The Shepherd's Calendar. Volume I (of II)

"The Shepherd's Calendar. Volume I (of II)" by James Hogg is a collection of pastoral tales written in the early 19th century. The work reflects on the lives of shepherds and farmers in rural Scotland, exploring themes of nature, community, and divinity through the lens of their experiences and interactions. At the start of the volume, we are introduced to the old shepherd Andrew and his wife Janet as they navigate a severe winter storm while tending to their flocks. Andrew expresses concern for the moral state of the country, reflecting on divine judgment as he recounts local history related to the previous hardships faced by farmers. His chat with a visiting farmer reveals mutual frustrations regarding agricultural woes and the perceived decline of morals and prosperity among the farming community. This anecdotal narrative sets the tone for a deeper exploration of the lives, beliefs, and struggles of pastoral folk as they confront the natural elements and the complexities of human nature. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

James Hogg 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 unauthorised biography. He became widely known as the "Ettrick Shepherd", a nickname under which some of his works were published, and the character name he was given in the widely read series Noctes Ambrosianae, published in Blackwood's Magazine. He is best known today for his novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. His other works include the long poem The Queen's Wake (1813), his collection of songs Jacobite Relics (1819), and his two novels The Three Perils of Man (1822), and The Three Perils of Woman (1823).