Edinburgh’s famous literary heritage is a very popular reason for its tourism, as well as an important factor for many prospective students considering studying in Edinburgh. As the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, the city boasts celebrated authors such as Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as being the birthplace and architectural inspiration for Harry Potter and Hogwarts.
The city’s rich literary background is commonly perceived as a hotbed of inspiration. However, it may just as easily become a shadow looming over writers, intimidating them into giving up on their work by facilitating comparison with previous literary masterpieces. Chief among the works associated with Edinburgh is the Harry Potter series, which may sound like an affront to lovers of more historical classics such as Ivanhoe, but is undeniably the most famous series of works on an international scale due to its blockbuster films. Fans of all ages shower the city with money to visit the coffee shop in which J.K. Rowling worked on the series, or to look for the similarities between
Diagon Alley and Victoria Street. But to writers, the spark of inspiration brought by these somewhat nostalgic surroundings quickly becomes an imposing presence in their writing. Many find their creativity is blocked, and their writing borders on plagiarism as every new idea becomes a reference to a golden snitch, a boy with no parents, or a magical school.
Comparison is the greatest thorn in any writer’s side, and feeling as though you are surrounded by a famous author’s creation as you try to breathe life into your own only amplifies it. Those writers not interested in Harry Potter instead probably visit for Edinburgh’s misty dark academia setting. Cold weather and warm lighting from the inside of a small cafe, historical stone walls and the rain rushing off them, even the university and groups of students discussing books; Edinburgh has undeniably become the home of the dark academia aesthetic. The success of this kind of setting, often present in psychological thrillers such as The Secret History, as well as its rise on social media, has led to a new wave of writers’ getaways to Edinburgh.
However, the ‘trend’ aspect tied to the dark academia novel also risks a homogenisation of different stories, whereby writers subconsciously rid their setting, characters and plot of its uniqueness to conform to popular dark academia narratives and archetypes. Therefore, Edinburgh’s status as a City of Literature has not only continued to inspire writers but has also grown to accommodate new writing trends such as dark academia novels. Ultimately, it draws a fine line between inspiration and unoriginality, which we can probably link to a writer’s sense of self and awareness of their personal writing style.
Photo Via Albane Mbow For The Student
