Masaryk University Brno Bipolarities of Scott's Ivanhoe and Their
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Masaryk University Brno FacultyofEducation Department of English Language and Literature Bipolarities of Scott’s Ivanhoe and Their Romantic Aspect Bachelor thesis Brno 2006 Supervisor: Written by: Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. Lenka Šmardová Declaration: I declare that I have written my bachelor thesis myself and used only the sources listed in the enclosed bibliography. I agree with this bachelor thesis being deposited in the Library of the Faculty of Education at the Masaryk University and with its being made available for academic purposes. ................................................ Lenka Šmardová Acknowledgements: I would like to express my thanks to Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. I am grateful for her guidance and professional advice on writing the thesis. Contents: Introduction………………………………………………………………2 0.1. Sir Walter Scott’s life……………………………………………...3 0.2. The Story of Ivanhoe ………………………………………………4 1 Scott’s writing……………………………………………………...7 1.1 Scott’s treatment of historical facts………………………………...9 2 Groups of characters……………………………………………….12 2.1 Normans and Saxons………………………………………………12 2.2 Christians and Jews………………………………………………..15 2.3 The poor and the rich………………………………………………20 3 Individual characters……………………………………………….23 3.1 Richard and John…………………………………………………...23 3.2 Ivanhoe and Brian De Bois-Guilbert……………………………….25 3.3 Rebecca and Rowena………………………………………………26 3.4 Robin Hood and Athelstane………………………………………..29 Conclusion………………………………………………………………...31 Bibliography………………………………………………………………33 Resume……………………………………………………………………35 1 INTRODUCTION SirWalterScott isconsideredtobe afounderofhistoricalnovel.Hewas influencedbytheScottishcountryside,folkloreandhistoryaswellas theliteraturethat hewasa profoundloverof.Hisinterestshave alsobeenreflectedinhisliterarywork. Scott becameafamous writeroftheEnglishRomanticism. The essential part of his workis constitutedbyhistorical novels,a genre that he introducedfor the first time.One of the most famous examples of his workis Ivanhoe, published in 1820. It is also the first novel that Scott placed outside the bounds of Scotland.Like all Scott’s novels,it is situated in the past andits plot andwriting style contain typical Romantic features. In my thesis I will concentrate on the question of bipolarities and the function they have as romantic elements in Ivanhoe and Scott’s writingasa whole. By bipolarities I understand the contrasts that are remarkable in the novel. Scott’s novel presents a number of instances where one element stands inoppositionto another. These oppositions (sometimes theycan be alsoreferredtoas conflicts) occur at various levelsinthenovel. The feature of bipolarity will be discussed in three chapters. The first chapter called Scott’s writing focuses on the oppositions that are external to the novel and connected with the author’s approach to his writing and the elements he uses. This especiallyrelatestohistreatmentofhistoricalfacts. The secondchapter –Groups of characters, andthe thirdchapter –Individual characters deal with conflicts and relationships between characters and groups of characters, for example the rivalry between the Saxons and the Normans, which are intrinsictothenovel. Besides introducingthe individual occurrences indetail,I will alsotrytooutline what function they fulfil in the novel as a Romantic work. Although the conflict betweencontradictingsides is itself a Romantic feature,the use of this feature fulfils muchgreaterrole andconstitutes the wholestructureofthenovel. 2 0.1 SirWalterScott’slife My birth was neither distinguishable nor sordid. According to the prejudices of my country, it was esteemed gentle, as I was connected, though remotely, with ancient families both by my father’s and mother’s side. Walter Scott More thanhundreds of years agothe suspenseful andgrippinghistorical novels from the historyof ScotlandandEnglandstartedtoappear inEngland.Theyhadthe styleofone author,whoremainedhiddentothe readersfora longtime. This secret author was a younglawyer Walter Scott,whowas borninEdinburgh in 1771, as the son of a solicitor Walter Scott and Anne, a daughter of professor of medicine. Since Scott was very seriouslyill and his healthwas imperiled,he spent his childhoodinthecountryside. He lovedhistoryandliterature from his childhood,but he was forcedtostudy the law very hard and he had to practice as a solicitor under his father. In 1797 he marriedMargaretCharpentier. When working as a solicitor, he started to write his first romantic poems. His firstliterarysuccesswasacollectionofScottishballadsandnarrative poems, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, (180203). Since this time, the young poet felt that his life missionwillnot beworkingasa lawyer,butwriting. His