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Rob Roy
When young Francis Osbaldistone discovers that his vicious and scheming cousin Rashleigh has designs both on his father's business and his beloved Diana Vernon, he turns in desperation to Rob Roy for help. Chieftain of the MacGregor clan, Rob Roy is a brave and fearless man, able and cunning. But he is also an outlaw with a price on his head, and as he and Francis join forces to pursue Rashleigh, he is constantly aware that he, too, is being pursued—and could be captured at any moment.
Set on the eve of the 1715 Jacobite uprising, Rob Roy brilliantly evokes a Scotland on the verge of rebellion, blending historical fact and a novelist's imagination to create an incomparable portrait of intrigue, rivalry and romance.
Set on the eve of the 1715 Jacobite uprising, Rob Roy brilliantly evokes a Scotland on the verge of rebellion, blending historical fact and a novelist's imagination to create an incomparable portrait of intrigue, rivalry and romance.
501 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1817
418 people are currently reading
12.4k people want to read
About the author
Walter Scott
11.3kbooks1,869followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet FRSE FSAScot, was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.
As an advocate, judge, and legal administrator by profession, he combined writing and editing with his daily work as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire. He was prominent in Edinburgh's Tory establishment, active in the Highland Society, long time a president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820�1832), and a vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1827�1829). His knowledge of history and literary facility equipped him to establish the historical novel genre as an exemplar of European Romanticism. He became a baronet of Abbotsford in the County of Roxburgh.
Scott's work shows the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment. He thought of every individual as basically human, regardless of class, religion, politics, or ancestry. A major theme of his work is toleration. His novels express the need for social progress that does not reject the traditions of the past.
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet FRSE FSAScot, was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.
As an advocate, judge, and legal administrator by profession, he combined writing and editing with his daily work as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire. He was prominent in Edinburgh's Tory establishment, active in the Highland Society, long time a president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820�1832), and a vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1827�1829). His knowledge of history and literary facility equipped him to establish the historical novel genre as an exemplar of European Romanticism. He became a baronet of Abbotsford in the County of Roxburgh.
Scott's work shows the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment. He thought of every individual as basically human, regardless of class, religion, politics, or ancestry. A major theme of his work is toleration. His novels express the need for social progress that does not reject the traditions of the past.
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March 15, 2025
A blood 'n thunder historical romance/ and a sword 'n sabre swashbuckling yarn, set during the bloody era of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Highland Jacobites - by none other than the original Great Scott!
And, I might add, THE Greatest Scottish Novelist.
Why, then, did he want to write a book about a gigantic STING (ie, Swindle, as in the classic Robert Redford flick)?
Easy.
Scott had been recently stung himself - out of ALL his ripe retirement Nest Egg.
Ouch.
So what did he do? Roll over and play dead? Not on your life....
He put his immense literary talents to industrious work - until, once again, his family was very comfortable. His wife and kids, when he died, were now set for life.
Just like President Grant did for his family, as a now-indigent investor - another swindle - after the Civil War...
He Wrote.
Well, it worked for both men in Spades. And this book shows why it worked for Scott...
Francis is a Young Dreamer - unlike his evil cousin Rashleigh, who only wants to fleece Francis' side of the family of their vast fortune. Francis' rather naive mission - should he choose to accept it, and show his Dad he's not a bum - is to find out why the family's fortune is vanishing.
But all he'll find in uncivilized Scotland is traces of Rashleigh's "double, double, toil and trouble!" Oh, and a Burning Birth of Young Love in himself - for Rashleigh's virtuous Catholic sister.
Will Francis shine in his dire assignment? Will he save his Dad's good name from the deep blue opprobrium of bankruptcy? And - most important - will his ladylove find him every inch as dashing in the end as he dreams he could be?
The Struggle will prove Hideously Real - but, in the end, Successful.
So if you liked The Three Musketeers and Lord of the Rings, try this more realistic daredevil romance!
It's guaranteed to keep you turning its ancient pages to the end, when
All shall be well,
And all manner of things will be well.
And NOW, here's a Great video.that tells you the full story of the great Rob Roy, so dear to Catholic Scots WORLDWIDE!
And, I might add, THE Greatest Scottish Novelist.
Why, then, did he want to write a book about a gigantic STING (ie, Swindle, as in the classic Robert Redford flick)?
Easy.
Scott had been recently stung himself - out of ALL his ripe retirement Nest Egg.
Ouch.
So what did he do? Roll over and play dead? Not on your life....
He put his immense literary talents to industrious work - until, once again, his family was very comfortable. His wife and kids, when he died, were now set for life.
Just like President Grant did for his family, as a now-indigent investor - another swindle - after the Civil War...
He Wrote.
Well, it worked for both men in Spades. And this book shows why it worked for Scott...
Francis is a Young Dreamer - unlike his evil cousin Rashleigh, who only wants to fleece Francis' side of the family of their vast fortune. Francis' rather naive mission - should he choose to accept it, and show his Dad he's not a bum - is to find out why the family's fortune is vanishing.
But all he'll find in uncivilized Scotland is traces of Rashleigh's "double, double, toil and trouble!" Oh, and a Burning Birth of Young Love in himself - for Rashleigh's virtuous Catholic sister.
Will Francis shine in his dire assignment? Will he save his Dad's good name from the deep blue opprobrium of bankruptcy? And - most important - will his ladylove find him every inch as dashing in the end as he dreams he could be?
The Struggle will prove Hideously Real - but, in the end, Successful.
So if you liked The Three Musketeers and Lord of the Rings, try this more realistic daredevil romance!
It's guaranteed to keep you turning its ancient pages to the end, when
All shall be well,
And all manner of things will be well.
And NOW, here's a Great video.that tells you the full story of the great Rob Roy, so dear to Catholic Scots WORLDWIDE!
March 5, 2019
”No truth in plaids, no faith in tartan trews,
Camelion-like, they change a thousand hues.�
I remember when I was taking a Jane Austen survey class in college that while doing some research I came across this great quote she wrote about Walter Scott as a novelist. “Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. � It is not fair. � He has fame and profit enough as a poet, and should not be taking the bread out of other people’s mouths. � I do not like him, and do not mean to like Waverley if I can help it � but fear I must.� Now when I shared the quote with the class, as part of my attempt to verbally contribute to discussion, it went over like a lead balloon. It took me a few seconds to realize that no one knew who Walter Scott was, except for the professor who luckily bailed me out by explaining that Scott wrote the book that inspired the movie Rob Roy (1995).
I’ve always liked that quote because it is a bit flirty and full of mock indignation. If I were Scott and I heard that quote, I’d have a little grin on my face for at least an afternoon.
Now, you might presume that Rob Roy is the hero of this novel, after all the book has a title bearing his name. You would be mistaken. The hero of this tale is none other than Frank Osbaldistone. This name does not inspire thoughts of a dashing or romantic figure. The name alone might keep a woman from thinking him marriageable material. He has another problem, though; he...thinks...he is a poet. Few can be a Walter Scott or a Lord Byron, capable of writing poetry well enough to exchange verse for shillings in quantities sizeable enough to keep one in food and shelter.
The dashing Rob Roy
Frank’s father is a self-made man. He has built a merchant empire from the sweat of his brow and by deftly managing his money. He wants Frank to learn the business with the thought that he will eventually take over. Frank is brimming with poetic verse. He can’t imagine himself shackled to the life of a merchant.
There are words. Blippity blip ungrateful kid blippity blip dab blast it.
Frank is shipped off to the ancestral Osbaldistone home to be exchanged for one of his cousins who will help with his father’s business. Many will think it is admirable that Frank decided to follow his passions, while all I wanted to do was give him a good shake. If I’d known the extent of the trouble his decision was going to cause, I would have turned that shake into a full on strangle.
In Northumberland, he meets the Scotsman Andrew Fairservice who becomes his less than loyal companion. Andrew is incapable of giving anything resembling fair service. He is a fool and, worse, a coward. He does add some spice to the novel with his Scottish brogue. ”Now, sir, it’s as muckle as your life’s worth---that wad be dear o� little siller to be sure---but it is muckle as a� our lives are worth, if ye dinna mind what I say to ye. In this public whar we are gaun to, and whar it is like we may hae to stay a� night, men o� a� clans and kindred---Hieland, and Lawland---tak up their quarters. ---And whiles three are mair drawn dirks than open Bibles amang them when the usquebaugh gets uppermost. See ye neither meddle nor mak, nor gie nae offence wi� that clavering tongue o� yours, but keep a calm sough, and let ilka cock fight his ain battle.�
Frank’s cousin Rashleigh is the most like Frank among his relations. He reads. He can recognize a sonnet when he see it. He is, unfortunately, odiously ambitious. He is one of those men who could use his extraordinary brain to help so many others, but chooses through malicious gossip, nefarious underhanded deals, and political intrigue to raise himself up at the expense of others. He is a perfectly conceived villain who readers take pleasure in rooting against.
Rob Roy shows up about half way through the novel, when Frank has to take a trip to Glasgow. He is the man going PSST! from behind the church pillar or the disembodied voice from the bushes, who continues to offer cryptic, incomplete advice to Frank.
The beautiful Diana Vernon, another cousin of Frank, is the love interest. She is mysteriously unattainable due to obligations previously arranged by her father. It became kind of comical for me as the plot advances that at three different times she protests that Frank...must never see her again, but the daffy woman just keeps showing up.
Helen MacGregor
The description of the only other woman in the book is of Rob Roy’s wife, Helen. I thought, in a few sentences, Scott gave me a complete, majestic picture of the woman. ”She might be between the term of forty and fifty years, and had a countenance which must once have been of a masculine cast of beauty; though now, imprinted with deep lines by exposure to rough weather, and perhaps by the wasting influence of grief and passion, its features were only strong, harsh, and expressive. She wore her plaid, not drawn around her head and shoulders, as is the fashion of women in Scotland, but disposed around her body as Highland soldiers wear theirs. She had a man’s bonnet, with a feather in it, an unsheathed sword in her hand, and a pair of pistols at her girdle.�
She was a woman not to be trifled with.
Robert Louis Stevenson, the author who made me fall in love with reading, has stated that Rob Roy was his favorite Walter Scott novel. I’m not sure, given his recommendation, what has taken me so long to read the book. Scott gets a hard knock for being difficult to read, but after a few chapters, I found the rhythm of the book. As the plot advances or should I say when Rob Roy and his Highlanders show up, the pages start to turn faster. Though Andrew’s speeches look like gobblygook, if you sound them out the English words, lost from easy comprehension due to the missing letters, they start to shimmer into readable sentences. The edition I had included a handy glossary defining words not readily known in English. I found this extremely useful.
This book is best read under the slight influence of usquebaugh, but keep your dirk planted upright in the table near to hand, in case any lowlanders decide to make free with their mouths. Those bloody bastards don’t understand: “Honour is what no man can give you, and none can take away. Honour is a man's gift to himself.� And don’t let anyone...ever... step on yer tartan.
