Goodreads | Ivanhoe: A Romance (Modern Library Classics)

Howard rated it:

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05/24/08

This book is the historical novel at its best. Scott mixes figures from British myth (Robin Hood), legend (Richard the Lion-Hearted), history (King John), and Scott’s own fictional universe to create a rousing tale of Saxons and Normans jousting, drinking, and fighting their way through the forests of Olde England.

This book is full of grand pageantry, sweeping forest vistas, and the clash of arms. Scott was a master poet, and his descriptions reach a cinematic level of breadth and color. ...more This book is the historical novel at its best. Scott mixes figures from British myth (Robin Hood), legend (Richard the Lion-Hearted), history (King John), and Scott’s own fictional universe to create a rousing tale of Saxons and Normans jousting, drinking, and fighting their way through the forests of Olde England.

This book is full of grand pageantry, sweeping forest vistas, and the clash of arms. Scott was a master poet, and his descriptions reach a cinematic level of breadth and color. The plot is driven by the tension between the Norman conquerors and the defeated Saxons, who now live as vassals to the Norman kings John and Richard. Scott is at his best describing the differences in fashion, social mores, and sophistication between these two groups that find themselves sharing the same land.

The heart of this book is the “castle” sequence, which begins with the kidnapping of most of the Saxon characters by an unsavory group of Normans (read: French) and Templars (read: catholics). Never let it be said that Scott did not understand how to manipulate the prejudices of his readers! Richard the Lion-Hearted (disguised as – of course – a Black Knight) teams up with Robin Hood and his Merrie Men to attack the caste where the hostages are being held. This is an incredible sequence with Scott moving between dozens of characters. It builds to an incredible climax as the castle burns to the ground while an old hag howls Saxon war songs as towers crash around her.

Scott is not perfect, of course. For one thing, his plot wanders all over the place. King John, and the machinations in his court, is the major focus of the first half of the book (he’s trying to consolidate his power before Richard comes back from the Crusades), but that completely disappears as a plot point once the castle sequence begins. Characters flit in and out almost at random. The castle sequence actually starts as an off-shoot of the main story about King John and Ivanhoe, but clearly Scott got caught up in the action of a good old fashioned siege. Richard disposes of King John’s plotters with a single combat in the forest that Scott almost sheephishly inserts to make the beginning of his book match the end.

Another problem is that some of the humor is forced. There are a couple of characters – a jester and swineherd – who seem to be comic relief, but these parts of the book really drag. Actually, the only consistently funny character is King Athelstane, the last male descendant of the Saxon monarchy (and what medieval tale is complete without someone in the stock role of “The Last King of a Dying Race?”). He is the living embodiment of the Saxon cause, but spends much of the book worrying about his next meal. Despite this, he has one moment of heroism, and dies with stoic good-humor. He was apparently a favorite of Scott’s readers, because Scott resurrects him later in the book in a very funny and moving sequence.

Another oddity: Wilfred of Ivanhoe, the “hero,” is not much of a presence in the story. He spends much of the first half in disguise. He spends much of the “castle” portion in bed with a wound, and is little more than a spectator to the biggest battles in the book. (He does manage to win a few jousting matches). His romance with Lady Rowena, his One true Love, is not developed at all (she’s really a minor character).

Then again, Ivanhoe – like Camelot – is more than just a person or a place. It represents a sort of idealized moment when heroes performed great deeds and a nation was born. Scott was writing a novel, but he comes close to writing mythology. You could consider this the British equivalent of “Les Miserable” or “War & Peace.” Despite its archaic dialogue, wandering plot, and old-fashioned values, this is still a worthy read.
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Ivanhoe: A Romance (Modern Library Classics)

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