Kidnapped: Warriors, romance, and mystery

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson is an adventure story set in the Scottish Highlands. When Stevenson wrote this novel in the late 19th century, authors like Sir Walter Scott and poets like Robbie Burns had collectively conjured a literary image of Scotland filled with romance and mystique. The wild, rugged highlands and their inhabitants were a ripe setting for adventures and escapades and magical prose. 

Stevenson writes, "So we sat again and at and drank, in a place whence we could see the sun going down into a field of great, wild, and houseless mountains, such as I was now condemned to wander in with my companion." (Stevenson, 164)

Scottish Highland scenery near where Kidnapped takes place

The novel takes place in the 18th century, just a few years after the last of the Jacobite risings had been defeated at Culloden Moor. Kidnapped captures the noble yet rebellious spirit of the conquered chiefs and their clansmen, and uses this romantic atmosphere to tell the story of a young boy who is kidnapped and later accused of conspiracy and murder. 

In reading various reviews on the novel, I've discovered that although Stevenson originally wrote it for a young audience, it gradually gathered acclaim from adults and even critics. Stevenson, the author of other favorites such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island, even said Kidnapped was the best thing he'd ever written. 

On one hand, the novel seems to convey the fantastical adventures that a young boy could only dream of--shipwrecks, dubious relatives, wild Scottish highland scenery, dangerous bravado, a murder mystery, and even a blind catechist who can somehow aim a pistol. However, many of the issues raised in the story can give insight into relationships and into various political issues of the day. 

For instance, one important lesson is that people have very different motivations in pursuing virtue. The two friends who occupy the attention of the novel are often at odds because one seeks simple financial restoration while the other seeks revenge. Each of these wants justice but in his own way. This side of the novel grants it appeal to more mature readers in addition to the young, and gives it both depth and life. And really, what more can you ask for in a novel?

Image Credits: Isaac Smith, 2014