This dissertation examines the representation of the female character across all genres in the work of Allan Ramsay. In the genres of poetry, drama, and song, the role of the Scottish female is examined in relation to the preservation and dissemination of Scottish cultural modes and traditions. This is explored within the context of the progression of Scotland as a nation in the early eighteenth century. This thesis argues that Ramsay presents the Scottish female as playing a vital role in the development of Scotland as a polite nation through her use of Scottish cultural modes, and that he champions his female characters as worthy and competent in performing this function.