Kidnapped (novel)
Kidnapped is a fast-moving
historical fiction adventure story by the
Scottish author
Robert Louis Stevenson. Written as a "
boys novel" and first published in the magazine
Young Folks from May to July
1886, the novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as
Henry James,
Jorge Luis Borges and
Seamus Heaney.
As historical fiction, it is set around
18th century Scottish events, notably the "
Appin murder", which occurred near
Ballachulish in 1752 in the aftermath of the
Jacobite Rising. Many of the characters, and one of the principals,
Alan Breck Stewart, were real people. The political situation of the time is skilfully portrayed from different viewpoints, and the plight of the
highlanders treated sympathetically.
The central character and narrator is a young man,
David Balfour (Balfour being Stevenson's mother's maiden name), callow but resourceful, whose parents have recently died and who is out to make his way in the world. After his kidnap in
South Queensferry, his journey from
shipwreck on
Mull back to
Edinburgh is described so accurately that the route can be traced to this day.
The solid historical and environmental background, and the
realism with which the physical hardship suffered by Alan and David is described, give the novel an immediacy which perhaps explains the hold it has on some readers, given the simple narrative line and spare
plotting. Indeed plot only takes a dominant role at the beginning and end of the novel, while the heart of it lies in what James described as the "really excellent" chapters of the flight in the
heather. Some of the Scottish
dialogue may be hard going for modern readers (see
Scots language), though Stevenson himself admitted that he had applied only a smattering so as not to tax the inner ear of non-Scots.
Kidnapped was well received and sold well while Stevenson was alive, but after his death many viewed it with skepticism seeing it as simply a "boys novel". However by the mid-20th century it has since regained critical approval and study.
The sequel
Catriona (David Balfour) was written in 1893 while Stevenson was living on
Samoa. It has in large part a
romantic theme, and much less adventure, and has not achieved the popular appeal of
Kidnapped.
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ClassicNotes on Kidnapped. Includes summary, analysis, themes, character list, background, etc..
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Film adaptions of Kidnapped. There have been about 21 movie and TV versions of the book made.
