
An iconic novel is being reintroduced to the curriculum at Strathclyde for a new generation of students after it fell out of print.
University of Strathclyde academic Dr Eleanor Bell is championing the Wax Fruit Trilogy, eight decades after it was penned by Glaswegian Guy McCrone.
Glasgow novel
Many of the novel’s early scenes are set in the surrounding Merchant City area of the Strathclyde campus, and with a reprint by Edinburgh-based Black & White Publishing set for this summer, it will be reintroduced into ‘The Glasgow novel’ module of the Scottish Literature course at the University.
Set in Victorian-era Glasgow, it tells the story of the rise of the Moorhouse family. The original UK print run was small due to paper rationing, but by the time of McCrone’s death in 1977 the novel had sold more than a million copies and been translated into several languages. The trilogy also enjoyed success in the US, where it was titled Red Plush and was crowned a New York Times book of the month in 1947.
Next generation
Dr Bell, Postgraduate Research Director for the Department of Humanities and Senior Lecturer in Scottish Literature at Strathclyde said: “I’ve previously lectured on Wax Fruit as part of my third-year undergraduate module on ‘The Glasgow Novel’, which I’ve taught in various forms for nearly twenty years.
I had stopped teaching the novel due to it being out of print, so being able to bring it back for the next generation is fantastic.
Wax Fruit has never been successfully adapted for modern audiences, but there are moves for an ambitious television adaptation by Glasgow producer Sarah Purser of Little White Rose Films. Sarah, who also studied Scottish literature at Strathclyde, and whose father was the godson of Guy McCrone, who died in 1977 aged 78, has optioned the rights to the novel and hopes it will be picked up by a major streaming service.
Stellar cast
Creative Scotland have already funded the first episode, and a cast featuring Bill Paterson, Juliet Cadzow, Martin Compston, Shirley Henderson, Elaine C Smith and Ashley Jensen are lined up.
Sarah said: “Seeing Wax Fruit being brought to a whole new audience and reintroduced to the syllabus of such a great University is testament to its literary and cultural value.”
While Glasgow novels often tend to focus on the working-class, industrial life of the city, Wax Fruit provides a stark contrast to many other texts on the module.
Dr Bell added: “It was quite unusual for its time in that it concentrated on the lives of the Victorian middle classes in Glasgow. It provides snapshots into what life was like for this section of society and also reveal insights into the harsher realities of life and the poverty that was rife in the city at the time, in areas such as High Street and the Saltmarket.
I really love to teach this novel partly because of the references to the streets around the Strathclyde campus from 150 years ago – like Montrose Street and the John Anderson Technical Institute, which is now of course the University of Strathclyde.
"Many of our students are unaware that the heart of the city was until this point in the East End of the city, close to the Strathclyde campus.”
Industry links
Anna Selwood, Senior Careers and Employability Consultant at the University, is the Careers Consultant for Humanities and helps support students on the English & Creative Writing module to source their own placements. Through her links with the film industry, she arranged invaluable work placements for three Strathclyde students, Natalie Smith, Poppy Fair and May McLaughlin, with Sarah Purser.
Anna said: “The Careers & Employability Service at Strathclyde is well connected externally and we often use our network to the benefit of students and the University.
“Having worked in the industry I know how quickly things can move so decided in this instance to do what I encourage the students to do and go for it.
“I am always blown away by how transformational their placements are and the positive feedback they receive from the organisations they work with.”
Student Natalie Smith, said:
This opportunity is a dream come true for me, and the chance to work alongside some of the best in the business truly feels like a "pinch-me" moment.
“The Wax Fruit story could surpass the success of shows like Outlander and put Scotland back on the map on a global scale, so to be a part of that journey is an honour.