The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
Volume XII. The Romantic Revival.
§ 11. John Galt
Before this chapter is brought to a close, two Scottish novelists should not be left without mention. John Galt, in The Ayrshire Legatees, The Entail and The Annals of the Parish, gave admirably minute and real studies of rural life in Scotland, full of strong delineation of character and forcible detail. As imaginative pictures of homely life under perfectly known conditions, Galt’s novels occupy an important place in fiction. The fame of the Waverley novels tempted him later to compete with Scott in historical fiction, in which he succeeded but moderately.