Introduction Ossian: Past, Present and Future

This year, 2016, sees the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Poems of Ossian , edited by Howard Gaskill, with a notable introduction by Fiona Stafford. The forum issue celebrates this landmark edition of the poems, and acknowledges the contribution to Ossianic studies of Gaskill and Stafford. The introductory essay considers the development of Ossian criticism from the late twentieth century onwards. It provides an overview of the six contributions to the issue, assesses the state of modern Ossian scholarship and suggests how the study of the bard may develop in the short to medium term.