Death of the Laird's Jock
The Laird's Jock is a novel by Walter Scott, first published in 1825. It is set in the Scottish Highlands in the late 18th century and tells the story of a young man, Jock, who is the son of a laird. Jock is a wild and reckless youth, and his father is determined to teach him a lesson. He sends Jock away to the Highlands to work as a shepherd, hoping that the hard work and solitude will help him to mature. Jock soon finds himself in the middle of a feud between two clans, the MacLeods and the MacKenzies. He is caught in the middle of the conflict and is forced to choose sides. He eventually decides to join the MacLeods, and his loyalty to them is tested when he is asked to help them in a battle against the MacKenzies. Jock is successful in the battle, but he is mortally wounded in the process. He dies in the arms of his father, who has come to the Highlands to find him. The novel ends with Jock's father mourning his son's death and reflecting on the lessons he has learned from his son's life.
By Walter Scott · First published 1829 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure · 1,997 words
First lines
You have asked me, sir, to point out a subject for the pencil, and I feel the difficulty of complying with your request, although I am not certainly unaccustomed to literary composition, or a total stranger to the stores of history and tradition, which afford the best copies for the painter's art. But although SICUT PICTURA POESIS is an ancient and undisputed axiom -- although poetry and painting both address themselves to the same object of exciting the human imagination, by presenting to it pleasing or sublime images of ideal scenes -- yet the one conveying itself through the ears to the understanding, and the other applying itself only to the eyes, the subjects which are best suited to the bard or tale-teller are often totally unfit for painting, where the artist must present in a single glance all that his art has power to tell us.
What this Textopian page supports
Death of the Laird's Jock is listed on Textopian as a short story by Walter Scott, dated 1829 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Walter Scott
- Date: 1829 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure, Mystery
- Length: 1,997 words
- Structure: 1 section, 25 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Death of the Laird's Jock by Walter Scott
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The book is written by Walter Scott, a renowned historical fiction author, and is set in Scotland, a historically rich region.
- Romance — The book follows the story of a Laird's Jock, a romantic figure in Scottish culture, and his death.
- Adventure — The book follows the story of a Laird's Jock, a romantic figure in Scottish culture, and his death, which could be seen as an adventure.
- Mystery — The book follows the story of a Laird's Jock, and his death, which could be seen as a mystery to be solved.
Tags
Fiction · Ghost stories · Scotland · Social life and customs · armstrong · battle · border · bore · challenge · champion · chief · clan