Walter sсотт

1771-1832

Walter Scott is the creator of the English historical novel. He is one of the greatest writers in English literature. His life was a romance and a tragedy.

Walter Scott was born in 1771 in Edinburgh. Although he lost the use of his right leg when he was only 18 months old and was lame ail his life, Scott grew up a strong man, he was the first to begin a fight and the last to end it. Grown up, he often walked twenty or thirty miles across the countryside, meeting people whom he afterwards depicted in his books.

Scott followed his father's profession and became a lawyer. Though he was a hard worker at his profession, he found time to dream about the past, to study his country's history, legends and folklore. He was never tired of searching for old people who had fought in long-ago battles or could retell stories of Scotland's wars or its struggle against the English.

His first success was a volume of ballads, which was published in 1802 under the title of "Border Minstrelsy". In 1805 his next outstanding work "Lay of the Last Minstrel" was published. Then came his finest novels "Ivanhoe", "Rob Roy", "The Heart of a Midlothian", "Kenilworth" and others. His knowledge of the history of his people, their customs, dress, architecture and folklore made past ages live again in his novels. His characters are highland chiefs, princes, knights, plowmen (plougman), soldiers, outlaws, gypsies, and beggars. But depicting outstanding historical persons, kings, and princes. Scott shows that their life, actions and fate always depended on the people as a whole.

Like every great national writer. Walter Scott gave us true pictures of the life of the whole nation and the struggle between the upper and lower sections in it. His novels are widely read in the ex-USSR. [30] The best of them were translated into the Russian language, their edition running into thousands of copies. Walter Scott died in 1832

Walter Scott was the founder of the historical novel. Appealing to the past Walter Scott choses the period of sharp social and national conflicts: fighting of Scotland highlanders for their independence, the revolution of the XVII century, fighting between Saxons and Normans, conflicts of two political forces (puritans and catholics) and so on. The novel usually begins with the side episodes, in which the peculiarities of life and manners of epoch are revealed and the political situation in the country is shown. Dozens of characters, representatives of the various strata of society, create that picturesque historical background on which the plot of a novel is developing. The historical persons (leaders of the parties, military leaders, kings) are shown on the second or third background, as a rule. In the centre there is always an imaginary character, a little idealised, not an outstanding man. but a person of average abilities and of low social status, who accidentally gets into the vortex of events; as if plot lines of all other historical and imaginary characters cross on him and the essence of the shown conflict is discovered as Walter Scott saw it.

The history of Walter Scott is not the history of kings and military leaders. That's why not outstanding persons but common people are in the centre of his novels. Feudal peasants in "Ivanhoe", Scotland highlanders in "Rob Roy" and other novels, craftsmen in "Perth Beauty" exercise influence on the course of events. Although his political views were conservative, he was an advocate of "fair monarchy" and against a revolution.

The main signs of historical genre are:

1. The colour of time and locality.

2. The description of interior.

3. Time limits and historical events.

4. Some historical persons and truthfulness of life and manners details.

One of the most popular works of Walter Scott is his novel "Ivanhoe" (1820) in which he appeals to the period of early Middle Ages, depicting events of the last years of the XI century. It was the period when feudal relations were firmly established, the enslaving of peasants by landowners and church was finished. [31]

The first characters readers meet on the pages of the novel are peasants Turt and Wamba. They open the whole gallery of characters presenting the lower class of the society.

Devoted patriots of England are ordinary people - "green army" of people's leader Robin Hood. The type of this national hero, the half-legendary leader of peasant rising, fair and courageous defender of oppressed people is one of the great artistic achievements of Walter Scott.

The main historical character- Richard The Lion Heart is shown on the 3^rd background but as a progressive leader. The historical events are shown in their real everyday life in this novel.

Answer the questions: 1. When and where was W. Scott born?

2. Why was he lame all his life? What kind of man did he grow up?

3. What was his first occupation?

4. What brought him the first success?

5. What made past ages live again in his novels?

6. Who are the characters of his novels?

7. Why were his novels so popular?

8. Why is W. Scott called the founder of the historical novels?

9. What did W. Scott usually show as a background of his novel? What kind of history did he describe?

10. What are the main signs of historical genre? [32]