An introductory essay to Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped and Catriona. These two novels focused on the adventures of young David Balfour in the Highlands with Allan Breck some years after the second Jacobite Rising, are generally considered children's books. This essay highlights to what extent these novels are grounded in history, taking into account real events and historical characters, and provides a literary background for them, paying special attention to less known novels dealing with the Jacobite Risings. Written by an Italian Ph.D. in British Literature, Stella Moretti, specializing in Scottish Literature of the Romantic period.