writings are incrediblywide-ranging.Scott tookona wide varietyof themes in his writing. He wrote works on Scottish history, such as A Legend of Montrose (1819), stories of the medieval period, such as The Talisman, (1825) and biography, suchas Life of Napoleon,(1827). His works were very successful andas his fame grew,he was made a baronet in 1820.At the endof his life,he sailed toItalytorecover from his illness andenervation, but his healthdidnot get better. He returnedto Englandand diedtwomonths after his journey,in1832.He was buriedat DryburghAbbey.Thoughhe struggledagainst debt hiswholelife,the proceedsfromhiswritings eventuallyrepaidhisobligationsinfull. His novels andhis poetryare still read,but he is not as popular nowadays as he was at the height of his fame. Nevertheless, many of his works remain classics of Englishliterature.(Daiches,1971) 3 0.2 TheStoryof Ivanhoe The story of Ivanhoe starts by Scott’s colourful depiction of the period of the endof KingRichard’s reign(1189 –1199).He describes position of the lower nobility andconsequences,whichtheBattle ofHastings(1066)had: This state of things I have thought it necessary to premise for the information of the general reader, who might be apt to forget, that, although no great historical events, such as war, or insurrection, mark the existence of the Anglo-Saxons as a separate people subsequent to the reign of William the Second, yet the great national distinctions betwixt them and their conquerors, the recollection of what they had formerly been, and to what they were now reduced, continued, down to the reign of Edward the Third, to keep open the wounds which the Conquest had inflicted, and to maintain a line of separation betwixt the descendants of the victor Normans and the vanquished Saxons. (Ivanhoe: 27) This extract indicates that Scott tends to the side of the subjects, who are defeated,oppressed,whichcanbemoreorlessregardedasafeatureofRomanticism. Inthe next chapters of the novel Briande Bois-Guilbert witha small partyof menandPalmer,wholeads them,arrives at Rotherwood,Cedrichome.Theyare onthe way to the tournament at Ashbyde-la Zouche and want to sleep at Cedric. Bois- Guilbert is very interested in Lady Rowena. Then another stranger arrives, Isaac of York,theJew. A situationwhichis worthtomentionis Scott’s descriptionof Palmer’s honesty whoturns out tobe Wilfredof Ivanhoe,whowarns Isaac against Bois-Guilbert,who wantstofollowIsaacandrobhim: ‘The purpose you can best guess, ‘said the Pilgrim; ‘but rely on this, that when the Templar crossed the hall yesternight he spoke to his Mussulman slaves in the Saracen language, which I well understand, and charged them this morning to watch the journey of the Jew, to seize upon him when at a convenient distance from the mansion, and to conduct him to the castle of Philip de Malvoisin, or to that of Reginald Front-de-Boeuf.’ (72) As a reward,Isaac arranges a horse andarmour for the Palmer sothat he is able totake part inthetournament: ‘In the town of Leicester all men know the rich Jew, Kirjath Jairam of Lombardy; give him this scroll – he hath on sale six Milan harnesses, the worst would suit a crowned head – ten goodly steeds, the worst might mount a king, were he to do battle for his throne. Of these he will give thee thy choice, with everything else that can furnish thee forth for the tournament: when it is over, thou will return them safely – unless thou shouldst have wherewith to pay their value to the owner.’ (79) 4 The arena where the knights will display their skill is described. Norman knights,Prince John andIsaac’s daughter Rebecca are introduced.A stranger inarmour (Disinheritedknight,whois againIvanhoe) arrives toarena.He challenges anddefeats Bois-Guilbert. He also wins on the second day of the tournament and crowns Lady RowenaastheQueenofLoveandBeauty. The next dayanother fight takes place.The Disinherited Knight is attackedby three knights,but withthe help of the BlackKnight (another mysterious character,later recognised as Richard I.), Ivanhoe wins once again. Unfortunately, he is seriously woundedandfaintsatRowena’sfeet.Hisidentityisrevealed. Meanwhile, Prince John learns that his brother Richard I. is freed from the imprisonment in Austria. In spite of this, the archery contest is held. By this time Locksley – Robin Hood (probably the most criticised character of the novel) is introduced.LocksleywinsandannoysPrinceJohn. Inthe general disarrayIvanhoe finds himself inthe care of Rebecca andIsaac. After the tournament,Cedric,Rowena andtheir partyreturntoRotherwood.Theymeet Rebecca,her father and‘their injuredfriend’ whois infact Ivanhoe.Theyare,however, ambushed by De Bracy and his men and taken to Front-de-Beouf’s castle. De Bracy makes plans that he will make Rowena his unwilling bride and so he asserts his privilege toher possession. While theyare incaptivity,Gurth,the