Lorna Doone

lori'na doon, a novel by Richard Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance of Exmoor. It is written in autobiographical style, the writer purporting to be John Ridd, the son of a farmer who was slain by the Doones, a band of outlaws. The Doones made their home in an almost inaccessible rocky defile in Bagworthy Forest. John Ridd, while still a boy, accidentally meets Lorna Doone, the pretty little "Queen" of the Doones. He never forgets the little girl and determines to win her for his wife. His dangerous wooing, their marriage, the plot of the Doones to destroy his home, and the final defeat of the outlaws, make up an exciting story which carries the reader away to a free out-of-door life, with the rush of falling water, the sweep of wild winds, and the courage and daring of a brave-hearted, strong-willed youth. The simple, somewhat quaint language of the story is in keeping with the times and with the character and mental equipment of honest John Ridd. Lorna Doone is the best known of Blackmore's writings and is as popular in America as in England. See Blackmore