Quizzes
Quick Facts
- In full:
- The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter’s Tale
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
The Master of Ballantrae
novel by Stevenson
Also known as: “The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter’s Tale”
The Master of Ballantrae, novel by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, first serialized in Scribner’s Magazine in 1888–89 and published in book form in 1889.
The novel provides another example of the moral ambiguity Stevenson had explored earlier in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Ballantrae is bold and unscrupulous; his younger brother Henry is plodding, good-natured, and honest. While Ballantrae joins the fight to restore the Stuarts to the English throne during the 1745 rebellion, his brother stays behind as a supporter of King George. Ballantrae is believed dead but returns to find Henry in charge of the estate, married to Ballantrae’s love. The elder brother begins to persecute the younger, in Scotland and then America.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.