A Window in Thrums (1889) is the second in Barrie's series of portraits of rural life following Auld Licht Idylls of the previous year. They proved enormously popular with both critics and the public but were later stigmatised as part of the so called 'Kailyard' school, condemned as over sentimental and partial in their portrayal of 19th century Scotland. However there has been a revival of interest in the work of Barrie whose modern reputation has rested largely on his plays and especially in the persistent popularity of Peter Pan.Writing in 19th Century Scottish fiction as early as 1979, Eric Anderson said that 'The greatness of this minor masterpiece lies not in its humour and pathos, nor even in the brilliance of the dialogue and the spare prose of the descriptive passages, but in the sense of significance with which Barrie invests the humble lives which he describes. The short and simple annals of the poor are annals, not of the parish, but - he convinces us - of all humanity'.
It is the profound understandings of human nature that distinguishes Barrie from his contemporaries and makes his work worthy of new examination. The book has been out of print for some years and a new edition has been sought by teachers and students. Here Professor Ian Campbell provides a new introduction.
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