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October 24, 2022
The protagonist in the novel Rob Roy is Francis Osbaldistone (an unappealing moniker) not the title character! The famous criminal, he was a cattle thief has been written about many times before but who has ever heard of this man , ( makes a better name, Rob Roy too). Francis a spoiled son of a rich London businessman, who would rather write poetry than work for his father, lets say he is kind of indolent; no doubt, he was learning in France not about his merchant father's business but writing verses which angered the elder Mr. Osbaldstone. Sent to his uncle's estate as punishment in northern England bordering simmering Scotland that nation is always that.He soon becomes involved in a feud with his cousin the treacherous Rashleigh (youngest and smartest of six brothers) no family love between the two, only relatives could hate this deeply and for so long . A woman, beautiful Diana is quite a prize , the main reason (isn't it always in these books) this makes the situation more interesting, conflicts cause tension which brings a certain degree of curiosity to the gripping narrative.This being the long ago year 1715, a revolt soon brakes out, the brutal Jacobite uprising, Rashleigh steals important papers from Francis's trusting father, (he took over our hero's job) if they aren't recovered, the family will be ruined the usual plot device, still works even today . Osbaldistone finally wakes up and seeks the help of Rob Roy,(remember him?) he is a notorious outlaw. The bloody (the English love that word) conclusion occurs at the ancient Osbaldistone Hall. Sir Walter Scott a very sophisticated, intelligent, underappreciated man once the most popular writer in the world deserves a new renaissance, his books should be read and they will be enjoyed...I did.
January 29, 2023
This is an interesting historical swashbuckling tale in the Waverley series. Set amidst the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, it brings the story of the young Francis Osbaldistone, who, having fallen out with his father for refusing to be a partner in his business, is sent to his uncle's estate in Northumberland in exchange for a son of him to replace his position. There in Northumberland, he unwittingly embroils himself in the political intrigues in the wake of the Jacobite uprising. Francis is a naive hero, whose good heart and straightforward principles are insufficient armaments to combat the cunning and treachery carried against him. His adventures, coupled with true historical events, form the story.
The story is a fast-paced gripping adventure with a set of unique characters. The diversity of the characters heavily contributes to the enjoyment of this simple storyline. While many of them arrested my attention, including the titular character Rob Roy (who was a true historical character, who Scott calls the Scottish Robin Hood), it is the courageous female heroine, Diana Vernon, that touched me the most. It was a pleasant novelty. There was also a clear-cut villain in the story proving the saying that it is not a stranger but someone who is close to you that would be your worst enemy.
It was truly an enjoyable story. I've always been a fan of swashbuckling historical fiction, so it's no surprise that I was immediately connected with it. With its good pace, fine storyline, and interesting characters, Rob Roy is a balanced product.
The story is a fast-paced gripping adventure with a set of unique characters. The diversity of the characters heavily contributes to the enjoyment of this simple storyline. While many of them arrested my attention, including the titular character Rob Roy (who was a true historical character, who Scott calls the Scottish Robin Hood), it is the courageous female heroine, Diana Vernon, that touched me the most. It was a pleasant novelty. There was also a clear-cut villain in the story proving the saying that it is not a stranger but someone who is close to you that would be your worst enemy.
It was truly an enjoyable story. I've always been a fan of swashbuckling historical fiction, so it's no surprise that I was immediately connected with it. With its good pace, fine storyline, and interesting characters, Rob Roy is a balanced product.
January 5, 2015
This book was death. And it wouldn't end. I just could not get past the language in two ways:
(1) Get to the point. Sir Walter Scott apparently decided that there is no reason to use one word when five will suffice. For instance, rather than saying that a character was hungry because he ate lunch earlier than usual Scott notes instead that the character was hungry because "he had ante-dated his meridian repast, having dined at twelve instead of one o'clock, then the general hour of dining." Honestly, reading this book was like listening to a preacher describe prom -- you may get the story, but not the way you want to hear it.
(2) Scottish isn't English. I had high hopes that my Scottish blood would somehow instill in me to the ability to understand what in the world the Scottish characters were saying. No such luck. It's no fun to read a book in which half the dialogue looks like it was typed by a pre-schooler.
At any rate, for my two cents, if you want to read Scott, read Ivanhoe -- skip this one.
(1) Get to the point. Sir Walter Scott apparently decided that there is no reason to use one word when five will suffice. For instance, rather than saying that a character was hungry because he ate lunch earlier than usual Scott notes instead that the character was hungry because "he had ante-dated his meridian repast, having dined at twelve instead of one o'clock, then the general hour of dining." Honestly, reading this book was like listening to a preacher describe prom -- you may get the story, but not the way you want to hear it.
(2) Scottish isn't English. I had high hopes that my Scottish blood would somehow instill in me to the ability to understand what in the world the Scottish characters were saying. No such luck. It's no fun to read a book in which half the dialogue looks like it was typed by a pre-schooler.
At any rate, for my two cents, if you want to read Scott, read Ivanhoe -- skip this one.
March 10, 2021
A famous man is Robin Hood,
The English ballad-singer’s joy!
And Scotland has a thief as good,
An outlaw of as daring mood;
She has her brave Rob Roy!
~Wordsworth
This may be my favorite Scott novel yet! The first half of the book was far from what I expected, being focused on the experiences of Francis Osbaldistone, a young Englishman with poetical inclinations, who refuses to work in his father's business. Nevertheless, the story was extremely interesting. I loved and heartily sympathized with Diana Vernon, and Rashleigh was a villain who distinctly reminded me of Shakespeare's Richard III, even before the resemblance was mentioned! I honestly couldn't imagine how the story was eventually going to lead to the Scottish Highlands and Rob Roy, but it did, and it was... great! Once again, Scott's ability to make his characters so interesting and real utterly amazed me. I loved the Bailie, and the scene where he gets stuck hanging upside-down during the battle with the Highlanders had me laughing at odd times for the rest of the day! 🤣
As a young man, Scott interviewed several people who had known Rob Roy, and he revisited the scenes where this novel was set before writing it. His descriptions of the scenery, as always, are vivid and beautiful. It was also interesting to learn that at the time he wrote this, he was suffering intensely from gallstones. It just fills me with awe that he was able to write such a great story in spite of that! 😊
The English ballad-singer’s joy!
And Scotland has a thief as good,
An outlaw of as daring mood;
She has her brave Rob Roy!
~Wordsworth
This may be my favorite Scott novel yet! The first half of the book was far from what I expected, being focused on the experiences of Francis Osbaldistone, a young Englishman with poetical inclinations, who refuses to work in his father's business. Nevertheless, the story was extremely interesting. I loved and heartily sympathized with Diana Vernon, and Rashleigh was a villain who distinctly reminded me of Shakespeare's Richard III, even before the resemblance was mentioned! I honestly couldn't imagine how the story was eventually going to lead to the Scottish Highlands and Rob Roy, but it did, and it was... great! Once again, Scott's ability to make his characters so interesting and real utterly amazed me. I loved the Bailie, and the scene where he gets stuck hanging upside-down during the battle with the Highlanders had me laughing at odd times for the rest of the day! 🤣
As a young man, Scott interviewed several people who had known Rob Roy, and he revisited the scenes where this novel was set before writing it. His descriptions of the scenery, as always, are vivid and beautiful. It was also interesting to learn that at the time he wrote this, he was suffering intensely from gallstones. It just fills me with awe that he was able to write such a great story in spite of that! 😊
September 17, 2023
116th book of 2023.
Well Scott felt like rational reading before journeying to Scotland in a few weeks, but what a disappointment. I always imagined him in the adventure leagues with Dumas, Stevenson, etc., and though I'm not generally a fan of mindless swashbuckling fun, I wanted at least a bit of fun. Sadly, Rob Roy follows whiny Francis Osbaldistone talking his way through 400 pages of novel before we get a taste of anything remotely close to action. The book's namesake is wasted and collectively appears in less than about 30 pages of the book. I guess the main thing is the bad marketing of the book: it's no an adventure story at all. Scott's writing was dialogue-heavy and rarely interested, either. There were some nice descriptions of the Scottish landscape, but only briefly. A shame. I'm just hoping Ivanhoe has some more kick to it, when I finally get to it.
Well Scott felt like rational reading before journeying to Scotland in a few weeks, but what a disappointment. I always imagined him in the adventure leagues with Dumas, Stevenson, etc., and though I'm not generally a fan of mindless swashbuckling fun, I wanted at least a bit of fun. Sadly, Rob Roy follows whiny Francis Osbaldistone talking his way through 400 pages of novel before we get a taste of anything remotely close to action. The book's namesake is wasted and collectively appears in less than about 30 pages of the book. I guess the main thing is the bad marketing of the book: it's no an adventure story at all. Scott's writing was dialogue-heavy and rarely interested, either. There were some nice descriptions of the Scottish landscape, but only briefly. A shame. I'm just hoping Ivanhoe has some more kick to it, when I finally get to it.
April 15, 2023
Another classic Scottish historical read very well written and documented on the tale of the outlaw who was made a hero
April 1, 2019
Walter Scott's most popular book along with Ivanhoe and the reason for this I think is obvious, especially to those who - like me - have read more than two books of his. Not that his other books are less good, and that this book is so much exceptional, is just that all the elements that make the great writer's books stand out, his romanticism, his witty writing, the alternation of funny and dramatic moments, the creation of distinctive characters, the restrained emotional tension, his distinct look at people's thoughts and attitudes are present here in their clearest form, both in the field of creating an exciting story. as in the ideas he tries to express.
The hero of our story - who is not Rob Roy - is the son of a merchant, the descendant of an aristocratic Catholic family - though he is a Protestant himself. After years of studying, he is called upon to take over the family business but his romantic soul makes him look with aversion the possibility to go through the rest of his life with numbers and products and refuses this position believing he can make a career in literature and poetry. His father, believing that this is just an impulse, sends him to spend a while with his brother's family in North England, where everything is all the opposite of thing he was accustomed to. From the busy London of trade and Protestant rigour, he is transported to the quiet countryside dominated by less useful occupations such as hunting, relaxed mood and the rhythms of the old religion. There he meets two people whose contribution will turn out to be decisive: the beautiful, charming, witty and fascinating Diana - not at all a random choice the name - and his intelligent, ambitious and particularly suspect cousin. The unconventional Diana that combines all the ingredients of feminine charm with an almost masculine passion moves the hero's interest and love does not lag behind, but the things that separates them is too much - with most of their derive from her loyalty in the Catholic religion - and so this love does not seem to have a prospect, which causes him great sorrow. Accordingly, his cousin moves his interest with his deepest education, but he quickly begins to suspect that behind this mask are hidden many bad things and quickly these suspicions are confirmed and the troubles begin.
