49 pages • 1 hour read
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Preface-Statements
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 15-37
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 37-59
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 59-83
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 83-96
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 96-112
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 112-126
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 126-133 and Medical Reports
Extract from Travels in the Border-Lands of Lunacy by J. Bruce Thomson
The Trial, First and Second Day
The Trial, Third Day-Epilogue
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
Roderick’s memoir begins with an explanation that he is writing at the behest of his advocate, Andrew Sinclair, who has asked that he write an account of his crimes. He explains that he is guilty of the murders, but that he carried them out for his family’s benefit. He goes on to explain the layout of Culduie, which is comprised of nine houses and belongs to the parish of Applecross, a short distance from the town of the same name, where Lord Middleton (who owns the land Culduie sits upon) lives. Roderick and the other residents of Culduie are crofters, or tenant farmers who work small plots of land belonging to the nobility. Lachlan Mackenzie and Roderick’s father have feuded since before Roderick’s birth, and Roderick recounts being frightened of Lachlan as a child.
Detailing his family history, Roderick describes how his mother and father married after becoming close following a shipwreck in which Una’s and John’s brothers were both killed. They first had a daughter named Jetta, who was followed by Roderick within a year. While Roderick’s father is religious, Jetta and Una are both superstitious and claim to receive prophetic visions.
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