Poor Things

Content Warning: This section discusses pedophilia, incest, and non-consensual medical experimentation.

Poor Things is partly a story about Scottish identity, which forms an important motif in the text. The author Alasdair Gray was a Scottish nationalist who pushed for Scotland to become independent of the United Kingdom. In Poor Things, he uplifts elements of Scottish culture, referencing Scottish poets, scientists, and history. Most of these references are in the book’s footnotes, which also describe major landmarks in Glasgow. Although the book is something of a love letter to Glasgow, Gray does not shy away from the city’s poverty and injustices. Gray illustrates the specific class disparities in Scotland by contrasting McCandless’s working-class upbringing with Godwin and Victoria’s wealthier backgrounds. 

When Bella and Duncan visit Europe, some of the people they meet do not understand the difference between Scotland and England; the Russian man in particular finds the distinction meaningless. This somewhat frustrating experience is something many Scottish people will still be familiar with today: Although Scotland is part of the UK, Scottish people have their own culture and identity separate from England. Victoria is a notable character in that she comes from England but spends most of her life in Scotland. Despite not being Scottish by birth, she becomes very involved with Scottish politics and culture, to the point where people in her later years “amuse [her] sometimes by saying how SCOTTISH” (336) she is.