Munro’s historical novels were valued in their time as much as the work of Walter Scott or R. L. Stevenson before him. Since then they have often been overlooked as mere romance novels. This fails to recognise that Munro’s novels, like Stevenson’s, often contain a dark satirical and thematic undercurrent.
Gilian the Dreamer (1899) belongs to a similar tradition as Walter Scott’s Waverley (1814). Both feature protagonists whose imagination is so intense that they cannot commit to action. Set in Inverary during the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, the community in that novel finds no place for the imagination. The people see Gilian as a failure because, like J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, he often chooses imagination and fantasy over reality. The novel is as much a criticism of a society which cannot find a place for the imagination as of the protagonist himself. Previously Gilian may have had a place within the Gaelic tradition as a bard. However, the time for such traditions has passed and his gifts are seen to restrict his growth into maturity. Gilian’s ‘lonely and unusual’ childhood is very similar to Munro’s own experience. Munro felt that Scotland’s male-dominated culture marginalised creative thought consequently stifling the artist and writers. Women such as Nan and Miss Mary are shown to stimulate and sympathise with the imagination. It is with them that Gilian can relate but as a result the men reject him.
His novels display both an admiration for the military values of martial Gaeldom as well as disgust at the unnecessary slaughter that comes out of barbaric action. His final novel, The New Road, is perhaps his most accomplished work in this genre. Set in 1733, when General Wade opened the Highlands to trade with the Lowlands, the novel attacks the corruption at the heart of the Highlanders and depicts characters such as the blackmailer Barisdale and the evil Lord Lovat who symbolise the corruption and betrayal within the clans. The novel keeps the suspense going throughout and it is not until the final page that the truth about Æneas’s father, Paul, and the true treachery of Duncanson, is revealed.
Munro looks at an actual period of history in The New Road to discuss the implications of history and of change. Through the negative portrayal of Highland treachery, the road comes to stand for a much-needed symbol of order and regulation. The Highlanders reject it because it threatens their hold of the land. Yet, ironically, the road is also serving the Highlanders. The road allows a new commodity of power to enter into the politics of the North and the battles of blood are turned into battles for money. The main regret about the road is that it is seen to desecrate a landscape once wild and free. As such, it is often symbolised as a ‘scar’ or ‘trench’. Æneas reflects on his journey home that even though the road guarantees his safety, he still loves the passion and adventure of the old lands. He is to be disabused of his romantic fantasy of the Highlands throughout the novel. When he sets off on his journey it is a Highlands of adventure and romance, but he is forced to recognise that the ‘heroic’ men are actually shallow blusterers fighting over petty crimes.
His first novel, John Splendid (1898), sets up many themes that reoccur throughout Munro’s work. Like the others, it is set in a period of social change. It focuses on the sack of Inveraray by Montrose and his victory at the Battle of Inverlochy, 1645. The protagonist of the title is loyal to his clan chief whose actions and demands are those of a coward. Munro’s depiction of the clans is often satirical, commenting that that it is proof of manhood to butcher and slaughter the innocent. Splendid eventually realises that his loyalty is misplaced, and he abandons his Chief to become a mercenary soldier.
Munro’s depiction of the Highlands, as we have seen, is not always a sympathetic one. His short story collection The Lost Pibroch and Other Sheiling Stories draws from the folktales of the Highlands but is also a satirical response to romanticised and self-indulgent notions of the Highlands. The title tale tells of an ancient pipe that if played will bring bad luck and darkness down on the Highlands. The young men will leave the country and take with them the hope for new life. The other stories in the collection demonstrate, ironically, that the pibroch has already been played: the son kills his unknown father, clans and communities come to bloodshed over foolish feuds often started with a minor insult. Artists are literally or metaphorically rejected from the community, often blind or crippled, they are doomed to be outsiders.
The change to stories of the Lowlands reflects Munro’s own move south from the Highlands. The Para Handy stories have became popular with their light hearted social commentary on contemporary issues. The characters avoid work at any cost and continually get themselves into scrapes. The adventures of the West Highland puffer skipper and the crew of the coaster Vital Spark have enjoyed continuing success and have been adapted for television, stage and film.
