WALTER SCOTT AS A HISTORICAL NOVELIST
INTRODUCTION:
Walter Scott (1771-1832), a romantic poet and
novelist of the early 19th century, was admired by his
contemporaries Goethe, Pushkin and Balzac, and celebrated by Lukács as the
founder of the historical novel. Walter Scott wrote more than twenty five
novels in his life time. Scott’s masterpieces include Old Mortality
(1816), Rob Roy (1817), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), Ivanhoe (1819), and Talisman (1825) are
some of his most popular novels.
What is a historical novel?
Historical novel is a narrative, generally of an adventurous nature, in which a historical
background and historical figures are introduced for the deeds of fictitious
characters. In a historical novel the novelist blends historical facts with romance
and imagination.
INVENTION
OF A NEW FORM OF NOVEL BY SCOTT:
From
a “feminine” genre dominated by female writers like Ann Radcliffe and Jane
Austen, Walter Scott created his “serious” and “masculine” form of fiction by combining
the elements of epic, romance and history in his novels. He invented and
popularized a new form of novels during the 19th century. Georg Lukács believes that the genre of
historical novel in English was pioneered by Walter Scott. He writes:
“This genre emerges with Scott at this time
... Scott’s novels introduce a new sense of history to the English realist
novel tradition.”
HISTORICAL
NOVELS BEFORE SCOTT:
Before Walter Scott, attempts were made by
several authors on this new genre called historical novels. Jane Porter, Horace
Walpole and others produced historical fiction, but their works more like
history; they failed to give the air of romance to their works.
SCOTT AS A
HISTORICAL NOVELIST:
Scott is perhaps the greatest writer of historical
novels in English. He wrote his novels on a framework of historical events. In his novels, he has presented the past history
of Scotland, France and England. He wrote more than twenty seven
novels most of them dealing with the historical times of the middle ages. Daniel
Cook rightly remarked:
“Scott favoured historical themes, not only
set in Scotland but also England, France, Syria and elsewhere, as far back as
the 11th century.”
Example: Ivanhoe, Scott reaches far back into history. The novel
is set around 1194. The central historical conflict of the novel is between the
Anglo-Saxons of England and the Norman conquerors. The people are largely
Anglo-Saxon, the feudal upper class are Norman.
The history of one
thousand years finds expression in Scott's novels. In Count Robert of
Paris the 11th century has been presented. Twelfth century finds its
expression in The Talisman and Ivanhoe. In Castle
Dangerous we get the 14th century and in Fair Maid of
Perth the 15th century. The Monastery and Kenilworth deal
with the 16th century and Old Morality with the 17th century.
The 18th and the 19th centuries also find their expression in his novels.
HISTORICAL
SOURCES OF SCOTT’S NOVELS:
Scott’s
interest in traditional ballads, his fondness for themes from the middle ages
and his tendency to oppose the ideals of the French Revolution gave new
dimensions to his new form of writing. Mitchell traces Scott’s sources to
Chaucer and medieval romance, especially, the Middle English romances. In Garry
Kelley’s view, in addition to the above sources, “Shakespeare,
the Bible, and other literary ‘classics,’ the Enlightenment or ancient
historians, and so on…” also have influenced Scott’s fiction.
ADVENTURE
AND ROMANCE IN SCOTT’S NOVELS:
R. C. Churchill
rightly commented:
“Scott has been
called the king of romancers.”
In his early life,
Scott enjoyed reading the tales of adventure and romance. He read the romantic
works of Spenser, Redcliff and Horace Walpole. His stories are full of romance
and adventure. An air of romance and chivalry is visible in all his works. Scott
has revived the medieval spirit of supernaturalism and romance in his Waverly
novels.
SCOTTISH
LIFE IN SCOTT’S NOVELS:
Walter Scott was much interested in the
presentation of Scottish life and manners in all his works. As Miss Edgeworth
was the novelist of the Irish life, Scott was of the Scottish life. He has
presented the beggars, fiddlers and the superstitious people of Scotland.
SCOTT’S ART
OF CHARACTERIZATION:
Scott
has been appreciated for his art of characterization. He has a wide range of
characters. It is rightly said that when we pass from the characters of Scott
to those of Jane Austen, we find a great gulf. When we move from Scott’s Mortality
to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we come from a market to a drawing
room.
One
thing that catches our attention in his novels is that his characters are from
low life and humble folks. He does not present psychological characters like
George Eliot or Meredith. His immortal characters like Jeanie Deans, Meg
Merrilies, Peter Peebles – all belong to the lower state of the society.
Regarding Scott’s characters, Cazamian observes:
“Despite the attraction of some impressive figures of rebels,
ruined noblemen and chieftains, it is the ordinary people such as peasants,
shop-keepers, housewives, servants who constitute his richest and most
attractive gallery of portraits.”
CONCLUSION:
Sir Walter Scott, a
prolific writer of more than 25 novels is indeed an eminent author and master
of historical novels. His novels are full of heroic historical figures. The
elements of adventure, romance and supernaturalism impart a Gothic touch to his
novels. Scott gave birth to the historical novel which was later on imitated by
a host of novelists like Dickens and Thackeray.
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