Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy (1817; revised 1829–1830)

Riach, A. (2022) Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy (1817; revised 1829–1830). In: Berndt, K. and Johns, A. (eds.) Handbook of the British Novel in the Long Eighteenth Century. Series: Handbooks of English and American Studies (16). De Gruyter: Berlin, pp. 519-538. ISBN 9783110649765 (doi: 10.1515/9783110650440)

Abstract

Abstract: Rob Roy occupies a central place in the history of the novel, more particularly the historical novel, which Sir Walter Scott is frequently said to have invented. The chapter will look at the larger historical context and what was for Scott the essential question of his era, which also has close application in the novel: that of divided loyalties in times of changing political power. Moreover, it will discuss the novel’s narrative and aesthetic strategies in the context of the distinctively Scottish complexity of the relation between Enlightenment and Romanticism that is interwoven with the extraordinary temporal layers in the novel’s narrative. Rob Roy’s reception is viewed in the context of its publication history, which has informed its critical appreciation, the legacy of the novel, and Scott’s work more generally, in terms of cultural production in various fields (for example, in theatre, music, cinema and TV).

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Riach, Professor Alan
• Authors: Riach, A.
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PE English; P Language and Literature > PR English literature
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Scottish Literature
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• ISBN: 9783110649765