Returning to Scotland for his follow up to the phenomenally popular Ivanhoe, The Monastery is a sixteenth-century romance set in the Scottish Borders. Centred around the monastery of Kennaquhair, based on Melrose Abbey, the novel focuses on the effects of the Scottish Reformation on monastic life. As with his other novels, the book also sees a romantic plot in which the brothers Edward and Halbert Glendenning fall in love with Mary Avenel, the daughter of the widowed Lady Avenel.
Scott wrote The Monastery during breaks between writing Ivanhoe, finishing it in late 1819. The book was published in March 1820 and saw a sequel, The Abbot published that September. The Abbot, continued the story of Edward Glendenning, now Abbot of Kennaquhair, and explored the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots at Lochleven Castle in 1567, her escape, defeat and eventual flight to England.
After the success of Ivanhoe, both The Monastery and The Abbot were seen as a disappointment. Nevertheless, parts of the story and the characterisation were well received by critics.