These troubles eventually lead him to the deeply divided Scotland of the era just before the 1715 Jacobite uprising. This division extends to many issues such as religion, the relationship with England, the way of governance, and many more that shows a great mentality difference. The division between the Lowlands of strict Protestantism, close relationship with England, modern, strong central government and extroversion, and the Highlands of Catholicism, independence and traditional power relations are more than obvious, and the controversy over the British throne make the explosion inevitable. Throughout this, our hero tries to solve his own affairs with the help of the legendary Highland outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor. This journey into the wild and romantic landscape of the Highlands and the familiarity with the unusual lifestyle of the region that is threatened is the best part of this book and complements it ideally, driving the story to the most exciting and passionate routes and the very moving ending.
From what I write you understand that the author does not change his very successful recipe, with a story that has much in common with the previous books, sharing the same background. What is changing is the way he is using this recipe, choosing the most direct and straightforward approach that was aiming directly at the heart of the reader. The author leaves his romanticism free, is carried away with his love for the natural scenery of Scotland and North England, and carrying us with him, is inspired by the power of love, gets nostalgic for a more emotional era where people loved and fought with the same intensity and in the end warns of the coming of an era when the cowardice and selfishness are its main features. With all this, how can I not love this book?
Το δημοφιλέστερο βιβλίο του Walter Scott μαζί με τον Ιβανόη και ο λόγος για αυτό νομίζω ότι είναι ολοφάνερος, ειδικά σε αυτούς που - όπως εγώ - έχουν διαβάσει περισσότερα από δύο βιβλία του. Όχι πως τα άλλα βιβλία του είναι λιγότερο καλά και πώς αυτό εδώ ξεχωρίζει τόσο πολύ, απλά όλα τα στοιχεία που κάνουν τα βιβλία του σπουδαίου συγγραφέα να ξεχωρίζουν, ο ρομαντισμός, η πανέξυπνη γραφή του, η εναλλαγή αστείων και δραματικών στιγμών, η δημιουργία ξεχωριστών χαρακτήρων, η συγκρατημένη συναισθηματική ένταση, η ξεχωριστή ματιά στις σκέψεις και τη νοοτροπία των ανθρώπων βρίσκονται στην πιο ξεκάθαρη μορφή τους, τόσο στον τομέα της δημιουργίας μιας συναρπαστικής ιστορίας. όσο στις ιδέες που προσπαθεί να εκφράσει.
Ο ήρωας της ιστορίας μας - που μάλλον δεν είναι ο Rob Roy - είναι ο γιος ενός εμπόρου, απόγονος μιας αριστοκρατικής καθολικής οικογένειας - αν και ο ίδιος είναι προτεστάντης. Μετά από χρόνια σπουδών καλείται να αναλάβει την οικογενειακή επιχείρηση αλλά η ρομαντική ψυχή του τον κάνει να βλέπει με αποστροφή το ενδεχόμενο να περάσει την υπόλοιπη ζωή του μέσα σε αριθμούς και αρνείται αυτή τη θέση πιστεύοντας ότι μπορεί να κάνει μία καριέρα στη λογοτεχνία και την ποίηση. Ο πατέρας του πιστεύοντας ότι αυτή είναι απλά μία παρόρμηση τον στέλνει να περάσει λίγο καιρό με την οικογένεια του αδερφού του στη Βόρεια Αγγλία, όπου εκεί είναι όλα το αντίθετο από ότι έχει συνηθίσει. Από το πολύβουο Λονδίνο του εμπορίου και της προτεσταντικής αυστηρότητας μεταφέρεται στην ήσυχη επαρχία που κυριαρχείται από λιγότερο χρήσιμες ασχολίες όπως το κυνήγι, την χαλαρή διάθεση και τους ρυθμούς της παλιάς θρησκείας. Εκεί συναντάει δύο ανθρώπους που η συνεισφορά τους θα αποδειχθεί καθοριστική στη συνέχεια: την όμορφη, γοητευτική, πνευματώδη και συναρπαστική Diana - καθόλου τυχαία η επιλογή του ονόματος - και τον ευφυή, φιλόδοξο και ιδιαίτερα ύποπτο ξάδερφό του. Η αντισυμβατική Diana που συνδυάζει όλα τα συστατικά της γυναικείας γοητείας με ένα σχεδόν αρρενωπό πάθος κινεί το ενδιαφέρον του ήρωα μας και ο έρωτας δεν αργεί να ακολουθήσει, αυτά που τους χωρίζουν, όμως, είναι πάρα πολλά - με τα περισσότερα να πηγάζουν από την αφοσίωση της στην καθολική θρησκεία - και έτσι αυτός ο έρωτας δεν φαίνεται να έχει προοπτική, κάτι που του προκαλεί μεγάλη λύπη. Αντίστοιχα του κινεί το ενδιαφέρον ο ξάδερφος του με τη βαθύτατη μόρφωσή του αλλά γρήγορα αρχίζει να υποψιάζεται ότι πίσω από αυτή τη μάσκα κρύβονται πολλά άσχημα πράγματα και αυτές οι υποψίες δεν αργούν να επιβεβαιωθούν και οι μπελάδες αρχίζουν.
Αυτά τα μπερδέματα τον οδηγούν τελικά στη βαθύτατα διχασμένη Σκωτία της εποχής λίγο πριν από την εξέγερση των Ιακωβιτών του 1715. Αυτός ο διχασμός εκτείνεται σε πολλά θέματα όπως η θρησκεία, η σχέση με την Αγγλία, ο τρόπος διακυβέρνησης αλλά και πολλά άλλα μου δείχνουν μία μεγάλη διαφορά νοοτροπίας. Ο διχασμός ανάμεσα στα Lowlands του αυστηρού προτεσταντισμού, της στενής σχέσης με την Αγγλία, της σύγχρονης ισχυρής κεντρικής διακυβέρνησης και της εξωστρέφειας και στα Highlands του καθολικισμού, της ανεξαρτησίας και των παραδοσιακών σχέσεων εξουσίας είναι κάτι παραπάνω από εμφανής και η διαμάχη για τον βρετανικό θρόνο κάνει την έκρηξη αναπόφευκτη. Μέσα σε όλα αυτά ο ήρωας μας προσπαθεί να λύσει τις δικές του υποθέσεις με τη βοήθεια του θρυλικού παράνομου των Highlands Rob Roy MacGregor. Αυτή η πορεία στο άγριο και ρομαντικό τοπίο των Highlands και η γνωριμία με τον ασυνήθιστο τρόπο ζωής της περιοχής που απειλείται αποτελεί το καλύτερο κομμάτι αυτού του βιβλίου και το συμπληρώνει ιδανικά, οδηγώντας την ιστορία στις πιο συναρπαστικές και παθιασμένες διαδρομές και στη πολύ συγκινητική κατάληξη.
Από αυτά που γράφω καταλαβαίνετε ότι συγγραφέας δεν αλλάζει την πολύ επιτυχημένη συνταγή του, με την ιστορία που έχει πολλά κοινά στοιχεία με τα προηγούμενα βιβλία, με τα οποία μοιράζεται το ίδιο φόντο. Αυτό που αλλάζει είναι ο τρόπος που την χρησιμοποιεί, επιλέγοντας την πιο ευθεία και άμεση προσέγγιση που στοχεύει κατευθείαν στην καρδιά του αναγνώστη. Ο συγγραφέας αφήνει ελεύθερο τον ρομαντισμό του, παρασύρεται από την αγάπη του για το φυσικό τοπίο της Σκωτίας και της Βόρειας Αγγλίας παρασέρνοντας και εμάς, εμπνέεται από τη δύναμη του έρωτα, νοσταλγεί μία περισσότερο συναισθηματική εποχή όπου οι άνθρωποι αγαπούσαν και πολεμούσαν με την ίδια ένταση και στο τέλος προειδοποιεί για την έλευση μιας πεζής εποχής όπου η δειλία και η ιδιοτέλεια είναι τα κύρια χαρακτηριστικά της. Με όλα αυτά πώς είναι δυνατόν να μη λατρέψω αυτό το βιβλίο;
The hero of our story - who is not Rob Roy - is the son of a merchant, the descendant of an aristocratic Catholic family - though he is a Protestant himself. After years of studying, he is called upon to take over the family business but his romantic soul makes him look with aversion the possibility to go through the rest of his life with numbers and products and refuses this position believing he can make a career in literature and poetry. His father, believing that this is just an impulse, sends him to spend a while with his brother's family in North England, where everything is all the opposite of thing he was accustomed to. From the busy London of trade and Protestant rigour, he is transported to the quiet countryside dominated by less useful occupations such as hunting, relaxed mood and the rhythms of the old religion. There he meets two people whose contribution will turn out to be decisive: the beautiful, charming, witty and fascinating Diana - not at all a random choice the name - and his intelligent, ambitious and particularly suspect cousin. The unconventional Diana that combines all the ingredients of feminine charm with an almost masculine passion moves the hero's interest and love does not lag behind, but the things that separates them is too much - with most of their derive from her loyalty in the Catholic religion - and so this love does not seem to have a prospect, which causes him great sorrow. Accordingly, his cousin moves his interest with his deepest education, but he quickly begins to suspect that behind this mask are hidden many bad things and quickly these suspicions are confirmed and the troubles begin.
These troubles eventually lead him to the deeply divided Scotland of the era just before the 1715 Jacobite uprising. This division extends to many issues such as religion, the relationship with England, the way of governance, and many more that shows a great mentality difference. The division between the Lowlands of strict Protestantism, close relationship with England, modern, strong central government and extroversion, and the Highlands of Catholicism, independence and traditional power relations are more than obvious, and the controversy over the British throne make the explosion inevitable. Throughout this, our hero tries to solve his own affairs with the help of the legendary Highland outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor. This journey into the wild and romantic landscape of the Highlands and the familiarity with the unusual lifestyle of the region that is threatened is the best part of this book and complements it ideally, driving the story to the most exciting and passionate routes and the very moving ending.
From what I write you understand that the author does not change his very successful recipe, with a story that has much in common with the previous books, sharing the same background. What is changing is the way he is using this recipe, choosing the most direct and straightforward approach that was aiming directly at the heart of the reader. The author leaves his romanticism free, is carried away with his love for the natural scenery of Scotland and North England, and carrying us with him, is inspired by the power of love, gets nostalgic for a more emotional era where people loved and fought with the same intensity and in the end warns of the coming of an era when the cowardice and selfishness are its main features. With all this, how can I not love this book?
