“Glasgow was home-made ginger biscuits and Jennifer Lawson dead in the park. It was the right hand knocking you down and the left hand picking you up, while the mouth alternated apology and threat” (14.72) Main quote about setting

“Laidlaw+ Scotnotes” into Amazon All lessons based on this – extracts for handouts/ PowerPoints etc © ASLS

Laidlaw - Structure How it’s laid out and why How it’s laid out and why

To examine the structure of the novel ‘Laidlaw’ Realise that there is a structure, how it is laid out and why the author uses this way of detailing his plot. Studying background to the novel

Chapters 1-9 ‘Setting the scene’ Chapters ‘Asking questions’ Chapters ‘Finding Clues’ Chapters ‘Resolution’

Chapters 1-9 ‘Setting the scene’ Introduces characters Sets scene by detailing the situation (There’s been a murder) Discovery of the corpse Identification of the corpse (At the mortuary) Bud Lawson's growing desire for revenge Starts in second person narrative (you) (not sure whether it is ‘you’ the reader or ‘you’ in Tommy Bryson talking to himself. Ambiguous (vague, unclear) Thereafter in third person narrative (he, she, they) In the lives around him, what he’s done must make ripples’ Laidlaw begins to feel that this is only the start of a series of events. (In the lives around him, what he’s done must make ripples’ 17.86)

Chapters ‘Asking Questions’ Deals with the consequences of the murder Deals with the consequences of the murder as more and more people are affected by what happened. Adds further main characters (Police – Harkness to help Laidlaw, Rhodes the gang boss who wants to help Bud Lawson have his revenge) Harry Rayburn tries to force Mason to help by claiming Tommy will grass on him to the Police. Mason tries to find Tommy first. Stanleys are questioned. All about the background to the murder, the discovery and the various needs of characters to find Tommy, stop him talking, avenge themselves on him or capture him to face justice.

Chapters ‘Finding Clues’ The ‘detective’ part of the novel The ‘detective’ part of the novel as Laidlaw and the Police seek answers for motives, location of the accused and execution of the crime. Clues start to appear: Sarah admits she was not with Jennifer that night Laidlaw/Harkness question a former boyfriend of Jennifer’s In a race to get to Tommy before Lawson (fatherly, bigoted but Christian (eye for an eye) avenger) or Mason (cover up his criminal activities by stopping Tommy talking)

Chapters ‘Resolution’ A breakthrough A breakthrough via Police Informant (Wee Eck) The climax, denouement, the finalisation of all the various back stories woven throughout the novel. Rhodes finds out where Tommy is and tells Lawson Laidlaw finds out where Tommy is and races to stop Lawson Bud Lawson's desire for revenge is stopped by Laidlaw appealing to the small part of Christian code/humanity he still has within You’ve a mouth haven’t you? Bryson is arrested. Minty tells Mason he didn’t kill Bryson. Harry kills himself. Bryson is surprised to be treated humanly by Laidlaw (You’ve a mouth haven’t you? )

As things happen and time goes on, more and more ripples are created that disturb peoples’ lives and cause them to take actions which make more ripples which whip up a storm by the end. Rippling consequences describes novel’s structure As predicted by Laidlaw, people are drawn into the murder and its aftermath

As novel nears end ripples narrow and focus on the murderer where the plot began. Structure of plot reinforces theme about the nature of crime. Obvious criminal is Bryson but fanning out of plot makes reader think about others such as Bud Lawson and John Rhodes. Are they innocent or just as guilty? Forces reader back to basics to consider basis on which society judges others.

Criminals Homosexuals Bigoted Orangemen – pillars of their society yet is their society wrong Standards based on external appearances do not stand up to scrutiny – what you see is often NOT what is actually there in terms of characters, Glasgow itself and ultimately, Laidlaw.