Power and Punishment in Scott's Novels

Given that Sir Walter Scott was educated to practice law and that his interest in history focused on times of rebellion or revolution, it is perhaps not surprising that complex issues of right, justice, and power should figure prominently in his fiction. Bruce Beiderwell contends that Scott's novels contributed in a significant way to the general discourse on crime and punishment during his lifetime (1771-1832), which conincided with a vital period in the history of criminal law reform.