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Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills

27/2/2020

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‘Mad Sir Uchtred of the Hills’ is short and shocking. Originally serialised in a popular magazine in 3 episodes, the thirteen chapters offer  a Gothic style story set in Covenanting Times. This in itself is intriguing.  The basic story is of Sir Uchtred who is cursed by a Covenanting Minister (Alexander Renfield.) We are swiftly taken into a world of allegory and symbolism (though you can ignore all this and simply read the fast paced and gruesome story) The curse is that of King Nebuchadnezzar  - which sees him cast out as a beast on the hills.  Crockett’s great strength in writing was his power of natural description and ‘Mad Sir Uchtred’ opens our eyes to this in an immediate fashion but the heavily laden symbolism of the popinjay and the wounded white mountain hare ensure that, for those who want to read a little deeper than the blood and guts and madness, there is much food for thought.
In Crockett’s day there was a furore about his title character’s name. And charges of plagarism. For the T.Fisher Unwin edition he offers an ‘advertisement’ which points out that the character is not based on the ‘real’ William McDowall of Garthland.  It is fiction not fact. The contemporary dispute illustrates something that was to dog Crockett all his career – arguments over the nature of ‘historical fiction.’  It was a relatively new thing in the 1890’s and Crockett could certainly be credited with an involvement in the emerging ‘genre’ of historical fiction.  Thus reading Crockett is of great interest both to those who like historical fiction and those who are interested in the development of historical fiction. Certainly the story has that nightmare, chaotic quality one would expect from such a work.  There are shades perhaps of Coleridge’s ‘dream’ poem Kubla Khan – but in prose form.  While not thoroughly typical of Crockett’s historical or adventure writing, it is a good place to start an exploration of the writer – if you like to be gripped and hurled along a story from beginning to end.

VOLUME 30 OF THE GALLOWAY COLLECTION. BUY THE BOOK ONLINE HERE 
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    THE COMPLETE CROCKETT

      1886    Dulce Cor  
    1893    The Stickit Minister 
    1894    Mad Sir Uchtred
    1894    The Play Actress
    1894    The Raiders
    1894    The Lilac Sunbonnet
    1895    Bog Myrtle and Peat
    1895    A Galloway Herd
    1895    Men of the Moss Hags
    1896    Cleg Kelly
    1896    The Grey Man
    1896    Sweetheart Travellers 
    1897    Lads' Love
    1897    Lochinvar
    1897    Sir Toady Lion
    1898    The Red Axe
    1898    The Standard Bearer
    1899    The Black Douglas
    1899    Kit Kennedy
    1899    Ione March
    1900    Joan of the Sword Hand
    1900    Stickit Minister's Wooing
    1900    Little Anna Mark
    1901    Cinderella
    1901    The Firebrand
    1901    Love Idylls
    1901    The Silver Skull
    1902    The Dark o' the Moon
    1902    Flower o' the Corn
    1903    Adventurer in Spain
    1903    The Banner of Blue
    1904    Love of Miss Anne
    1904    Strong Mac
    1904    Raiderland
    ​
    1904    Red Cap Tales
    1905    Maid Margaret
    1905    The Cherry Ribband
    1905    Kid McGhie
    1905    Sir Toady Crusoe
    1906    White Plumes of Navarre
    1907    Me and Myn
    1907    Little Esson
    1907    Vida
    1908    Deep Moat Grange
    1908    Princess Penniless
    1908    Bloom o' the Heather 
    1908    Red Cap Adventures 
    1909    The Dew of Their Youth
    1909    Men of the Mountain
    1909    My Two Edinburghs
    1909    Rose of the Wilderness
    1910    Young Nick and Old Nick
    1911    The Lady of a 100 Dresses 
    1911    Love in Pernicketty Town
    1911    The Smugglers
    1912    Anne of the Barricades
    1912    Sweethearts at Home
    1912    The Moss Troopers
    1913    Sandy's Love
    1913    A Tatter of Scarlet
    1914    Silver Sand
    1915    Hal o' the Ironsides
    1917    The Azure Hand
    1920    The White Pope
    1926    Rogues' Island
    2016   Peter the Renegade 

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  • HOME
    • About
    • 2024
  • LIFE
  • LITERATURE
    • READ
    • Choices
    • BUY BOOKS
  • LEGACY
    • LISTEN
    • WATCH
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    • #GoCrocketteering