The wrong side of the tracks

Blogging Rob Roy chapters 27 and 28

This is not a modern realist novel with detailed descriptions of how Andrew Fairservice peels his hard-boiled egg included for no other reason but heightening our sense of this is all being real. Every description has a moral purpose so that, when we get a comic moment describing Fairservice’s horse trading it is meant to tell us something about him and the society he holds a place in. The point of which—and Sir Walter beats us over the head with it–is that Jarvie and not Fairservice is the soul of Scotland.

Likewise as we had across the barren bogs, it might seem like we are getting a description of the land as it passes by much as if recorded by a camera but what we are really getting is affirmation of Jarvie’s point that Scotland cannot support its population on an agrarian economy.

As a general comment, I might add that even today, comic relief is never just that. Whether the laughs come from Sancho Panza or Porky Pig, there is always some moral intent at work and often one that we would find offensive if we thought about it too long.

Again note how the discussion of the river Forth in Chapter 28 quickly boils down to a discussion of military topography. It’s a beautiful river but it plays a role in history and that is what we are being prepared for here.

Now the visitors finally get somewhere and after some negotiating, get admitted to a house. The crucial thing to note about this house is that it has no chimney. There is a fire and a hole in the roof. That means no upstairs to speak of.  The thing we need to know to appreciate this is that the chimney was invented in the fifteenth century. By the sixteenth it was a common thing. Sir Walter is telling us that these people are two centuries behind then-modern civilization. They also do not have standard measure. This is one very backward place and Scott wants to disabuse us of any romantic notions we might have about the Highlands.

Usquebaugh

That, of course, means whisky and Scott makes it clear to us that civilized men, including lowland Scots, prefer brandy.

An aside, you have to love the expression “distil from malt”. Even today, people talk about Malt Whisky and Single Malt Whisky like it was something special. Malt means beer. Single malt means the whisky is all distilled from the same batch of beer and is not produced by blending whiskies from several batches of beer. Single malt is no guarantee of quality and a blended whisky can easily be better than a single malt. (There is also no limit to the amount of whisky that can be produces without affecting quality. The whole Scotch Whisky industry is based on fraud and superstition. Later generations may have been conned but not Sir Walter.)

Anyway, our whisky-swilling pals whom Frank and Jarvie interrupt are up to something private and they do not mean to be disturbed. Frank says that, had he the time to think, he might have remembered his Juvebnal:

Dat veniam corvus, vexat censura columbas

Columbus as in columbine as in dove. “Corvus” as in crow meaning thieves. The censor forgives the crows while harassing the doves. A very good point that applies to governments even today. But here we have no government, we just have some guys who don’t know the local custom and aren’t sure what sort of trouble they might get into.

In any case, we have a fight whose purpose is to establish everyone’s honour rather than see anyone win or lose. The world here is akin to that of inner-city gangs and the issues of gang members eager for others to show respect are much the same. These people, like all gang members, are at the bottom and they know it, which is why they crave respect so badly. We learn in the course of it that Rob’s pal Dougal is there watching out for Frank. It’s not clear Frank figures this out.

Then we learn that Jarvie knows one of the men on account of his owing him rent. Again, there is a moral purpose here. There is no law in the Highlands so rents are uncollectable. Therefore a landlord such as Jarvie isn’t going to bother much about his holdings and no economy capable of raising these poor highlanders out of destitution is likely to arise.

And we end with Frank being handed a mysterious note.

Until next time.