Walter Scott and the historical novel

Walter Scott and the historical novel

Some biography notes

Walter Scott, the son of a solicitor, was born in Edinburgh in 1771. When a young boy, Scott contracted polio and was sent to his grandfather's farm at Sandyknowle to recuperate, and therefore got to know the Border country which had a profound influence on his future writing.

Educated at Edinburgh University, Scott became a law clerk in his father's office. After 1792 Scott worked as an advocate but his main ambition was to become a writer. In 1797 he published a translation of Burger's The Wild Huntsmen. This was followed by the three volume, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802-1803) and The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805).

After becoming a partner in the printing business, James Ballantyne & Co, Scott wrote and published The Lay of the Lake (1810), Rokeby (1813), The Bridal of Triermain (1813), The Lord of the Isles (1815) and Harold the Dauntless (1817).

Scott also contributed to the Edinburgh Review but he disapproved of its support for the Whigs and in 1809 helped establish the Tory journal, The Quarterly Review.

In 1813 Scott refused the offer of poet laureate and recommended Robert Southey for the post. Scott now turned from poetry to the novel. Over the next ten years he anonymously published several novels including Waverly (1814), Guy Mannering (1815), The Antiquary (1816), Rob Roy (1817), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), Ivanhoe (1819), Kenilworth (1821) and Redgauntlet (1824).

Scott, who had established the form of the historical novel, was an extremely popular writer. However, James Ballantyne & Co went bankrupt in

1826 and Scott found himself liable for a debt of £114,000. Scott worked tirelessly to pay off his creditors and over the next few years wrote Woodstock (1826), The Fair Maid of Perth (1828), Anne of Geierstein (1829) and Count Robert of Paris (1831). Sir Walter Scott, who was created a baronet in 1820, died at Abbotsford in 1832.

The historical novel

The main features of the historical novel are:

• its events are set in a well-defined historical context
• both fictional and real characters are included
• a detailed description of manners, buildings and institutions is provided in order to convey a sense of historical verisimilitude.
• use of the third-person omniscient narrator
• the techniques of flashbacks and time shifts are exploited to follow the adventures connected with the different characters.
• the writer's aim is to show the closeness of the past to the present

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe, a tale of chivalry, was set in the age of Richard the Lion-Hearted. Wilfred of Ivanhoe loves Rowena, but his father plans marry her to Athelstane of Coningsburgh. Ivanhoe serves with King Richard in the crusades. King's brother John tries to usurp the throne with the help of Norman barons.

Richard appears in disguise at the tournament at Ashby de la Zouch, where he helps Ivanhoe to defeat John's knights. At the tournament Sir Brian falls in love with Rebecca, a beautiful Jewess. She is taken captive with her father Isaac, Rowena, Ivanhoe, and Cedric by the Norman barons and imprisoned in Torquilstone.

The King and his band of outlaws, among them Robin Hood, release the prisoners. Rebecca is carried off by Bois-Guilbert and charged of witchcraft.

Ivanhoe appears as her champion, opposing Bois-Guilbert, who dies. Rebecca, seeing Ivanhoe's love for Rowena, leaves England with her father. - Michael Ragussis has argued that Scott's Isaac the Jew and his daughter Rebecca restaged England's medieval persecution of Jews and criticized the barbarity of persecution and forced conversion. In the story Rebecca is a healer and a voice of moderation between Saxon knights and Normans.