Sir Walter Scott

Rob Roy Sir Walter Scott

Rob Roy is an 1817 historical novel by Scottish historian and playwright Sir Walter Scott. It is known as one of his three "Waverly Novels," books for which he did not claim authorship until after they were widely known, using instead the inscription "by the author of Waverley." It is narrated by the son of an English trader, Frank Osbaldistone, who breaks ties with his family as a young man over irreconcilable differences in religious belief and life outlook. Spurned, his father, William Osbaldistone, sends him to live with his uncle and cousins, exchanging him for one of the cousins, a boy named Rashleigh. Rashleigh turns out to be a nuisance for William, while Frank becomes entangled in the business exploits of the Scottish outlaw and folk hero, Rob Roy MacGregor. The novel explores themes of national identity, morality (especially moral ambiguity), intergenerational conflict, and free will.