Waverley (English Library) [Paperback]

Scott has to be the most underrated author in the British canon. He is no tartan and shortbread author, but one of the most innovative and influential novelists ever. People forget that among his contemporary European audience he was probably more popular than Jane Austen, lauded by most from Byron to Goethe, and even Austen begrudgingly recognised Scott's talent. True, his psychology may not be as incisive, but his stories are far more exciting and politically far deeper, and just as affecting.

Whereas Austen's novels are subtle and beautiful, Scott's are epic and sublime. Waverely was the first historical novel in history, as we understand the genre today, and a seminal work that laid the groundwork for most historcal novelists to this day. It has everything: fictional characters arise out of historical possibliity to play their role in significant historical narratives; the action depicts a transitional period and demonsrates the dynamic movement of history and social change; and of course, there is much epic romance and swashbuckling.

Scott shines most in his portrait of the Scottish characters, who are usually far more colourful and exotic than his staple English protagonist. He goes a long way to producing the epic portrayal of an entire historical society over the course of the Waverley novels, and in this the first novel the eponymous character sojourns with the Mac-Ivor clan and eventually fights alongside them at Prestonpans. Along the way the reader is privy to the effects of the transition from feudal to bourgeois society.

Scott's detail is wonderfully evocative and really lends the narrative the spirit of the times. This is a great read, and in spite of the occasional anachronism, the history is thoroughly researched. Scott had the skill and knowledge to paint the broad strokes and pay attention to fine detail in his portrait of mid-18th Century Scotland. A great novel that anyone can enjoy.

I'd say this is his best moment. The original historical novel -fictional characters placed into an actual historical landscape, taking part in real historical events - this is set during the jacobite uprising in 1745, where we follow the adventures of Waverly as he travels up into the mystical highlands of Scotland.

I have to confess I'm not a huge fan of Scott, but this is a pretty good read. He is, however, extremely guilty of being very longwinded, describing absolutely everything in minute detail (more so than Dickens), and the narrative can tend to swing off on tangents to tell you things that are really extraneous to, well, anything. In this way it does take quite a few chapters before anything of note actually happens, so you do have to have a high level of endurance, but you are rewarded, as when things kick off, you find you've been so absorbed in the minute characterisation of the main and supporting characters, you do really care what happens to them. PLus, after so many chapters of inaction, when the action happens it's all he more exciting.

If you only read one Scott novel read this one. And chances are you probably won't want to read another, but you will have enjoyed this. honest.

An obscure part of British History remains un-illuminated in this very slow plotted and rather wooden historical novel which, surprisingly, may be the biggest selling book of all time adjusted for literacy levels, with millions of copies sold around the world on its first publication in 1814. It's also credited with being the first historical novel, i.e. a work of fiction intended to enlighten the reader about a period of history - in this case the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Unfortunately for modern readers this is a piece of history that is obscure to anyone living outside of Scotland, and hazy even to most Scots, and this robs the work of what must have been it's subversive and daring gloss in describing relatively recent and dramatic historic events with a romantic slant. The writer now comes across as long-winded, overly rose tinted and obscure.

Briefly, the British threw out their catholic monarch James II (James Stuart) in 1689 in favour of his protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband William of Orange. James II fled to France where he and later his son, James III (known as the Old Pretender), posed a constant political threat to the British crown. The Brits had to cast around Europe for a monarch again in 1714, this time inviting a German - George I - the Elector of Hanover. James III immediately invaded Britain with French help but was seen off and waited until 1746, when Britain was weakened by overseas wars, to have a second attempt, this time led by his son Charles Edward, the Young Pretender; and it is this second invasion which Scott uses as the basis for his novel.

The attractions of the situation are that the Young Pretender is a dashing Scottish prince with fine manners and good leadership skills, his troops are wild and dangerous Scottish highlanders (the French are only willing to show up if the Scots have some initial success) and the odds are hopeless since the English supporters of the Stuart (Jacobite) cause have long since accepted the status quo. Scott injects into this mix his English hero, Waverley, who is born a supporter of the Hanoverians but brought up by his Jacobite uncle. I'm exhausted explaining this even in shorthand, and the book makes extremely heavy weather of the politics and background, which take up the first 150 pages, but unless you know your history it still makes very little sense.

Finally the plot gets going and Waverley joins the British army only to be ensnared by the Jacobites in a plot to make it look as though he has gone over to their side. He is declared a traitor and, in a fit of pique, takes up the Jacobite cause. This device enables Waverley to be an insider at the key historical events on the Jacobite side whilst remaining an outsider.

Scott shows us something of Scottish society and highland living and takes us into the camp of the Young Pretender and some of the main battles, but not the Jacobite victory at Falkirk or the battle of Culloden where the Young Pretender's army is routed. Meanwhile love interest is provided by two of the Jacobite women. However, it's a ramshackle story partly because the modern reader doesn't know the detail of the history, which makes events seem random, and partly because Waverley's character is (necessarily) capricious so that he supports first one side and then the other and loves first one woman and then the other. The reader is left with an uninteresting history and an unfathomable hero. On top of this Scott is a somewhat pedestrian writer without either a page turning or poetic quality (although he was a successful poet).

The Young Pretender is defeated at Culloden about 100 pages before the end of the book and the rest is filled with drawing the threads together in a happy ending. I rather suspect that this part is the secret of the book, because there is a kind of Hollywood upbeat feel to the ending that draws a few tears and leaves a feel good factor.

There are four more `Waverley' novels written by Scott about Scottish history but if they are all as badly plotted and ponderous as this I should leave them well alone.