Book Description This is the only critical edition of this perennially popular story. Sally Shuttleworth's introduction finds， beneath the idyllic evocation of rural bliss and a tale of love and high adventure， a startling sub-text which rigidly defends Victorian values， and portrays a `manly' hero constantly having to prove his masculinity to himself. --This text refers to the Paperback edition. The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature Historical romance by R.D. Blackmore， published in 1869. Set in the wilds of Exmoor (northern Devonshire， Eng.) during the late 17th century， the novel concerns the adventurous life of the yeoman John Ridd and his love for Lorna Doone， a beautiful maiden. Blackmore considered the novel a romance and studded it with the high adventure， dramatic set pieces， bloody villainy， and obstacles to love that characterize the genre. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.