What are the main themes in the novel, Lorna Doone?

The themes of Lorna Doone reflect the beliefs and biases of a man who distrusted changes that the Victorian era brought to England, particularly industrialization and democracy. England had once been agriculturally self-sufficient and Lorna Doone celebrates the values of a rural past. John Ridd is an idealized farmer, a member of the yeomanry that once formed the backbone of the nation. Blackmore's novel posits country life as preferable to life in town and displays a love of all things English—even the class system— throughout. Blackmore's optimistic faith in the triumph of good over evil makes the defeat of the Doones inevitable.