Waverley, Sir Walter Scott

I haven't posted on here in a long time for various reasons, but I've been ruminating about it once again. Revive the blogging... What I'd like to do is record responses to my readings. I'm notoriously forgetful about the content of the books I read, so perhaps the discipline of posting will help me synthesize, remember, and mostly - be fun!!

I want to begin with Waverley by Sir Walter Scott. (I read it in the late summer of 2016). I had long thought I should read a Scott. About 15 years ago I started Ivanhoe but I couldn't get into it so I put it down. My mom recommended Waverley when I brought up my latent literary (I won't say desire - more like "ought"). Scott shaped the culture of Scotland and thus the entire appalachian region of the U.S. He is oft quoted and referenced. As a true anglophile and lover of all things celtic, you can understand why I eventually had to come face to face with him. 

I fell in love (here we go) pretty much in the first few chapters. Firstly, the personal nature of the narrative (sometimes addressing the reader and so forth - like in the oral tradition of story teller) totally charmed me. Of course Scott himself weaves in tales he would've heard told in that ancient tradition - bardlike. Don't get me wrong - I often get annoyed by such reader addressing, but not this time. Scott reveals himself to be a "kindred spirit" as L.M. Montgomery would say. 

Waverley has the best qualities of adventure, love, heroism, and humor. Waverley himself is endearing, manly, conflicted, complex and yet attune to the nuances of nature and romance. Scott has more than one woman in his novel. He is obviously a student of personality. He has the romantic idealist "Flora", the in the moment live with gusto (and the best most favoritest ever name Fergus Mac Ivor Vich Ian Vor), affectionate simplistic caregiver "Rose," and her father the stalwart traditionalist "Bradwardine." 

I really walk away with more of a feeling for the historical Jacobite uprising which forms the basis for the events in the novel. I'm not enough of a scholar to have researched how accurate Scott's portrayal is of the actual event. But every reference to "Bonnie Prince Charlie" is definitely more potent to me now after reading Waverley. I love saying Waverley. Love Love Love - almost as much as saying "Fergus Mac Ivor Vich Ian Vor" but not quite. 

Sir Scott and I will definitely commune again. I'll keep you posted. 

My response to Pickwick is coming up.