Sir walter Scott

Lines Written in Early Spring

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in a grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it grieved my heart to think

What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,

The periwinkle trailed its wreaths,

And 'tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,

Their thoughts I cannot measure: —

But the least motion which they made,

It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature's holy plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man? 1798

Scott is England's first major historical novelist. Geographically, his novels extend to Scotland, England, and to the Continent from medieval times to the 18^lh century, and in his narrative he intends to show the way history makes its impression on an individual. Although sometimes his plots lack refinement, his novels are full of authentic atmosphere, epic dignity and compassionate understanding of human nature. James Fenimore Cooper in America, Honore de Balzac in France, Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray in England were among those who grew on Scott's vast interconnections between the social and the individual.

Walter Scott (Aug. 15, 1771, Edinburgh, Scotland — Sept. 21, 1832, Abbotsford, Roxburgh, Scotland) was born in the Scottish capital, but for the sake of his health he spent some years at his grandparents' in the Scottish Borders, famous for its folk songs and ballads. As a child, Scott was gifted with a rare memory, and, being quite a bookworm, he knew a great many ballads by heart. He started his literary career translating German ballads (The Chase, and William and Helen, 1796), and writing his own imitations, then as an editor-collector of his native ballads (Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, in 3 vols., 1802-1803). These editions became overwhelmingly successful and were followed by a long narrative poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805), which ran into many editions. The poem's direct and dynamic storytelling, the presence of Scottish regionalist elements, were repeated in the next romances, such as Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Rokeby (1813) and The Lord of the Isles (1815). Yet, Scott eventually gave it up for prose fiction. However, even in his novels, he is fond of attaching to some chapters short lyric verses, originating from folk ballads.

His first novel Waverley (1814) was published anonymously, as well as his next ones. It described a Jacobite raising of 1745, the hero of which fought for the lost cause and in the end had to reconcile himself to the new reality. This theme of the passing of the old and the necessities of the new often occurs in his novels. Waverley being a success, he rapidly produced other historical novels including Guy Mannering (1815), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), Rob Roy (1818), The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), Ivanhoe (1819), Kenilworth (1821), Quentin Durward (1823), The Fair Maid of Perth (1828) and others.

Coming from a family of lawyers, Scott himself studied and practised law, and became sheriff of Selkirkshire, a Border county, and later was promoted to Secretary to the Civil Court in Scotland. This occupation gave a special legal shade to his later novels. But his immense youthful energy was devoted to extensive reading in Italian, Spanish, French, German, and Latin.

In 1811, Scott laid the foundations of his enormous house at Abbotsford by the river Tweed in his dear Border county. This renowned house became a symbol of his vision of historical connections between the past and the present: he fitted it out with both antiquities, such as spears, lances, old heraldry, and modern innovations, such as gas lighting. He lived happily here with his wife Charlotte Carpenter, of French royal ancestry, until her death in 1826.

Despite the anonymity of the Waverley novels, Scott's authorship was soon discovered. In 1820, he was granted the title of baronet, and his ambition was to become a big landowner. With that in view, he expanded his huge house and bought more land, venturing into risky business enterprises. In 1826, the publishing firm of Constable crashed and Scott was financially ruined. The debt was enormous, yet Scott decided to repay it with his pen. He worked so intensively that finally, exhausted, he met his death. Afterwards, though, his debt was paid off completely from the sales of the novels.

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