg and investigate the grave of the ‘Scots mummy’ for himself. The Editor provides a detailed description of what they find in the grave and concludes by suggesting to the reader various perspectives from which finally to judge the character of Robert Wringhim. This chapter focuses on three lesser-known works by Hogg in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, two songs and a dramatic poem, in which Hogg addresses his relationship with Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine and his position in the literary marketplace. Hogg suggests that the lessons of the historical ‘forty-fives’ should be reminders to the nation’s leaders, critics, and poets of the power and influence of Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, as well as its role as a moral and political compass.
