James Hogg wrote some of his best stories in The Shepherd's Calendar, in which he defines the content and the manners of the traditional storytelling of Ettrick Forest, the mountainous region in Scotland where he grew up. They reveal Hogg's experiences as a young shepherd as it draws a picture of the pleasures and the dangers of the lives in Scottish Highlands. Some of these stories deal with the supernatural and explore psychological depths with a noteworthy intensity and insight. Large parts of these tales are written in a Scots dialect from the region of Ettrick Forest.
The Shepherd's Calendar:
Rob Dodds
Mr Adamson of Laverhope
The Prodigal Son The School of Misfortune
George Dobson's Expedition to Hell
The Souters of Selkirk
The Laird of Cassway
Tibby Hyslop's Dream
Mary Burnet
The Brownie of the Black Haggs
The Laird of Wineholm
Window Wat's Courtship
A Strange Secret
The Marvellous Doctor
The Witches of Traquair
Sheep
Prayers
Odd Characters
Nancy Chisholm
Snow-Storms
The Shepherd's Dog The Expedition to Hell
The Mysterious Bride
The Wool-Gatherer
The Hunt of Eildon
James Hogg (1770–1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many of the great writers of his day, including Sir Walter Scott, of whom he later wrote an unauthorized biography.
