Lorna Doone, a Romance in Exmoor is a beautiful romance and adventure story set in the South West of England during the Monmouth Rebellion. Thus his reputation rests chiefly upon this romantic work, in spite of the fact that it was not his favourite. Though very popular in his time, Blackmore's work has since been altogether ignored, and his entire body of work, save for his magnum opus Lorna Doone, which has enjoyed considerable popularity since its being published, has gone out of publication. Blackmore has been described as 'proud, shy, reticent, strong-willed, sweet-tempered, and self-centred.' He may be said to have done for Devon what Sir Walter Scott did for the Highlands and Hardy for Wessex. Noted for his eye for and sympathy with nature, critics of the time described this as one of the most striking features of his writings.īlackmore, a popular novelist of the second half of the nineteenth century, often referred to as the 'Last Victorian', acted as pioneer of the new romantic movement in fiction that continued with Robert Louis Stevenson and others.

He won literary merit and acclaim for his vivid descriptions and personification of the countryside, sharing with Thomas Hardy a Western England background and a strong sense of regional setting in his works. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of his generation.

Richard Doddridge Blackmore, referred to most commonly as R.

Lorna doone novel