Το δημοφιλέστερο βιβλίο του Walter Scott μαζί με τον Ιβανόη και ο λόγος για αυτό νομίζω ότι είναι ολοφάνερος, ειδικά σε αυτούς που - όπως εγώ - έχουν διαβάσει περισσότερα από δύο βιβλία του. Όχι πως τα άλλα βιβλία του είναι λιγότερο καλά και πώς αυτό εδώ ξεχωρίζει τόσο πολύ, απλά όλα τα στοιχεία που κάνουν τα βιβλία του σπουδαίου συγγραφέα να ξεχωρίζουν, ο ρομαντισμός, η πανέξυπνη γραφή του, η εναλλαγή αστείων και δραματικών στιγμών, η δημιουργία ξεχωριστών χαρακτήρων, η συγκρατημένη συναισθηματική ένταση, η ξεχωριστή ματιά στις σκέψεις και τη νοοτροπία των ανθρώπων βρίσκονται στην πιο ξεκάθαρη μορφή τους, τόσο στον τομέα της δημιουργίας μιας συναρπαστικής ιστορίας. όσο στις ιδέες που προσπαθεί να εκφράσει.
Ο ήρωας της ιστορίας μας - που μάλλον δεν είναι ο Rob Roy - είναι ο γιος ενός εμπόρου, απόγονος μιας αριστοκρατικής καθολικής οικογένειας - αν και ο ίδιος είναι προτεστάντης. Μετά από χρόνια σπουδών καλείται να αναλάβει την οικογενειακή επιχείρηση αλλά η ρομαντική ψυχή του τον κάνει να βλέπει με αποστροφή το ενδεχόμενο να περάσει την υπόλοιπη ζωή του μέσα σε αριθμούς και αρνείται αυτή τη θέση πιστεύοντας ότι μπορεί να κάνει μία καριέρα στη λογοτεχνία και την ποίηση. Ο πατέρας του πιστεύοντας ότι αυτή είναι απλά μία παρόρμηση τον στέλνει να περάσει λίγο καιρό με την οικογένεια του αδερφού του στη Βόρεια Αγγλία, όπου εκεί είναι όλα το αντίθετο από ότι έχει συνηθίσει. Από το πολύβουο Λονδίνο του εμπορίου και της προτεσταντικής αυστηρότητας μεταφέρεται στην ήσυχη επαρχία που κυριαρχείται από λιγότερο χρήσιμες ασχολίες όπως το κυνήγι, την χαλαρή διάθεση και τους ρυθμούς της παλιάς θρησκείας. Εκεί συναντάει δύο ανθρώπους που η συνεισφορά τους θα αποδειχθεί καθοριστική στη συνέχεια: την όμορφη, γοητευτική, πνευματώδη και συναρπαστική Diana - καθόλου τυχαία η επιλογή του ονόματος - και τον ευφυή, φιλόδοξο και ιδιαίτερα ύποπτο ξάδερφό του. Η αντισυμβατική Diana που συνδυάζει όλα τα συστατικά της γυναικείας γοητείας με ένα σχεδόν αρρενωπό πάθος κινεί το ενδιαφέρον του ήρωα μας και ο έρωτας δεν αργεί να ακολουθήσει, αυτά που τους χωρίζουν, όμως, είναι πάρα πολλά - με τα περισσότερα να πηγάζουν από την αφοσίωση της στην καθολική θρησκεία - και έτσι αυτός ο έρωτας δεν φαίνεται να έχει προοπτική, κάτι που του προκαλεί μεγάλη λύπη. Αντίστοιχα του κινεί το ενδιαφέρον ο ξάδερφος του με τη βαθύτατη μόρφωσή του αλλά γρήγορα αρχίζει να υποψιάζεται ότι πίσω από αυτή τη μάσκα κρύβονται πολλά άσχημα πράγματα και αυτές οι υποψίες δεν αργούν να επιβεβαιωθούν και οι μπελάδες αρχίζουν.
Αυτά τα μπερδέματα τον οδηγούν τελικά στη βαθύτατα διχασμένη Σκωτία της εποχής λίγο πριν από την εξέγερση των Ιακωβιτών του 1715. Αυτός ο διχασμός εκτείνεται σε πολλά θέματα όπως η θρησκεία, η σχέση με την Αγγλία, ο τρόπος διακυβέρνησης αλλά και πολλά άλλα μου δείχνουν μία μεγάλη διαφορά νοοτροπίας. Ο διχασμός ανάμεσα στα Lowlands του αυστηρού προτεσταντισμού, της στενής σχέσης με την Αγγλία, της σύγχρονης ισχυρής κεντρικής διακυβέρνησης και της εξωστρέφειας και στα Highlands του καθολικισμού, της ανεξαρτησίας και των παραδοσιακών σχέσεων εξουσίας είναι κάτι παραπάνω από εμφανής και η διαμάχη για τον βρετανικό θρόνο κάνει την έκρηξη αναπόφευκτη. Μέσα σε όλα αυτά ο ήρωας μας προσπαθεί να λύσει τις δικές του υποθέσεις με τη βοήθεια του θρυλικού παράνομου των Highlands Rob Roy MacGregor. Αυτή η πορεία στο άγριο και ρομαντικό τοπίο των Highlands και η γνωριμία με τον ασυνήθιστο τρόπο ζωής της περιοχής που απειλείται αποτελεί το καλύτερο κομμάτι αυτού του βιβλίου και το συμπληρώνει ιδανικά, οδηγώντας την ιστορία στις πιο συναρπαστικές και παθιασμένες διαδρομές και στη πολύ συγκινητική κατάληξη.
Από αυτά που γράφω καταλαβαίνετε ότι συγγραφέας δεν αλλάζει την πολύ επιτυχημένη συνταγή του, με την ιστορία που έχει πολλά κοινά στοιχεία με τα προηγούμενα βιβλία, με τα οποία μοιράζεται το ίδιο φόντο. Αυτό που αλλάζει είναι ο τρόπος που την χρησιμοποιεί, επιλέγοντας την πιο ευθεία και άμεση προσέγγιση που στοχεύει κατευθείαν στην καρδιά του αναγνώστη. Ο συγγραφέας αφήνει ελεύθερο τον ρομαντισμό του, παρασύρεται από την αγάπη του για το φυσικό τοπίο της Σκωτίας και της Βόρειας Αγγλίας παρασέρνοντας και εμάς, εμπνέεται από τη δύναμη του έρωτα, νοσταλγεί μία περισσότερο συναισθηματική εποχή όπου οι άνθρωποι αγαπούσαν και πολεμούσαν με την ίδια ένταση και στο τέλος προειδοποιεί για την έλευση μιας πεζής εποχής όπου η δειλία και η ιδιοτέλεια είναι τα κύρια χαρακτηριστικά της. Με όλα αυτά πώς είναι δυνατόν να μη λατρέψω αυτό το βιβλίο;
April 29, 2024
Rob Roy is a far pithier title than the name of the protagonist in this story, Francis Osbaldistone, the spoiled, romantic son of an English merchant, a bit of a dunce, and an unlikely hero. This is a riot of a novel filled with wit and sly humour. The characters are distinct, colourful, and vividly portrayed. The 1715 Jacobite uprising is brewing, and political and social tensions are reaching a peak. This tale has it all: adventure, mystery, intrigue, betrayal, romance, a dastardly villain, and, of course, the heroic Rob Roy. Diana, the love interest, is certainly the most interesting character in the story and arguably one of the best heroines in classic literature. What I love about this novel is that it is a beautifully rendered travelogue of Scotland, and Sir Walter Scott’s deep, abiding love for the land is evident in his lyrical, breathtaking descriptions of this wild, majestic land.
July 17, 2013
The Wikipedia article for this book describes part of the plot as " In between hours in the library with Die, he converses with Andrew Fairservice and learns much about goings on at the Hall."
It does feel like hours, even when reading. The characters discuss politics, the situation, love, life, business, etc'. At great length.
As usual with Scott, the protagonist is rather colourless, the villain is a good deal more sympathetic and interesting, and earns his just desserts by the end. Hoping these desserts would be tastier than Scott usually tends towards, you will be severely disappointed.
Really, the main problem with the book is that it is rather dull. There is a good chance that I simply overwhelmed myself with too much Victoriana lately, but it was almost a chore to plough through, and the heavy uninterpreted Scottish really didn't help matters. Realistic? Yes. Incomprehensible? Also yet. I kept wondering whether I had missed something pertinent to plot, but I really should have known better.
It does feel like hours, even when reading. The characters discuss politics, the situation, love, life, business, etc'. At great length.
As usual with Scott, the protagonist is rather colourless, the villain is a good deal more sympathetic and interesting, and earns his just desserts by the end. Hoping these desserts would be tastier than Scott usually tends towards, you will be severely disappointed.
Really, the main problem with the book is that it is rather dull. There is a good chance that I simply overwhelmed myself with too much Victoriana lately, but it was almost a chore to plough through, and the heavy uninterpreted Scottish really didn't help matters. Realistic? Yes. Incomprehensible? Also yet. I kept wondering whether I had missed something pertinent to plot, but I really should have known better.
September 9, 2016
I enjoyed this book. Francis Osbaldistone is a sympathetic hero who would rather be a poet than work in his father's commercial firm. He is sent from London to live in his uncle's castle in the north of England and has many adventures in the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. Rob Roy, the title character, is portrayed sympathetically as we learn about the difficult life of the Highland Scots. The novel has, of course, a mysterious feisty young heroine and a dastardly villain, who makes Francis' life difficult and exciting.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
March 21, 2023Jan 6, 2015
It's been so long since I started this that I had to go back and re-start. And then I almost immediately lost interest again and picked up something else.
Two tries seems over eight years says yeah, no.
Started 2015, abandoned 2023
It's been so long since I started this that I had to go back and re-start. And then I almost immediately lost interest again and picked up something else.
Two tries seems over eight years says yeah, no.
Started 2015, abandoned 2023
October 26, 2008
First a warning: the movie “Rob Roy� has little to do with the novel “Rob Roy,� except that they share the titular character. I was 250 pages into this book before I finally realized this was the case. I wouldn’t want the rest of you to make a similar error.
The story is a bit complicated. The book jacket says this is a tale set in the Jacobite Uprising of 1715, which sounds exciting, but is true only to the extent necessary to sell this book to you. The plot is much more subtle than that. The hero is not Rob Roy, but young Francis Osbaldistone (wha?), the callow son of a London tycoon/merchant whose business is what we would now describe as “import-export.� Dad has been trying to teach Francis the family business, but exiles his son to northern England after discovering that Francis has been writing poetry. Francis is sent to live at Osbaldistone Hall with his drunk uncle, 5 drunk cousins, and the uncle's beautiful-yet-mysterious ward Diana Vernon. Francis� sinister cousin Rashleigh goes to take Francis� place at the family firm. Rashleigh steals some bills of lading and absconds with them to Scotland where he hopes the resulting credit crunch will lead to armed insurrection and chaos (note how this plot manages to be torn from the headlines of two eras!). Francis, eager to prove himself to his father, follows Rashleigh into Scotland, where he eventually falls into the hands of Rob Roy, the Scottish version of Robin Hood. After a lot of running around among the Moors and Highlands, everyone lives happily ever after.
