Rob Roy

Sir Walter Scott

A historical novel first published in 1817, this was one of the first popular novels to attempt the use of regional dialect, in this case both Scottish highland and lowland dialects with a glossary of Scottish words. The story is set immediately before the Jacobite Rising of 1715 and follows the narrator, an English merchant, to Scotland in pursuit of a debt. Here he encounters Rob Roy MacGregor, a larger-than-life character fighting for social justice for his kinsmen.