Ivanhoe (Wordsworth Classics) - Softcover

Sir Walter Scott

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853262021 ISBN 13: 9781853262029

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Introduction and Notes by David Blair, University of Kent at Canterbury Set in the reign of Richard I, Coeur de Lion, Ivanhoe is packed with memorable incidents - sieges, ambushes and combats - and equally memorable characters: Cedric of Rotherwood, the die-hard Saxon; his ward Rowena; the fierce Templar knight, Sir Brian de Bois-Gilbert; the Jew, Isaac of York, and his beautiful, spirited daughter Rebecca; Wamba and Gurth, jester and swineherd respectively. Scott explores the conflicts between the Crown and the powerful Barons, between the Norman overlords and the conquered Saxons, and between Richard and his scheming brother, Prince John. At the same time he brings into the novel the legendary Robin Hood and his band, and creates a brilliant, colourful account of the age of chivalry with all its elaborate rituals and costumes and its values of honour and personal glory.

About this title

About the Author

Walter Scott was one of the most popular and widely read writers of the nineteenth century and left behind a rich body of full-blooded yarns of adventure, darkness and passion, mainly set in his native Scotland. He was born in the Old Town of Edinburgh and survived a childhood bout of polio that left him lame. To cure his lameness he was sent in 1773 to live in the rural Scottish Borders at his paternal grandparents’ farm. Here he was taught to read by his Aunt Jenny and learned from her the speech patterns and many of the tales and legends that characterised much of his work. His explorations of the neighbouring countryside developed in him both a love of natural beauty and a deep appreciation of the historic struggles of his Scottish forebears, which often formed the backdrop to the plots of a large number of his novels.

From the Back Cover

In the twelfth century, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe returns home to England from the Third Crusade to claim his inheritance and the love of the lady Rowena. The heroic adventures of this noble Saxon knight involve him in the struggle between Richard the Lion-Hearted and his malignant brother John: a conflict that brings Ivanhoe into alliance with the mysterious outlaw Robin Hood and his legendary fight for the forces of good.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1853262021
• ISBN 13: 9781853262029
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464