The virtues of this novel are immediately apparent. Scott’s descriptions of the book’s settings � whether a London counting house, a musty library, an underground church, downtown Glasgow, an isolated loch, a smokey tavern, etc � are simply masterful; and, I would say, some of the best descriptive writing I have ever read. Only Dostoyevsky and George Eliot are on the same level. The characters are also masterfully developed, with each character having a quirk or a quality that makes them vivid and three-dimensional. The love interest, Diana Vernon, is one of the great female characters in English literature � a beautiful intellectual with a mysterious past and a penchant for secret plotting, and a skilled horsewoman to boot. Scott’s tone gives this book a moral depth that is rare in literature. Even the death of the book’s most obnoxious character is treated as a mini-tragedy.
The real triumph of this book is Scott’s description of Scotland, which was, in 1715, a wild and chaotic land (interestingly, my research on the Internet indicates that Scott’s readers considered the Scots to be equivalent to American Indians). Much of this book is a travelogue of Scotland with plenty of descriptions of Scottish religious practice, clans, social customs, and even clothes and weaponry. There is also an extended sequence in Glasgow. Scott’s descriptions of the Scottish landscape add immeasurably to the tone of menace and mystery that the entire book is shrouded in from beginning to end. His rendering of Scottish dialect is also excellent. One imagines a young William Faulkner getting some of his ideas about dialogue from Scott’s example.
The book has some weaknesses. For one thing: who foments a rebellion in Scotland by stealing some shipping papers in London? It seems like a roundabout way to bring about the “Jacobite Rebellion� that is the book’s main plot point. The plot itself develops slowly (the first 200 pages could be described as expository), and then finishes in a rush of multiple denouements. The character of Rob Roy looms over the book, but he is not much in it until the last half. More often then not, he spends his time giving speeches justifying his life as an outlaw, which probably seemed very important to Scott, but doesn’t resonate much in the 21st century.
Of course, none of this should stop you from reading this book, or any others by Scott. He is one of the earliest novelists whose books can still be read for pleasure, and Rob Roy is one of his good ones.
The story is a bit complicated. The book jacket says this is a tale set in the Jacobite Uprising of 1715, which sounds exciting, but is true only to the extent necessary to sell this book to you. The plot is much more subtle than that. The hero is not Rob Roy, but young Francis Osbaldistone (wha?), the callow son of a London tycoon/merchant whose business is what we would now describe as “import-export.� Dad has been trying to teach Francis the family business, but exiles his son to northern England after discovering that Francis has been writing poetry. Francis is sent to live at Osbaldistone Hall with his drunk uncle, 5 drunk cousins, and the uncle's beautiful-yet-mysterious ward Diana Vernon. Francis� sinister cousin Rashleigh goes to take Francis� place at the family firm. Rashleigh steals some bills of lading and absconds with them to Scotland where he hopes the resulting credit crunch will lead to armed insurrection and chaos (note how this plot manages to be torn from the headlines of two eras!). Francis, eager to prove himself to his father, follows Rashleigh into Scotland, where he eventually falls into the hands of Rob Roy, the Scottish version of Robin Hood. After a lot of running around among the Moors and Highlands, everyone lives happily ever after.
The virtues of this novel are immediately apparent. Scott’s descriptions of the book’s settings � whether a London counting house, a musty library, an underground church, downtown Glasgow, an isolated loch, a smokey tavern, etc � are simply masterful; and, I would say, some of the best descriptive writing I have ever read. Only Dostoyevsky and George Eliot are on the same level. The characters are also masterfully developed, with each character having a quirk or a quality that makes them vivid and three-dimensional. The love interest, Diana Vernon, is one of the great female characters in English literature � a beautiful intellectual with a mysterious past and a penchant for secret plotting, and a skilled horsewoman to boot. Scott’s tone gives this book a moral depth that is rare in literature. Even the death of the book’s most obnoxious character is treated as a mini-tragedy.
The real triumph of this book is Scott’s description of Scotland, which was, in 1715, a wild and chaotic land (interestingly, my research on the Internet indicates that Scott’s readers considered the Scots to be equivalent to American Indians). Much of this book is a travelogue of Scotland with plenty of descriptions of Scottish religious practice, clans, social customs, and even clothes and weaponry. There is also an extended sequence in Glasgow. Scott’s descriptions of the Scottish landscape add immeasurably to the tone of menace and mystery that the entire book is shrouded in from beginning to end. His rendering of Scottish dialect is also excellent. One imagines a young William Faulkner getting some of his ideas about dialogue from Scott’s example.
The book has some weaknesses. For one thing: who foments a rebellion in Scotland by stealing some shipping papers in London? It seems like a roundabout way to bring about the “Jacobite Rebellion� that is the book’s main plot point. The plot itself develops slowly (the first 200 pages could be described as expository), and then finishes in a rush of multiple denouements. The character of Rob Roy looms over the book, but he is not much in it until the last half. More often then not, he spends his time giving speeches justifying his life as an outlaw, which probably seemed very important to Scott, but doesn’t resonate much in the 21st century.
Of course, none of this should stop you from reading this book, or any others by Scott. He is one of the earliest novelists whose books can still be read for pleasure, and Rob Roy is one of his good ones.
March 12, 2015
To say the truth this book is a bit difficult to read as the plot takes shape pretty slowly and the complex ways in which Sir Walter Scott narrates the tale adds to the difficulty. The Scottish dialect which the book uses also will take a bit of time to get used to. But still i enjoyed reading this book very much as it narrates the characters with so much vigor and attitude, the lush scenery and surroundings of the Scotland with such clarity and tells a fascinating tale of romance and adventure.
August 23, 2009
"Rob Roy" is my first Walter Scott novel, but I became a quick fan as I was entangled in his writing style, which focuses more on verbose and intricate language than it does on a straight-forward plot. I'm sure this style would be a turn-off to many readers, but it was right up my alley. The descriptions are lush when they need to be, the character development is spelled out rather bluntly, and much of the dialogue requires far more effort to decipher than I'm used to (making out the Highland dialect was tricky at first, but I got the hang of it), but the grammatical gymnastics Scott employs to complicatedly convey simple ideas had me in a constant state of giddyness.
Now, full disclosure: I'm certain there are two factors that influenced my enjoyment of the novel toward the positive.
1) I read the beginning of this novel while I was in Scotland, even spending one morning reading a few chapters while sitting on the bank of Loch Ness, which is rather similar scenery to the setting of a significant chunk of "Rob Roy". I also traveled around the in the Highlands while there, so when the novel's protaganist, Francis Osbaldistone, heads north to save the family business, Scott's descriptions rang very vividly in my mind.
2) While in Scotland, I purchased the first four volumes of a collection of Scott's works from a bookshop in Inverness. The volumes were published in 1862, which make them the oldest and coolest books in my personal library. They're not the kind of books you carry around with you and read in your spare time, so I didn't really buy them for reading. But just for kicks, I read the final two chapters from one of those volumes. I don't know if anyone thinks that's as interesting as I do, but reading from a book published just 30 years after the author's death, and published in his hometown of Edinburgh, nonetheless, tickled my inner-historian.
As for the story specifically, it read like a less self-consiously humerous Charles Dickens novel. Many colorful supporting characters drawn from the fringes of society; interesting insights into the societal divide between cultures; a hero who seems more along for the ride than the driving force behind the plot.
Indeed, the hero, Francis Osbaldistone, is a surprising one, considering the title of the novel. Rob Roy does show up, mind you, but doesn't really make a big splash until almost the half-way point. And when he does show up, its merely to highjack the story away from Francis's quest to retrieve some stolen documents vital to his father's business. But I suppose stealing the spotlight is completely in character for Rob Roy MacGregor, who pulls Francis into some historically based skirmishes related to the first Jacobite uprising in 1715.
And on a rather important sidenote: prior to visiting Scotland, I read up on the country's history, and being familiar with the Stewart/Hanover fued and the various Jacobian revolutions certainly made parts of "Rob Roy" easier to follow, as the fates of Francis and MacGregor both hinge on the shifting alliances of the Highland clans and the Osbaldistone family and the locals, both British and Scottish.
Alongside all of that there is a romance and inner-family treachery and exciting battles, but again, its the language itself that kept me excited to turn to the next page.
I feel that in the future, one of Scott's 'Waverly' novels is where I'll eagerly turn if I'd like to visit again the Scotland that I've now visited and read about.
Now, full disclosure: I'm certain there are two factors that influenced my enjoyment of the novel toward the positive.
1) I read the beginning of this novel while I was in Scotland, even spending one morning reading a few chapters while sitting on the bank of Loch Ness, which is rather similar scenery to the setting of a significant chunk of "Rob Roy". I also traveled around the in the Highlands while there, so when the novel's protaganist, Francis Osbaldistone, heads north to save the family business, Scott's descriptions rang very vividly in my mind.
2) While in Scotland, I purchased the first four volumes of a collection of Scott's works from a bookshop in Inverness. The volumes were published in 1862, which make them the oldest and coolest books in my personal library. They're not the kind of books you carry around with you and read in your spare time, so I didn't really buy them for reading. But just for kicks, I read the final two chapters from one of those volumes. I don't know if anyone thinks that's as interesting as I do, but reading from a book published just 30 years after the author's death, and published in his hometown of Edinburgh, nonetheless, tickled my inner-historian.
As for the story specifically, it read like a less self-consiously humerous Charles Dickens novel. Many colorful supporting characters drawn from the fringes of society; interesting insights into the societal divide between cultures; a hero who seems more along for the ride than the driving force behind the plot.
Indeed, the hero, Francis Osbaldistone, is a surprising one, considering the title of the novel. Rob Roy does show up, mind you, but doesn't really make a big splash until almost the half-way point. And when he does show up, its merely to highjack the story away from Francis's quest to retrieve some stolen documents vital to his father's business. But I suppose stealing the spotlight is completely in character for Rob Roy MacGregor, who pulls Francis into some historically based skirmishes related to the first Jacobite uprising in 1715.
And on a rather important sidenote: prior to visiting Scotland, I read up on the country's history, and being familiar with the Stewart/Hanover fued and the various Jacobian revolutions certainly made parts of "Rob Roy" easier to follow, as the fates of Francis and MacGregor both hinge on the shifting alliances of the Highland clans and the Osbaldistone family and the locals, both British and Scottish.
Alongside all of that there is a romance and inner-family treachery and exciting battles, but again, its the language itself that kept me excited to turn to the next page.
I feel that in the future, one of Scott's 'Waverly' novels is where I'll eagerly turn if I'd like to visit again the Scotland that I've now visited and read about.
