Walking around Edinburgh, you’ll find glimpses of the most famous novelist in Scottish history, Walter Scott, from the names of his protagonists on the windows of the city’s restaurants, to his crutches and slippers displayed in the Book Museum and in the gardens of Princes Street where his memorial stands, All the way to his excerpts that decorate the corridors of the Waverley train station, the name of his first and most famous novel, sometimes described as the first historical novel in Western literature.
In a report published by the Australian “The Conversion” website, writer Daniel Cook says that the memorial to the novelist, playwright and poet Scott was built in 1840, 8 years after his death at the age of 61, and it embodies the great respect that the Scots have for their world-renowned writer. Read also The fabrication of Israel and the history of Palestine.. Biases of archeology and studies of the Old Testament Edinburgh witnesses the opening of the largest international cultural festival Fires of stores of knowledge throughout the ages.. Libraries and the history of the victory of barbarism
Scotland
literature
Scott’s historical novels, whose dramatic context is full of descriptions of lonely mountains, dark lakes and lush valleys, presented a picture of Scotland to the world, and captured the admiration of readers everywhere. His novel “Rob Roy”, first published in 1817, is still printed today, and some of his works have been transformed. to movies.
His rival, English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), once joked that Scott lived two lifetimes in his literary journey, not one.
He became famous in 1805 and became the most famous poet in Europe after he published his first prose poem “The Status of the Last Vocalist,” which tells the story of two lovers separated by a violent conflict.
In 1810 Scott published his poem “The Lady of the Lake”, which depicts the struggle of King James V of Scotland with the Clan of Douglas. According to the author, this alone can sum up Scott’s literary legacy and influence, as 25,000 copies were sold in the first 8 months, breaking book sales records, and attracting the attention of foreign tourists to Loch Catherine and Trossacks Park in Scotland.
High-caliber novels
Scott wrote songs and poems early in his life, and after his resounding success in the world of poetry, he turned to writing novels in his forties. Over the course of about 20 years, he authored a series of novels that met with great success, and are still published around the world today.
Scott focused on historical topics, not only regarding Scotland, but also spoke about the history of England, France, Syria, and other places, particularly the events of the 11th century.
According to the author, no novelist before Scott had devoted so much space to the personalities and history of Scotland, not even his fellow 18th-century novelist and poet Tobias Smollett.
But his novels are no longer very popular these days – the writer says – partly due to their length. Perhaps the best of all is Waverley, in which Scott highlights the Jacobite uprising of 1745, which was intended to restore the deposed Catholic King James II, and which opened the field for political analyzes as much as it is discussed from a literary perspective. https://www.youtube.com/embed/3Xk1bp2mNfs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=ar&autohide=2&wmode=transparent
Scott’s short novels
Fortunately for the reader, Scott not only wrote long novels, but was also proficient in writing short stories, as he wrote about 17 short novels, but they did not receive great popularity and attention from readers and critics who gave priority to his long novels.
Often, a long novel has a clear and happy ending, unlike short stories, which are open and vague.
Although Scott is not regarded today as a master of the short story, he left many noteworthy stories, including the 1827 “Canongate Chronicles” collection. As for the modern reader, he may discover much darker in Scott’s short stories, but they remain a worthy literary legacy. Check it out if you are a short story lover.