''Greyfriars Bobby'' is a 1912 novel by Eleanor Atkinson based on the true story of the dog

Greyfriars Bobby Greyfriars Bobby (4 May 1855 – 14 January 1872) was a Skye Terrier or Dandie Dinmont Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died on 14 January 1872. The story continu ...

. The novel has been adapted into two films: ''

Challenge to Lassie ''Challenge to Lassie'' is an American drama directed by Richard Thorpe in Technicolor and released October 31, 1949, by MGM Studios. It was the fifth feature film starring the original Lassie, a collie named Pal, and the fourth and final ''Lass ...

'' and ''

''. Both films starred

Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ...

. The 1961 Walt Disney film '' Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog'' was also based on this book. This novel is written from the point-of-view of the dog, Bobby, and uses Scottish dialogue as the novel is set in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Plot

The narration of ''Greyfriars Bobby'' is most unusual. The book is written from the point of view of the dog, which makes every-day events very strange. The main story of the book is directly adapted from the supposedly true Scottish story of

. Bobby spends much time with his master and unofficial owner, "

Auld Jock Greyfriars Bobby (4 May 1855 – 14 January 1872) was a Skye Terrier or Dandie Dinmont Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died on 14 January 1872. The story continu ...

" ( Scots for "Old John"), creating a very strong emotional connection. They have an intense connection and Jock cares for Bobby very well—though Jock never bought Bobby. This creates problems later, because of Jock's having, in the eyes of the law, "stolen" an unlicensed dog. Eventually, Auld Jock dies. Bobby is in great distress; but a loyal dog will never leave its owner's side, even after death. After his owner dies, Bobby is lost; he can barely function without his companion. Though his owner's body was identified by the man's given name, John Gray, and not as "Auld Jock", his nickname, people still tell Bobby to look for "Jock", which just worsens Bobby's pain. He is lost for a while, and a large reward is offered for his return. Eventually, Bobby finds Auld Jock's grave and guards it day and night. The pair are inseparable.

Characters

Bobby Bobby is a Skye terrier from a heathery slope of the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentlan ...

. Auld Jock

is Bobby's owner. Mr. John Traill Mr. John Traill is the owner of Ye Olde Greyfriars Dining-Rooms and a landlord. Sergeant Scott Sergeant Scott is an officer of the Royal Engineers. Private McLean Private McLean is Sergeant Scott's private. McLean took care of Scott's belongings. James Brown James Brown (or Mr. Brown) is the curator of the cemetery where Auld Jock was buried. Ailie and Tammy Ailie and Tammy are children from the tenements of

Background

This novel is based on the true Scottish story of

. Prior to this 1912 novel, there were many conflicting accounts of the legend, due to inconsistencies being passed down through generations of Scottish families. Eleanor Atkinson's novel served as a standardization and popularization of the story in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Interestingly, Eleanor Atkinson had never been to Scotland in her life, but wrote extremely detailed depictions of landscapes of Edinburgh and the Borders, implying that she was very familiar with the country through extensive research. Atkinson also very accurately depicts Scottish dialogue, a feat that suggests she wrote the book with the help of Scottish immigrants to the Midwest. The novel was on the market for 17 years, marketed at adults, before an illustrated children's version was released. Atkinson discusses how this is a result of the book being passed down from adults to their children, finding its way into schools' reading lists. She says the book was not written with a young audience in mind, and she credits this lack of simplification for younger audiences with the success of her work.

References

{{Reflist 1912 American novels American novels adapted into films Novels set in Edinburgh Novels about animals Greyfriars Bobby