Benjermin's review
Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics) by Walter Scott
I actually cried when it was over, because I couldn't keep reading...
In similar wise to James Fenimore Cooper, Scott is here helping to invent the modern action/adventure tale. Knights, fair maids, thralls, jesters, dark foes, Knights Templars, beautiful Jewesses -- or, rather, only one of those -- all feature in this fantastic tale of chivalry and romance.
Sir Walter Scott draws on all the memory of the great classics of medieval romance and, like the Romantic poets, gives them a modern interpretation, while not reducing their emotional strength. What sets Scott apart from the other authors of his day is his wit, as Ivanhoe has a (very contemporary-feeling) comic relief aspect to it. The result is a truly classic adventure.
I plan to read it to my children once a year.
In similar wise to James Fenimore Cooper, Scott is here helping to invent the modern action/adventure tale. Knights, fair maids, thralls, jesters, dark foes, Knights Templars, beautiful Jewesses -- or, rather, only one of those -- all feature in this fantastic tale of chivalry and romance.
Sir Walter Scott draws on all the memory of the great classics of medieval romance and, like the Romantic poets, gives them a modern interpretation, while not reducing their emotional strength. What sets Scott apart from the other authors of his day is his wit, as Ivanhoe has a (very contemporary-feeling) comic relief aspect to it. The result is a truly classic adventure.
I plan to read it to my children once a year.