May 13, 2018
This was very well narrated, but not very interesting. The story is mostly about Frank, a young man who is raised with too much money. He's sent to the ancestral estates near the Scottish border where he gets into a bit of a mess which takes him into Scotland. That's about halfway through & where I got lost simply because the narration was so good & Scottish is absolutely incomprehensible.
You'd think with my good Scottish name I'd understand it. Nope. I was born in the USA. I don't understand Scottish. It sounds like someone stuffed 200 year old English English (tough enough to understand) into a garbage disposal which then regurgitated it while being beat by a stick. Even when we share common words, they're tough to decipher, but they also have enough of their own to require a glossary in the back of the printed edition. That probably would have been a better format for this story, but I don't know if I would have finished it then, either.
I tried, but Rob Roy barely made any appearances & it just wasn't worth the effort. I was over halfway through & the action was really picking up, but I just kept missing too much due to the language barrier.
It's a shame. I really liked & . This just wasn't in the same class.
You'd think with my good Scottish name I'd understand it. Nope. I was born in the USA. I don't understand Scottish. It sounds like someone stuffed 200 year old English English (tough enough to understand) into a garbage disposal which then regurgitated it while being beat by a stick. Even when we share common words, they're tough to decipher, but they also have enough of their own to require a glossary in the back of the printed edition. That probably would have been a better format for this story, but I don't know if I would have finished it then, either.
I tried, but Rob Roy barely made any appearances & it just wasn't worth the effort. I was over halfway through & the action was really picking up, but I just kept missing too much due to the language barrier.
It's a shame. I really liked & . This just wasn't in the same class.
January 26, 2018
This wasn't quite what I was expecting. I've given it four stars as I really like Walter Scott and I enjoyed the style. However Rob Roy himself is a marginal character. It is through Frances' eyes we see the story and I found him to be a bland and not especially engaging character. His observations on other people were acute and well delineated but when it came to himself, he was far less insightful. His clumsy courtship of Diana Vernon was only interesting because she was interesting - and it was hard not feel that she had been shoe-horned in for no other reason than to act as a romantic interest for Frances. Frances was such an unlikely Romantic hero that every time he said something along the lines of ' I reached for my sword...' my immediate thought was 'Where did he get a sword? Can he actually use a sword? He'll just hurt himself. Surely he'd be better off running away.' Which sums up how I felt about the narrator in a nut shell. That said this is described as one of Walter Scott's great Romances and deservedly so. He did after all create the entire genre and this is a good example of it. Not one of my favourites, however this still has much to recommend it - not least of which Scott's beautiful descriptions of the landscape and of a time now lost.
October 2, 2022
I was promised swashbuckling. My swash remains decidedly unbuckled.
January 31, 2015
3,5*! Uma história de aventuras, intrigas e traições, mas por vezes um pouco confusa... Ainda assim, como gosto de áDz, foram umas horas bem passadas! :)
September 16, 2023
I wanted to love this but the truth is that the grand majority of it was just so dull. Conversation after conversation between characters I really disliked - it turns out Rob Roy doesn't feature very much in this. Very annoying though, as the action scenes towards the end really did have me gripped...for a few pages, and then I was back to wishing the novel would end already. For such a fascinating time in history, it's a shame this fell so short.
August 5, 2024
A classic but Scott can be so long winded........
February 28, 2015
Well, this was a little different. There's a set of introductions to the book that, between them, take up well over 50 pages. The main one (by the author) gives a short history of clan MacGregor, and explains the long-term problems they have had with the law. This then turns into a history of the actual person, Rob Roy. This would have been fine, but was over-long, not that well written, and of course, I wanted to get to the actual story.
The other introduction is from the publisher (of the 1893 edition) describing the writing of the novel. It is much shorter, and has some interesting points. An important one is that Rob Roy is not about Rob Roy. Sir Walter Scott in fact resisted the title for that very reason, but he was a popular enough figure that as soon as he was in the story, it was what everyone wanted to know about.
My copy of the book is a cheap (I got it for free) Kindle ebook from Waxkeep publishing. Unlike some other cheap ebooks, this one was in pretty good shape. All the footnotes merely appeared at the end of the paragraph they occurred in, and there's a few 'L's instead of '£'s, but is mostly free of problems.
The book itself was a disappointment. It was by no means bad, but I found it nowhere near as engaging as Ivanhoe. The main character is Francis Osbaldingstone, a young man enamored of France, and poetry and creative endeavors. His father is a colorless businessman in London, estranged from the rest of his large Scottish family, and wants his son to take over the business. When his son refuses, Francis is exiled to his relatives with instructions to pick one out as the heir to the business.
Things get complicated from there, with fellow travelers on the road north, his uncle and cousins, a romantic interest... and then things go a bit sideways with trouble with his father's business, sending him into Scotland and a new cast of characters. This new cast of course prominently features Rob Roy himself, but also the Scottish countryside.
The structure of the plot is sound; everything in the novel rests on other elements, even when it seems like a digression. In fact, the least essential thing in the book could well be the main character. His presence kicks off much of the action, but the vast bulk of the book is him being acted upon instead of acting. Add to this the fact that there's a fair amount of dialog in various Scots accents, and the book is a slow read. (I found the heavier accents easier going for some reason.)
So, I can't really recommend Rob Roy, even though I did generally enjoy it. If you do generally like 19th Century writing, I do recommend it.
The other introduction is from the publisher (of the 1893 edition) describing the writing of the novel. It is much shorter, and has some interesting points. An important one is that Rob Roy is not about Rob Roy. Sir Walter Scott in fact resisted the title for that very reason, but he was a popular enough figure that as soon as he was in the story, it was what everyone wanted to know about.
My copy of the book is a cheap (I got it for free) Kindle ebook from Waxkeep publishing. Unlike some other cheap ebooks, this one was in pretty good shape. All the footnotes merely appeared at the end of the paragraph they occurred in, and there's a few 'L's instead of '£'s, but is mostly free of problems.
The book itself was a disappointment. It was by no means bad, but I found it nowhere near as engaging as Ivanhoe. The main character is Francis Osbaldingstone, a young man enamored of France, and poetry and creative endeavors. His father is a colorless businessman in London, estranged from the rest of his large Scottish family, and wants his son to take over the business. When his son refuses, Francis is exiled to his relatives with instructions to pick one out as the heir to the business.
Things get complicated from there, with fellow travelers on the road north, his uncle and cousins, a romantic interest... and then things go a bit sideways with trouble with his father's business, sending him into Scotland and a new cast of characters. This new cast of course prominently features Rob Roy himself, but also the Scottish countryside.
The structure of the plot is sound; everything in the novel rests on other elements, even when it seems like a digression. In fact, the least essential thing in the book could well be the main character. His presence kicks off much of the action, but the vast bulk of the book is him being acted upon instead of acting. Add to this the fact that there's a fair amount of dialog in various Scots accents, and the book is a slow read. (I found the heavier accents easier going for some reason.)
So, I can't really recommend Rob Roy, even though I did generally enjoy it. If you do generally like 19th Century writing, I do recommend it.
February 9, 2023
"Two faces under one hood is no true heraldry."
Rob Roy, the Highlander, the Robin Hood of Scotland; a swashbuckling tale of adventure, greed, and honor filled with action. There is much beauty in description, and an appreciation of Scottland shows through the writing. The plot (and historical setting) also has much to recommend it for modern readers. This was my first sight of the Red Rogue. Sir Walter Scott wrote so much that its impossible to make a dent in his works. I've read more of his short stories than anything else in the past. But, this was an enjoyable read. I always enjoyed reading Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas more than Scott, though its clear they took much influence from him. I will have a time choosing which two or three other of his works I want to read soon.
I read this in Kindle whisper-sync, narrated by Sean Barrett in an excellent Scottish brogue. This book may not be for everyone's taste, even with the narration, because the language is quite difficult unless you are of that dialect yourself. It helps to remember that the consonants are often the same as English, but the vowels often trade places. (mair = more, for example) It's almost like listening to a foreign language at times. I'm including several quotes and expressions that I particularly enjoyed. I haven't watched either movie before, though my husband has and is anxious to watch them with me this week. I am sure Liam makes the better rogue. We will see.
Rob Roy, the Highlander, the Robin Hood of Scotland; a swashbuckling tale of adventure, greed, and honor filled with action. There is much beauty in description, and an appreciation of Scottland shows through the writing. The plot (and historical setting) also has much to recommend it for modern readers. This was my first sight of the Red Rogue. Sir Walter Scott wrote so much that its impossible to make a dent in his works. I've read more of his short stories than anything else in the past. But, this was an enjoyable read. I always enjoyed reading Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas more than Scott, though its clear they took much influence from him. I will have a time choosing which two or three other of his works I want to read soon.
I read this in Kindle whisper-sync, narrated by Sean Barrett in an excellent Scottish brogue. This book may not be for everyone's taste, even with the narration, because the language is quite difficult unless you are of that dialect yourself. It helps to remember that the consonants are often the same as English, but the vowels often trade places. (mair = more, for example) It's almost like listening to a foreign language at times. I'm including several quotes and expressions that I particularly enjoyed. I haven't watched either movie before, though my husband has and is anxious to watch them with me this week. I am sure Liam makes the better rogue. We will see.
"I have so little desire to be there that if my horse’s head were over the Border, I would not give his tail the trouble of following."
"he is always willing to stand noun substantive to it himself."
"you know, where there is nothing, your own law allows that the king himself must lose his rights"
"Honour is a homicide and a bloodspiller, that gangs about making frays in the street; but Credit is a decent honest man"
"There’s sma� sorrow at our parting, as the auld mear said to the broken cart."
"an honest woman wad live quieter in hell than on the Hieland line."
"the penny siller slew mair souls than the naked sword slew bodies."
"...we turned the horses� heads round,"
September 13, 2014
Sir Walter Scott is one of those great classic authors who is completely unread but still very influential. Without exciting historical novels like IVANHOE, tales of medieval chivalry combining military adventure, passionate romance, and aristocratic pageantry, there could never have been a LORD OF THE RINGS, or a GAME OF THRONES.
ROB ROY is harder to get into than IVANHOE, Scott's most famous novel, because the historical background is harder to follow. The year is 1715, just before the first great Scottish uprising to put the exiled Stuart family back on the throne of England. But the story starts as the coming of age story of Frank Osbaldistone, a blank-faced, empty-headed young lad from a wealthy merchant family in London. Frank gets caught writing poetry (instead of learning to be a businessman) and gets sent to a remote estate in northern England, where his cousins are living almost as if it's still the Middle Ages. They hunt, drink, and daydream about the "old days" when aristocrats and not merchants owned England. Frank doesn't like them, but he falls madly in love with his female cousin Diana. Unfortunately, his evil and ambitious cousin Rashleigh (the smart one in the family) wants Diana too . . .
