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... artistic expression? As MacDiarmid points out in his pamphlet Albyn: or Scotland and the Future, the Caledonian Antisyzygy has been traced though history by Professor Gregory Smith. A modern reader is perfectly placed to assess its effectiveness in A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle and its value and relevance, both in its context as part of a piece of modernism in the 1920s and from the standpoint of our society today, when most of MacDiarmid's battles have been lost and won. It seems unlikely at first that, by having a drunk man narrate his poem, MacDiarmid will be able to tackle any serious metaphysical questions. At first glance, it appears to be a humorous device, forcing us to see the world in whisky befuddled vision. It soon becomes clear, however, that this is a ruse for the English reader, who is being afforded a privileged glimpse at the ...