Walter scott

_{( 1 771-1832)}

The name of Walter Scott is closely associated with the genre of the 'historical novel, J genre which he introduced into English literature.

Walter Scott was the son of a well-to-do Edinburgh lawyer who wanted him to study law However, his great interest in history and passionate love for his country

changed the course of his life. The we<Jith of Scottish

folklore attracted his attention. He collected the legends and popular ballads of Scotland and published them under the title of The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border

Up to 1814 he wrote poems on legendary and historical subjects and became quite famouas a poet. In 1814 he published his first historical novel Waverley; it was a suc­ cess and from then on Walter Scott dedicated himself entirely to prose, mostly to writing historical novels; he wrote twenty-nine novels in all. The historical events that attracted his attention were those connected with the relations between Scotland and England. For many centu­ ries England, which was socially and economically more developed than Scotland, had oppressed its freedom-loving neighbours to the north. The English were often helped by the Scottish bourgeoisie.

Of the twenty-nine novels Scott wrote, nineteen are on

Scottish subjects. The periods chosen by the author are the

17th and 18th centuries. Among these books are Waverley, Guy Mannering, Rob Roy and The Heart of Midlothian.

G8

Walter Scott understood the important role the common people played in the historical development of a country In many of his novels he chose the common men of Scotland for his heroes. Those brave, strong men fought for their country, for its freedom, against the English oppressor.

Scott wrote six historical novels about England; the periods he chose, were the end of the 12th century, or the Norman Conquest, the end of the 16th century, or the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the middle of the 17th century. Here he wrote about thEnglish Revolution and about the Restoration that followed it. Among these novels are Ivan­ hoe, The Abbot and others. The subjects are at times con­ nected with Scotland, for the two countries are very similar in their historical development. Thus, in The Abbot Walter Scott describes one of the episodes of the tragic life of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Four of Scott's twenty-nine novels are written on different subjects. Among them is Quentin Durward in which the writer gives an interesting portrait of king Louis XI of France. This king was one of the most cunning politi­ cians of his time.