The story would be far more exciting if it focused on the passion between Frank and Diana, and if there were more scenes of actual combat between Scottish highlanders and English redcoats. But for most of the book Frank sort of wanders around seeing things happen but not doing anything about it. He's kind of a Frodo or Bilbo Baggins type, and he never comes across as sexy or reckless enough to captivate someone like Diana, who is really the most fascinating character in the book. In the end, most of the 1715 uprising stuff happens off stage, and the "happy ending" for Frank and Diana is kind of a let down.
So why did I give this classic five stars? Just because the atmosphere is so haunting, like the ruined castle where the cousins live. And the mystery surrounding beautiful Diana. And the way the doomed Highlanders are so loyal to a king they've never even met. And the way Rob Roy rescues Frank because he's a gentleman and in love with a beautiful lass. It's a romantic world, even if the plot is confusing and the characters aren't always very interesting.
ROB ROY is harder to get into than IVANHOE, Scott's most famous novel, because the historical background is harder to follow. The year is 1715, just before the first great Scottish uprising to put the exiled Stuart family back on the throne of England. But the story starts as the coming of age story of Frank Osbaldistone, a blank-faced, empty-headed young lad from a wealthy merchant family in London. Frank gets caught writing poetry (instead of learning to be a businessman) and gets sent to a remote estate in northern England, where his cousins are living almost as if it's still the Middle Ages. They hunt, drink, and daydream about the "old days" when aristocrats and not merchants owned England. Frank doesn't like them, but he falls madly in love with his female cousin Diana. Unfortunately, his evil and ambitious cousin Rashleigh (the smart one in the family) wants Diana too . . .
The story would be far more exciting if it focused on the passion between Frank and Diana, and if there were more scenes of actual combat between Scottish highlanders and English redcoats. But for most of the book Frank sort of wanders around seeing things happen but not doing anything about it. He's kind of a Frodo or Bilbo Baggins type, and he never comes across as sexy or reckless enough to captivate someone like Diana, who is really the most fascinating character in the book. In the end, most of the 1715 uprising stuff happens off stage, and the "happy ending" for Frank and Diana is kind of a let down.
So why did I give this classic five stars? Just because the atmosphere is so haunting, like the ruined castle where the cousins live. And the mystery surrounding beautiful Diana. And the way the doomed Highlanders are so loyal to a king they've never even met. And the way Rob Roy rescues Frank because he's a gentleman and in love with a beautiful lass. It's a romantic world, even if the plot is confusing and the characters aren't always very interesting.
September 14, 2016
I read this as part of a challenge I organised here on ŷ to bring the works of Sir Walter Scott back into the notice of the reading masses. Once Scott was widely read and on the bookshelf of every person who was educated; often his complete works. Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh in 1791 and was a prolific writer of historical novels and poetry. He is known as the 'creator of the historical novel.'
The movie Rob Roy many have seen, but few have read the book on which the movie is very loosely based. The book is set in 1715, on the eve of the Jacobite rising in Scotland, where the Catholic faction attempted to put the Catholic contender, King James, back on the throne of the UK.
The story is centered on an English, Protestant man, Francis Osbaldistone and his fair love, Catholic, Diana Vernon. The two join forces with Rob Roy MacGregor, a Highlander now outlaw fighting to defend his family and way of life.
The story has many twists and is a story of love, intrigue and betrayal. There is a lot of narrative in Scottish dialect which is hard to understand at first but which I feel adds to the story, even when I couldn't understand what was being said.
Like all of Scott's books, 18th century enlightenment shows it's influence and the theme of tolerance to all good people, regardless of race or religion is strong in the story.
I enjoyed the book and found it worthy of a place on my shelves and I will re-read it at some future point.
The movie Rob Roy many have seen, but few have read the book on which the movie is very loosely based. The book is set in 1715, on the eve of the Jacobite rising in Scotland, where the Catholic faction attempted to put the Catholic contender, King James, back on the throne of the UK.
The story is centered on an English, Protestant man, Francis Osbaldistone and his fair love, Catholic, Diana Vernon. The two join forces with Rob Roy MacGregor, a Highlander now outlaw fighting to defend his family and way of life.
The story has many twists and is a story of love, intrigue and betrayal. There is a lot of narrative in Scottish dialect which is hard to understand at first but which I feel adds to the story, even when I couldn't understand what was being said.
Like all of Scott's books, 18th century enlightenment shows it's influence and the theme of tolerance to all good people, regardless of race or religion is strong in the story.
I enjoyed the book and found it worthy of a place on my shelves and I will re-read it at some future point.
December 10, 2007
It is one of those books that (after reading it) makes you wonder what's really happened and why all the fuss about it. At the end of the first half, the titular character only appeared twice! This book's should be titled "The Adventure of Francis Osbaldistone in Scotland."
Francis was the son of a wealthy merchant, who denounced him because he refused to follow his father's footstep and sent him to live with his uncle in the border between England and Scotland. There he met with his evil cousin Rasleigh and the beautiful, spirited Diana Vernon.
Rasleigh designed a vicious plot towards Francis' father and Diana, so Francis decided to seek help from Rob Roy. It was at the dawn of the 18th century , there was a Jacobite uprising in the highlands. Rob Roy was the chieftain of the MacGregor clan, who is loved by his people but also sought as a criminal by the English.
The story was awful and disorganized. The characters are not impressive, even Rob Roy himself. No great adventure, battle scenes, or something that can sweep away the readers. The use of Scottish languages (Lowland Scots, Scots Gaelic) in half of the conversations also makes me rather dizzy.
I was expecting a fascinating story about chivalry and historical saga just like Scott's other novel, Ivanhoe. Approximately 374 pages, what a waste of time.
Francis was the son of a wealthy merchant, who denounced him because he refused to follow his father's footstep and sent him to live with his uncle in the border between England and Scotland. There he met with his evil cousin Rasleigh and the beautiful, spirited Diana Vernon.
Rasleigh designed a vicious plot towards Francis' father and Diana, so Francis decided to seek help from Rob Roy. It was at the dawn of the 18th century , there was a Jacobite uprising in the highlands. Rob Roy was the chieftain of the MacGregor clan, who is loved by his people but also sought as a criminal by the English.
The story was awful and disorganized. The characters are not impressive, even Rob Roy himself. No great adventure, battle scenes, or something that can sweep away the readers. The use of Scottish languages (Lowland Scots, Scots Gaelic) in half of the conversations also makes me rather dizzy.
I was expecting a fascinating story about chivalry and historical saga just like Scott's other novel, Ivanhoe. Approximately 374 pages, what a waste of time.
Read
July 18, 2013Rob Roy is a key figure in part of my family, the MacGregor clan. We had to rename ourselves to remain within land-owning society in Scotland, and my branch ended up MacAdam, then McAdam, partly due to the work of this outlaw! I slogged through this in 1999, after a trip to the UK where I got to see the old MacGregor lands and visit Rob Roy's grave. I would never have forced myself through it without my connections to this historical figure.
February 3, 2017
Scott was both a historian and novelist. He needs to be seen in the context of the historiographical background of the C18th Scottish Enlightenment. He was greatly influenced by the “conjectural� history propounded by Adam Smith and, most notably, Adam Ferguson, author of the “Essay on Civil Society� and the father of Scott’s best friend and now seen as one of the founders of sociology.
The conjectural historians saw history as the progress of society from hunter/gatherers, to shepherds/herdsmen, to farmers and finally to the latest age of commerce. Ferguson as a Highlander was acutely aware of these stages; he had experienced them all. There were other C18th historical schools. Hume, Gibbon and Voltaire were writing traditional political narrative history. In his novels Scott was writing in the new philosophical, sociological analytical tradition.
Scott is often seen as an ultra- romantic novelist but this was a misreading. David Daiches said “Scott’s best and characteristic novels might with justice be called anti-romantic. They attempt to show that heroic action is, in the last analysis, neither heroic nor useful�. Daiches argued that Scott’s real interest as a novelist was “in the ways in which the past impinged on the present and in the effects of that impact on human character, in the relations between tradition and progress�. These themes were best realised in the novels dealing with the Scotland of the not too distant past of the C17th and C18th, ie Waverley, Guy Mannering, The Antiquary, Old Mortality, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, The Bride of Lammermoor, A Legend of Montrose, Redgauntlet and Chronicles of the Canongate.
Looking at the novels in this way, a discernible conjectural model of a pilgrim’s progress could be described. An Englishman or Lowland Scot wandered into the Highlands, or an equivalent, from civilised to barbarian society and became involved with passionate partisans, often Jacobites for example in Waverley, Rob Roy and Redguantlet. The “heroes� ( Francis Osbaldistone in Rob Roy) were essentially dull, insipid, amiable young men who were disinterested, passive observers of the historical forces in conflict. Activity therefore depended upon other sources of energy - “dark heroes� (Rob Roy in Rob Roy) - whose intentions were good but mistaken. These contrasting pairs represented passion against reason, romantic emotion against sober judgement, the “passionate Scot versus prudent Briton�. Often the passive heroes became involved with the forces of barbaric society but they retained personal links with both sides and eventually put heroic ideas behind them and returned to civil society.
Scott was also the first great writer to be interested in the common people as well as the great. His “low life� characters were often the most real and best drawn, not least because he was able to use Scots idiom and dialogue in a dramatic way. This interest had been appreciated by many commentators, eg the Hungarian Marxist George Lukacs in � The Historical Novel�.
Turning now briefly and specifically to Rob Roy, it was the most clear articulation in any of his novels of the economic basis of conjectural history. Economic theory was central to the novel. The influence of Adam Smith’s ideas are obvious. Baillie Nicol Jarvie was a brilliant illustration of Smith’s idea that the selfishness of the individual pursuit of wealth can be reconciled with social obligations to one’s fellow men and country. Scott showed considerable awareness of the technical aspects of the regulation of trade and of banking and credit. The plot barely touched on the armed struggle of the �15 but centred on whether the Jacobites can use financial means to destabilise the British Government. Frank told us on his return to London that:
� We immediately associated with those bankers and eminent merchants who agreed to support the credit of the government, and to meet that run on the Funds, on which the conspirators had greatly founded their hope of furthering their undertaking, by rendering the government bankrupt�.
The ability of the British Government to fight wars was based on its ability to finance them. The development of an efficient national finance system and London as a financial centre allowed the government to borrow what it needed. This was a major advantage not just in 1715 and 1745 but also in the series of wars against the French in the C18th.
In Rob Roy Scott was comparing an advanced commercial society alongside a traditional patriarchy. Readers were invited to conclude that the Hanoverian state offered new opportunities and that life in Northumberland and the Trossachs was nasty brutish and short. This was a Scott Hanoverian not Jacobite novel.
Scott had not just invented the historical novel, but had set a template for the great nineteenth century novels that were to follow.
