An attempt to trace the origins of the romantic image of the Highlands, by examining the economic, military and ideological circumstances of the region's subjugation by the British state. It combines literary criticism and cultural history to produce a case study of the making of the myth.

Part 1 Converting the uncouth savage: integration; the fool; the rogue; the beggar; the history of civilization. Part 2 Warriors: barbarians; recruiting; battles long ago; virtue; regimentals; reaction; the peninsula. Part 3 The land: the picturesque; trees; ruling the waves; the sublime; bounty. Part 4 Ghosts: the superstitions of the Highlands of Scotland, considered as the subject of poetry, the well-taught Hind; the tale of other times; memorials. Part 5 Social tribes: a stay of execution; poetry and emigration; sacred retreats; the language of nature; Caledonia. Part 6 Holidays: make-believe; the tourist in the text; the huntsman; leisure and industry. Part 7 The structure of the myth: peripheralization; nature; community.