Sir Walter Scott 
Rob Roy 

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was the first English-language author in literary history to have international success during his actual lifetime. His works were celebrated in North America, Australia and Europe. Born in Edinburgh, Scott lived a rather sequestered childhood, stricken with polio and sent to live on his grandparents farm. There, his aunt Jenny not only taught him to read, but influenced his writing forever, influencing the characteristic speech patterns he would write with later on in his life. In 1871, Scott wrote the classic epic ’Rob Roy’, set in a tumultuous Scotland right before the Jacobite Rising of 1715. The story is a harrowing tale of the fight for justice and a poignant commentary on the social conditions of Scotland during the early 18th century. The novel centers on Frank Osbaldistone, the narrator of the story, who is sent to stay with an uncle, Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone, in Northumberland, and crosses paths several times with the mysterious and powerful figure Robert Roy Mac Gregor, known as Rob Roy.