Published 1869 / Length 624 pages
The stage on which this classic tale plays out is a gloomy Exmoor in the late seventeenth century, during the time of James II and the Monmouth Rebellion; an Exmoor pervaded by the menacing Doone clan. John Ridd, our hero, is twelve years old when the novel begins. His own father, a farmer, was murdered by Carver Doone, but what promises to be a story of revenge melts into epic romance as Ridd falls in love with the beautiful, aristocratic Lorna Doone. The novel explores the pain of wanting something beyond reach, forbidden passion and the extents to which one will go to save a beloved. Blackmore considers the redemptive power of love, examining whether it enables one to forgive even arch-enemies.
‘I read this book as a teenager and was gripped by its evocative setting, although I felt frustrated by the complicated plot and cheated by the ending. I recently tried to reread it as an adult and it wasn’t quite as powerful.’ – ANITA, 26
• ‘This work is called a “romance”, because the incidents, characters, time, and scenery, are alike romantic. And in shaping this old tale, the Writer neither dares, nor desires, to claim for it the dignity or cumber it with the difficulty of an historic novel.’ This is how the author prefaces his work. Is Lorna Dorne a classic love story, or a piece of history? How do such categorizations help or hinder our appreciation of the story?
• How satisfying did you find the ending?
• What techniques does Blackmore use to build a sense of menace throughout the novel?
• The 1685 Monmouth Rebellion tried to overthrow King James II (who acceded to the throne after his brother, Charles II, died) in favour of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of Charles who claimed to be the rightful heir. It was a time of religious rivalries and great political unrest.
• Lorna Doone was first published anonymously in 1869 in a limited edition of just 500 copies, of which only 300 sold. The following year it was republished in one volume and has never since been out of print.
• The novel has inspired more than ten adaptations, including a 2000 BBC TV production. Lorna Doone also lends its name to a brand of shortbread.
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by an unknown author – a fourteenth-century verse romance set in King Arthur’s time.
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (see here) – another novel with a haunting geographical setting, in this case focusing not on Exmoor, but on du Maurier’s native Cornwall.