There was no direct example amongst the English novels to date that he could model himself on � the epistolary novels such as Richardson; the comic picaresque novels of Fielding and Smollett; the gothic novels such as those of Mrs Radcliffe; and the novel of manners emerging with Jane Austen. Scott produced a new synthesis that took some elements from other novelists but drew most heavily on Shakespearean drama. He offered a serious exploration of social, economic and historic themes. He combined this with an exploration of character, with adventure, with humour, and with an early example of evocative writing about the natural world. And he had little truck with sentimentality in this novel � no sooner is the happy ending offered in one half of the sentence than the heroine is killed off in the second half.
Why Scott’s reputation had declined in the C20th? You might lay the blame squarely on F. R. Leavis. Leavis had excluded Scott from his “Great Tradition� of English novelists, dismissing him in a footnote, and argued that the great tradition ran through Austen, Eliot, James, Conrad, and Lawrence. Leavis’s influence had been considerable and malign in respect of Scott’s reputation. The whole idea of a “great tradition� to which one had to belong was flawed, but Scott had been hugely influential on the great C19th English writers, with a clear line flowing through the Brontes, Dickens, Eliot and Hardy to Lawrence. Half of all novels bought in the C19th were by Scott�.
This is an extract from a review at . Our reviews are also to be found at
The conjectural historians saw history as the progress of society from hunter/gatherers, to shepherds/herdsmen, to farmers and finally to the latest age of commerce. Ferguson as a Highlander was acutely aware of these stages; he had experienced them all. There were other C18th historical schools. Hume, Gibbon and Voltaire were writing traditional political narrative history. In his novels Scott was writing in the new philosophical, sociological analytical tradition.
Scott is often seen as an ultra- romantic novelist but this was a misreading. David Daiches said “Scott’s best and characteristic novels might with justice be called anti-romantic. They attempt to show that heroic action is, in the last analysis, neither heroic nor useful�. Daiches argued that Scott’s real interest as a novelist was “in the ways in which the past impinged on the present and in the effects of that impact on human character, in the relations between tradition and progress�. These themes were best realised in the novels dealing with the Scotland of the not too distant past of the C17th and C18th, ie Waverley, Guy Mannering, The Antiquary, Old Mortality, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, The Bride of Lammermoor, A Legend of Montrose, Redgauntlet and Chronicles of the Canongate.
Looking at the novels in this way, a discernible conjectural model of a pilgrim’s progress could be described. An Englishman or Lowland Scot wandered into the Highlands, or an equivalent, from civilised to barbarian society and became involved with passionate partisans, often Jacobites for example in Waverley, Rob Roy and Redguantlet. The “heroes� ( Francis Osbaldistone in Rob Roy) were essentially dull, insipid, amiable young men who were disinterested, passive observers of the historical forces in conflict. Activity therefore depended upon other sources of energy - “dark heroes� (Rob Roy in Rob Roy) - whose intentions were good but mistaken. These contrasting pairs represented passion against reason, romantic emotion against sober judgement, the “passionate Scot versus prudent Briton�. Often the passive heroes became involved with the forces of barbaric society but they retained personal links with both sides and eventually put heroic ideas behind them and returned to civil society.
Scott was also the first great writer to be interested in the common people as well as the great. His “low life� characters were often the most real and best drawn, not least because he was able to use Scots idiom and dialogue in a dramatic way. This interest had been appreciated by many commentators, eg the Hungarian Marxist George Lukacs in � The Historical Novel�.
Turning now briefly and specifically to Rob Roy, it was the most clear articulation in any of his novels of the economic basis of conjectural history. Economic theory was central to the novel. The influence of Adam Smith’s ideas are obvious. Baillie Nicol Jarvie was a brilliant illustration of Smith’s idea that the selfishness of the individual pursuit of wealth can be reconciled with social obligations to one’s fellow men and country. Scott showed considerable awareness of the technical aspects of the regulation of trade and of banking and credit. The plot barely touched on the armed struggle of the �15 but centred on whether the Jacobites can use financial means to destabilise the British Government. Frank told us on his return to London that:
� We immediately associated with those bankers and eminent merchants who agreed to support the credit of the government, and to meet that run on the Funds, on which the conspirators had greatly founded their hope of furthering their undertaking, by rendering the government bankrupt�.
The ability of the British Government to fight wars was based on its ability to finance them. The development of an efficient national finance system and London as a financial centre allowed the government to borrow what it needed. This was a major advantage not just in 1715 and 1745 but also in the series of wars against the French in the C18th.
In Rob Roy Scott was comparing an advanced commercial society alongside a traditional patriarchy. Readers were invited to conclude that the Hanoverian state offered new opportunities and that life in Northumberland and the Trossachs was nasty brutish and short. This was a Scott Hanoverian not Jacobite novel.
Scott had not just invented the historical novel, but had set a template for the great nineteenth century novels that were to follow.
There was no direct example amongst the English novels to date that he could model himself on � the epistolary novels such as Richardson; the comic picaresque novels of Fielding and Smollett; the gothic novels such as those of Mrs Radcliffe; and the novel of manners emerging with Jane Austen. Scott produced a new synthesis that took some elements from other novelists but drew most heavily on Shakespearean drama. He offered a serious exploration of social, economic and historic themes. He combined this with an exploration of character, with adventure, with humour, and with an early example of evocative writing about the natural world. And he had little truck with sentimentality in this novel � no sooner is the happy ending offered in one half of the sentence than the heroine is killed off in the second half.
Why Scott’s reputation had declined in the C20th? You might lay the blame squarely on F. R. Leavis. Leavis had excluded Scott from his “Great Tradition� of English novelists, dismissing him in a footnote, and argued that the great tradition ran through Austen, Eliot, James, Conrad, and Lawrence. Leavis’s influence had been considerable and malign in respect of Scott’s reputation. The whole idea of a “great tradition� to which one had to belong was flawed, but Scott had been hugely influential on the great C19th English writers, with a clear line flowing through the Brontes, Dickens, Eliot and Hardy to Lawrence. Half of all novels bought in the C19th were by Scott�.
This is an extract from a review at . Our reviews are also to be found at
February 16, 2015
I picked up the Everyman edition of this for 3 quid when I was browsing at a bookshop in Edinburgh; the Scottish scenery had inspired me to explore the classic literature a bit. It turned out to be my big summer read for the year. Dense and absorbing, it certainly satisfied my desire for some 19th century literature. It required me to try to develop some understanding of British politics circa 1730 or so (the exact year it takes place is not clear, and the book contains a number of anachronisms), particulary the Jacobite rebellion and the circumstances attending it. I still am not clear on exactly what part the characters played in this situation - an uprising of Catholics, possibly assisted by some Highlanders, against the Protestant king - but at least I got a bit of a history lesson.
This is Scott's most popular book. He was a very popular and celebrated novelist during his life. He was crippled by an early childhood disease, but lived a full life, working as an attorney as well as a writer, and raising a family and living very well. I am not totally sure what his place is in literary history, i.e. in what ways his work was unique or influential or what movement he may have been a part of. He wrote literary adventure stories (which may have been called romances at the time) which were mostly set in Scotland during the 1700s. To what degree he was the first or the best among writers of such works I do not know. He began as a poet, and had some success at that, before turning to fiction. The love of the English language and the written word is apparent in "Rob Roy". It makes one wonder whether most literate people of that time placed a greater value on eloquent verbal expression than people do today - probably.
This is primarily a very well-written, if not always convincing, work of historical fiction. The language is frequently magnificent. As one of the supplementary essays pointed out, it has a number of fascinating characters that have captivated many readers over the centuries. There is a bonus too - a very interesting essay by Scott on the real Rob Roy and his life and times. The narrative focuses on Francis (Frank) Osbaldistone, a young, wealthy Londoner whose father sends him to the north of England to visit his uncle and cousins. His first cousin Rashleigh turns out to be a remarkably shrewd, cold, and nasty individual, and he quickly becomes Francis's nemesis and the villain of the story. There is a love interest too - Diana Vernon, who also despises Rashleigh. Frank gets the word that he has to go to Edinburgh, and on the way there he encounters not the hero, but the fulcrum of the story, Rob Roy, a Highland ruffian and clan leader, who is both wise and warlike, compassionate and hard, fundamentally decent but on the outside of the law. The story than moves to the Highlands, where there are encounters with mountain roughnecks, and battles between Rob Roy's forces and the English military. One of the Jacobite rebellions breaks out and the characters get embroiled in it.
It was interesting to read this, to dip into literature that has meant so much to so many, and that opens a window onto a very different time and place. I very much enjoyed many of the descriptive passages, discussions of natural scenes or clothing or everyday things. Of course, there is not very much of this - Scott, like most authors, assumes that his readers are already familiar with the world that they live in. This reader, however, is not, and therein lies one of the great pleasures of reading a book by Scott.
This is Scott's most popular book. He was a very popular and celebrated novelist during his life. He was crippled by an early childhood disease, but lived a full life, working as an attorney as well as a writer, and raising a family and living very well. I am not totally sure what his place is in literary history, i.e. in what ways his work was unique or influential or what movement he may have been a part of. He wrote literary adventure stories (which may have been called romances at the time) which were mostly set in Scotland during the 1700s. To what degree he was the first or the best among writers of such works I do not know. He began as a poet, and had some success at that, before turning to fiction. The love of the English language and the written word is apparent in "Rob Roy". It makes one wonder whether most literate people of that time placed a greater value on eloquent verbal expression than people do today - probably.
This is primarily a very well-written, if not always convincing, work of historical fiction. The language is frequently magnificent. As one of the supplementary essays pointed out, it has a number of fascinating characters that have captivated many readers over the centuries. There is a bonus too - a very interesting essay by Scott on the real Rob Roy and his life and times. The narrative focuses on Francis (Frank) Osbaldistone, a young, wealthy Londoner whose father sends him to the north of England to visit his uncle and cousins. His first cousin Rashleigh turns out to be a remarkably shrewd, cold, and nasty individual, and he quickly becomes Francis's nemesis and the villain of the story. There is a love interest too - Diana Vernon, who also despises Rashleigh. Frank gets the word that he has to go to Edinburgh, and on the way there he encounters not the hero, but the fulcrum of the story, Rob Roy, a Highland ruffian and clan leader, who is both wise and warlike, compassionate and hard, fundamentally decent but on the outside of the law. The story than moves to the Highlands, where there are encounters with mountain roughnecks, and battles between Rob Roy's forces and the English military. One of the Jacobite rebellions breaks out and the characters get embroiled in it.
It was interesting to read this, to dip into literature that has meant so much to so many, and that opens a window onto a very different time and place. I very much enjoyed many of the descriptive passages, discussions of natural scenes or clothing or everyday things. Of course, there is not very much of this - Scott, like most authors, assumes that his readers are already familiar with the world that they live in. This reader, however, is not, and therein lies one of the great pleasures of reading a book by Scott.
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