Outlander: A Genre-Busting Series

The Outlander series started in 1988 when Diana Gabaldon, Ph.D., D.H.L. decided to write a novel as an exercise. Gabaldon wondered if she could write a full-length novel and whether or not she wanted to write fiction (she had written primarily non-fiction books and articles in fields of Zoology, Marine Biology and Quantitative Behavioral Ecology). Gabaldon did not plan to tell anyone that she was writing a novel, let alone plan to publish it. Now thirty years later, after the first book was published in 1991, over twenty million copies have been sold and eight more additional books have been added to the series. This does not include the published novels expanding on the minor characters within the series. The books have been translated into over twenty languages, and into an extremely successful television program on the Starz network. It is evident that Gabaldon has successfully accomplished far beyond what she had initially set out to do.1

Because the first book was meant to be a writing exercise, Gabaldon saw no need or reason to limit herself in the book’s content. Consequently, this series of novels cover an array of genres and topics including history, medicine, wars, action, spirituality, revenge, clan and social dynamics, time travel, pirates on the high seas and romance. Each book is unique in its structure, tone, and themes. An interesting aspect about these books (despite them being a part of a series) is that they are engineered in such a way that each one could be read independent of any other. However, as with any series, Gabaldon suggests beginning at the start with the title novel Outlander, the first volume in the series. This story sets up the necessary background of the strong female lead character Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser.

The series begins during the end days of WWII when Claire (an ex-combat nurse) is finally reunited with her husband Frank and they travel to the Scottish Highlands hoping to reconnect with a second honeymoon. On a walk alone Claire finds herself at the stone circle of Craigh na Dun (these stone circles can be found all over the British Isles) and she accidentally falls through the largest stone and time travels to 1743. The first person she encounters is the English Captain Jack Randall, who turns out to be Frank’s (look-alike) six-timesgreat-grandfather. Randall proves to be a sadistic pervert and while Claire tries to escape Randall’s clutches, she falls into the hands of a small band of Highland Scots. In a ruse to avoid capture by Captain Randall, Claire begrudgingly agrees to marry one of the Scots, James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. Still, she is desperate to get back to her husband Frank, and when the opportunity arises she tries to make her way back to the stones, only to end up in the hands of the English, necessitating yet another rescue by her Scottish husband and the MacKenzies. As the story unfolds, Claire falls in love with the young Jamie and both the novel (and its sequels) develop the romance alongside major historical political and social events of the eighteenth century.2 When asked about the novel series Diana Gabaldon has said multiple times, “I tell you what. Pick it up, open it anywhere and read three pages. If you can put it down again, I’ll pay you a dollar.” She has reportedly never lost any money on this bet.3

The main character Claire is a woman who is ahead of her time both in 1945 and in 1745. In her series Gabaldon has crafted a character who does not need to wear revealing clothing, or be able to fight battles on her own, in order to be a ‘strong’ character. Gabaldon, depicts Claire as an emotionally authentic and revealing character with an ever-growing innate strength and intelligence as is shown through her ability as a healer. Interestingly, the series shows Claire as the healer in period-appropriate forms as a nurse, a surgeon, and wise healer. Without these abilities, it is possible that the Chieftain of the MacKenzie Clan may not have welcomed Claire into Castle Leoch as he did. In book three, Dragonfly in Amber, Claire travels back to the twentieth century and lives in the United States where she goes to medical school. In the 1960s it was not common for women to attend medical school, let alone to become a surgeon. Yet, Gabaldon has Claire balancing parenting and medical school successfully, coming out at the top of her class.4 Gabaldon shows Claire as someone who carries twentieth-century knowledge back in time as seen in book five, The Fiery Cross, when she combines both her understanding of medicine and herbology to create usable penicillin in the eighteenth century long before it appeared in the twentieth century.5 The first book of the series is told entirely through Claire’s perspective, which provides readers

with a comprehensive understanding of her inner voice and personal experience. It is through this first-person perspective that readers learn how Claire’s nomadic and unorthodox childhood, along with her six years as a combat nurse were key components in shaping her into an independent woman who was not afraid of livingly roughly or of being in physical danger. Claire has an outspoken attitude and an unapologetic approach to life. When she travels from the 1940s back to the eighteenth century, people around her expect her to behave like an eighteenth-century woman: to have a soft personality, to perform the duties of a lady, and to keep her thoughts to herself. Claire refuses to silence her voice and freely expresses her opinion.

Gabaldon makes sure that readers understand that Claire’s eighteenth-century husband, Jamie, admires both her intellect and fiery spirit. In contrast, as a healer, Gabaldon presents Claire as calm and clear headed in many high stakes/dire situations, such as when she had to reconstruct Jamie’s hand.6 In the eighteenth century the occupation of a surgeon was exclusively a male profession. Despite this, Claire stepped in and healed people regardless of the damage it might do to her reputation. In an era where domestic abuse and social violence were commonplace, Gabaldon ensures that Claire opposes this behaviour, refusing to allow Jamie to treat her like she was anything less than his equal. Significantly, Gabaldon writes Jamie as an alpha male type, who is challenged by Claire’s claims of equality, but he listens to her in order to learn and grow as a man.

The Outlander series is well-known for its sex scenes that explore intimacy through the female gaze. Interestingly, Gabaldon has stated that she has never heard of the term “female gaze.” She contends that she simply writes from her own perspective as a woman. Her husband, Doug Watkins, is in fact the only person that she allows to see her manuscript while she is working on it. Therefore, her first editorial input is from a man.7 Regardless of who her editors are, Gabaldon may have started out writing fiction as an experiment, but in doing so, she has created a niche genre. This unique series of books are not just another romantic story in the Highlands of Scotland, they are a beautiful blend of every fictional genre. The novels depict characters so realistically that they feel as if they could have been real historical figures and not figments of the imagination. Gabaldon knows how to draw out human emotions through her writing and holds nothing back. The books have endured and are endeared because they reflect the realities of life, death, conflict, jealousy and beauty. The lush landscape of the Scottish Highlands serves merely as a backdrop that draws the reader further into the world of Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser. Gabaldon interweaves real historical figures and events with her own characters effortlessly. Combining these key ingredients along with a strong female lead creates a genre busting classic series that will last for generations. Hanna-marie Gazso (she/her) Double major in History and Music