Sir Walter Scott wrote his first novel, Waverley, over several years, having completed a romance begun by Joseph Strutt in 1808. He rediscovered the manuscript two years later and shared its seven chapters with his publisher, who discouraged him from altering the course Scott had set for himself as a poet.
Labeled the best poet of his era after the publishing of The Lady of the Lake, by 1813 he nevertheless needed a new source of income and again turned back to the novel. Although the thought of moving from poetry to fiction seemed humiliating, as prose was seen as a lower calling, Scott decided to finally publish Waverley anonymously.
His novel resembled no others of the time. He employed what would become his trademark interest in the past to produce historical fiction, focusing on the 1745 Jacobite uprising. Scott avoided gothic excesses, using his natural sense of humor to enrich his narrative in lieu of gruesome detail. Waverley proved so popular that four editions sold in its first 12 months in print.
The novel’s protagonist, Edward Waverley, is devoted to his uncle, the Jacobite sympathizer Sir Edward Digby. Edward joins the army, becoming active in a Scottish regiment. In Scotland, he visits with his uncle’s friend Bradwardine, also a Jacobite. Equally important, he is drawn to Rose Bradwardine, a simple Lowland girl. These various plot elements allowed Scott to indulge his affinity for romance while also including much realistic detail.
Not only did the Jacobites hope to place the Stuarts back on the throne, the rebellion that forms the novel’s setting represented Scotland’s last attempt to gain equality with England. It also framed a struggle between the Scottish Highland clans, which represented the old feudal ways, and the inhabitants of the modern Lowland regions. Although not a Catholic himself and strongly supportive of the House of Hanover, Scott saw the dramatic and sentimental appeal in a story of a lost cause.
Eager for adventure, Edward Waverley travels to the Highlands to find Donald Bean Lean and meets two additional devoted Jacobite supporters, Fergus MacIvor and his sister, the lovely and sophisticated Flora. While not precisely a foil for Rose, Flora’s attitude helps reflect the difference between the Highland and Lowland groups.
Edward learns the danger of guilt by association and is accused by his colonel of plotting a mutiny; only Rose is able to keep him from going to prison. By this time convinced to adopt the Jacobite cause, Edward meets the Pretender to the throne. Edward’s transition allows Scott to emphasize the sincerity felt by members of both sides of the conflict. By viewing the struggle through the lives of specific individuals, he helps readers identify with humans supporting a cause they feel will result in a better way of life.
Some readers found themselves sympathizing along with Edward with the Catholic Jacobite view, coming to better understand the Scots. Edward fights in the Battle of Prestonpans, where the Jacobites are dispersed. His heroism in rescuing Colonel Talbot secures his pardon. Fergus does not fare so well, is convicted, and eventually executed, driving Flora into a convent.
Although Edward had loved Flora, her refusal of his marriage proposal helps him realize that she could not be happy without her cause. He eventually regains his feelings for Rose and marries her.
Thanks to Scott’s attention to historical detail, the novel appealed to intellectual readers as well as to the more common reader who loved an adventure tale. It remains a popular novel, readily available in print and electronic text.
Categories: British Literature, Literature, Novel Analysis
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