Lecture the theme: the romantic age in english literature (1780-1830). Representatives of romanticism

The first group of novels are those devoted to Scottish history: ”Waverley, or “’Tis Sixty Years Since” (1814), “Guy Mannering, or the Astrologer” (1815), “The Autiquary” (1816), “Black Dwarf” (1816), “Old Mortality” (1816), “Rob Roy” (1817), “The Heart of Midlothian” (1818), “The Bride of Lammermoor” (1819), “A Legend of Montrose” (1819), “Redgauntlet” (1824), “The Fair Maid of Perth” (1828
The second group of novels refer to English history: “Ivanhoe” (1819), the best of this series; “The Monastery” (1820), “The Abbot” (1820), “Kenilworth” (1821), “The Pirate” (1822), “The Fortunes of Nigel” (1822), “Peveril of the Peak” (1822), ’’Woodstock” (1826).
The third group comprises novels based on the history of Europe: “Quentin Durward” (1823), “The Talisman” (1825), “Count Robert of Paris” (1832), “Anne of Geierstein” (1829), “Castle Dangerous” (1832).

The novel “St. Ronan’s Well” (1824) stands in a class by itself. The story is laid at a fashionable health-resort somewhere near the border between England and Scotland. It is the only novel written by Scott about his own time and shows his attitude to contemporary society. It is a precursor of the critical realism of the 19th century.

Scott wrote frequently about the conflicts between different cultures. For example, “Ivanhoe” deals with the struggle between Normans and Saxons, and the “Talisman” describes the conflict between Christians and Muslims. The novels dealing with Scottish history are probably considered to be his best works. They deal with clashes between the new commercial English culture and older Scottish culture. Many critics regard “Old Mortality”, “The Heart of Midlothian”, and “St. Ronan’s Well” as Scott’s best novels.
“Ivanhoe”

The action of the novel takes place in medieval England during the Crusades. The central conflict of the novel lies in the struggle of the Anglo-Saxon landowners against the Norman barons, who cannot come to an understanding.

There is no peace among the Norman conquerors either. They struggle for power. Prince John tries to usurp the throne of his brother Richard, who was engaged in a Crusade at that time. These two brothers back different tendencies concerning their relations with Anglo-Saxons. John wishes to seize all the land and subdue the Anglo-Saxons completely, while Richard supports those, who tend to cooperate with the remaining Anglo-Saxon land-owners. The latter tendency was progressive, because it led to peace and the birth of a new nation.
At the head of the remaining Anglo-Saxon knights is a thane, Cedric the Saxon. He hopes to restore their independence by putting a Saxon king and queen on the throne. He wants to see lady Rovena, who has been descended from Alfred the Great, as the queen and Athelstane of Coningsburgh as a king. But Cedric has a son, Wilfred of Ivenhoe, who destroys his father’s plan by falling in love with Rowena. Cedric becomes angry and disinherits his son. Ivanhoe goes on a Crusade where he meets King Richard, and they become friends. On their return to England, Richard with the help of the Saxons and archers of Robin Hood, fights against Prince John for his crown and wins. At last Cedric understands the impossibility of the restoration of the Saxon power and becomes reconciled to the Normans.
The book is written with the great descriptive skill for which Scott is famous. He was a master of painting wonderfully individualized expressive and vivid characters.
The main idea of the book is to call for peace and compromise. Scott wanted to reconcile the hostile classes. He believed that social harmony possible if the best representatives of all classes would unite in a struggle against evil. This idea is expressed in the novel “Ivanhoe” in the episode when the Norman king Richard, together with Robin Hood and his merry men, attack the castle of the Norman baron to set the Saxon thanes free. This incident shows how the allied forces of honest men, though from hostile classes, conquer evil.