In line with a promise I made to myself some time ago to read
or re-read some of our great literary classics, I have just finished Sir Walter
Scott’s Ivanhoe. Whatever the literary merits of this much-acclaimed
novel, something about it strikes me as distinctly odd – the title!
Ivanhoe is a Saxon
knight, probably an unusual combination at that time as, even a century after
the Conquest, the Normans were still regarded by the local population very much
as an occupying force. Thus, when Ivanhoe joins King Richard’s knights in a
Crusade to the Holy Land, he is disinherited by his father, Cedric, a local
warlord. The story opens as Ivanhoe returns from Palestine hoping to win back
his father’s favour.
Not a shrinking violet, Ivanhoe begins his
campaign by entering a large-scale tournament at Ashby-de-la-Zouch castle,
attended by his father as a guest of Prince John. Not surprisingly he wins, but
in the process is severely wounded. This confines him to a sick bed for most of
the rest of the novel, until, in the concluding chapters, he rouses himself
enough, as any self-respecting knight would, to ride to the aid of a damsel in
distress.
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle
There is no
shortage of action throughout the book, but this is led mainly by the
mysterious Black Knight (not really that mysterious if you have the slightest
inkling of twelfth century English history) together later with Robin Hood and
his famous band of Sherwood Forest outlaws. I would have thought The Black Knight a more likely title, but, called that, would it
have endured for nearly two hundred years, being much read and in more modern
times much dramatised? The importance of the title to a book can never be
underestimated and Ivanhoe does have
a ring to it, but is that simply down to familiarity?
Still, if you can
cope with Scott’s perception of twelfth century dialogue and his sometimes
wordy, sometimes over-descriptive, sometimes pretentious prose (try to get a
copy with notes), there is a stirring historical romance to be found. Castles are stormed, battles rage, hand to
hand combat, unrequited lust (a pretty risky theme for the early nineteenth
century) and love are thrown into the mix. Just don’t expect Ivanhoe to be much
involved in a great deal of this. Until his final moment of glory, the closest
he gets is a running commentary from his carer on a battle raging below the
window of the building in which he lies recovering from his wound. This is not
a book about Ivanhoe; more a book with Ivanhoe in it.
Not to be put off I
have downloaded Scott’s take on Tudor history, Kenilworth (all right, it was free). Part of the attraction is that
here in Birmingham I live not too far away from the splendid ruins of the
once-magnificent Kenilworth Castle.
Kenilworth Castle
What I don’t know at the moment is whether
it will be that much about Kenilworth……..
Derrick R. Bickley
Author of crime thriller THE HIT-AND-RUN MAN, a dark tale of seduction, murder and life among London's criminal underworld, available as an ebook at Amazon Kindle http://goo.gl/7XbzZ UK http://goo.gl/GiHBk US
Derrick R. Bickley
Author of crime thriller THE HIT-AND-RUN MAN, a dark tale of seduction, murder and life among London's criminal underworld, available as an ebook at Amazon Kindle http://goo.gl/7XbzZ UK http://goo.gl/GiHBk US
