The perilous castle(s) of The three perils of man

Examination of the manuscript shows just how deeply James Hogg was initially committed to Walter Scott’s notion of the ‘perilous castle’ as a central motif of this particular tale of chivalry. Hogg’s willingness to portray violence, often displayed in the text, is destructive of the noble ideal of chivalry rising above the ferocity of the times. In the original name of the novel both the reference to only one castle and the subtitle are highly significant. The disparaging reference to ‘restless commotion’ effectively undercuts the more positive reference to ‘deeds of high chivalry’. Similarly, elsewhere in the novel, the narrator refers slightingly to ‘these mad chivalrous exploits’. The Roxburgh sections of the novel represent a highly effective undercutting of an idealized vision of chivalry. By understanding chivalric behaviour in psychological terms Hogg opens it up to criticism in terms of the values of his own day.