Outlander Book Club: Book 2, Chapter 12 breakdown

Foreshadowing within the Outlander chapter

As I mentioned, I don’t see all that much in the way of foreshadowing. The main bit of foreshadowing is in the mention of the letters.

Jamie wants the letters, so he knows what’s being passed around. He wants to use the letters to his advantage to prevent Prince Charles from leading the Jacobite rebellion. However, it’s clear that there’s going to be more that comes from them.

The letters connect to Mother Hildegarde. Never underestimate a reason for a storyline to be introduced. It turns out that Mother Hildegarde could help to prevent Culloden. If only Claire and Jamie had more time in Paris.

It’s also clear that Mother Hildegarde’s respect for Claire will run deeper. She is happy that Claire understands medicine but is also humble enough to allow Bouton to work when needed. It cements this friendship that will play an important part when it comes to Claire’s pregnancy.

Adapting the Dragonfly in Amber chapter

Outlander Book 2, Chapter 12 was certainly used on the TV series. We got to see Claire at work, although things didn’t quite work out the same. She didn’t have Jamie’s blessing to do this, and it led to a fight the first night.

Why would the show do this? Part of it would have been time. There wouldn’t have been the time to have the conversation first, then have Jamie accept it, and then show the work. It was just better to switch the chapters around slightly.

It also created some in-episode drama for the couple. The two wouldn’t see eye-to-eye until Claire’s work turned out useful to him. I think it did offer a look at Jamie that wasn’t as positive, something that the show doesn’t always manage to do in the earlier chapters. It’s easy to forget that he is still a man of the 18th century and sometimes seems too perfect. This episode reminded us that he has flaws.

One thing that we did get to see was Jamie and Fergus meet. This was under slightly different circumstances. Nobody is trying to kill Jamie, and instead, the meetings with Bonnie Prince Charlie have happened in a brothel. A brothel does offer some secrecy compared to normal taverns.

I love that the show offers a look at how Jamie and Fergus meet, especially with Fergus stealing Sawny. We get to know this young boy right away, shown instead of told. The TV series gets over the limitations of the book from just Claire’s point of view.

What did you get from your reading of Outlander Book 2, Chapter 12? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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