49 pages • 1 hour read
Graeme Macrae BurnetA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Preface-Statements
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 15-37
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 37-59
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 59-83
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 83-96
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 96-112
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 112-126
The Account of Roderick Macrae, Pages 126-133 and Medical Reports
Extract from Travels in the Border-Lands of Lunacy by J. Bruce Thomson
The Trial, First and Second Day
The Trial, Third Day-Epilogue
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
This portion of the book is not presented as a historical document but as Burnet’s distillation of several historical sources.
As he notes, the case gained notoriety before it began thanks to Roderick’s memoirs and, as such, “[s]pecial accommodations had been made in the court-room for the large number of reporters wishing to attend the trial” (167). He describes the Crown’s defense team, which cautions the jury to disregard the memoirs in their considerations and notes Roderick’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The Crown proceeds to lay out its case, detailing the crimes against Lachlan, Flora, and Donnie Mackenzie.
The first witness is the doctor responsible for the autopsies, who describes the injuries inflicted upon the Mackenzies as “the most brutal” (171) he has ever seen. Carmina Murchison is the next to take the stand, describing the day of the attack and the nature of the relations between the Macraes and the Mackenzies, saying that Lachlan tormented the Macrae family in his capacity as constable. In cross-examination, Sinclair gets Carmina to discuss Roderick’s family—including the recent death of his mother, Jetta’s interest in the supernatural, and Roderick’s habit of speaking to himself.
The next witness is Kenny Murchison, who describes the crime scene as he observed it.