LEITH: PLACE OF ABANDON AND OPPRESSION IN IRVINE WELSH’S TRAINSPOTTING

Abstract

The present article approaches representations of Leith – a district in Edinburgh, (capital city of Scotland) – in the novel Trainspotting (1993), by the contemporary Scottish writer Irvine Welsh, in an attempt at discussing the potential oppressive character of the district when it comes to the formation of identities and behaviours of the fictional characters who are originally from the region. Leith is a peripheral neighbourhood, whose population, mostly proletarian in origin, faced a context of want, need and violence for decades, especially in the 1980’s, during the rule of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Using notions by authors of the field of cultural geography, such as Corrêa (2013), Le Bossé (2013) and Haesbaert (2013), who argue, in general terms, that geographical spaces directly influence the formation of social behaviours, we approach the centrality of Leith in the selected work, as well as its significance pertaining the way of acting of the characters, whose experiences are shaped by poverty, lack of opportunities, want of resources and the underworld of crime. We also discuss, with the aid of authors such as Clarke (2004) and Vernon (2017), the historical moment represented in the novel, as it is a key factor for understanding the whole context which is presented.