Case 12
- Waverley novels1820-1821
[Sir Walter Scott]. The abbot. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh, 1820. Three volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.
The abbot is the sole Waverley novel to be
explicitly presented as a sequel to an earlier volume. Like its predecessor The monastery, it is set during the
reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the story’s backdrop being the period of her
imprisonment at Lochleven Castle and subsequent escape.
[Sir Walter Scott]. The abbot. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh, 1820. Three volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.
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[Sir Walter Scott]. The abbot. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh, 1820. Three volumes; Vol. 2 displayed.
Scott
was largely driven by the relative failure of The monastery, and the success of The abbot convinced him that the sixteenth century provided fertile
ground for historical fiction, and he would return to this period in composing
his next novel, Kenilworth.
[Sir Walter Scott]. The abbot. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh, 1820. Three volumes; Vol. 2 displayed.
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[Sir Walter Scott]. Kenilworth: a romance. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co.; and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., London, 1821. Three volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.
Set in
Elizabethan England, Kenilworth is
based upon the tradition of the tragic fate of the beautiful Amy Robsart,
daughter of Sir Hugh Robsart. Famed for its vivid portrayal of Queen Elizabeth,
it an uncharacteristically dark novel by Scott’s standards, focusing on a
tragic series of events with themes of selfishness and ambition. As popular as
ever, Scott the novelist was now approaching his most prolific phase, with
novels rapidly following each other.
[Sir Walter Scott]. Kenilworth: a romance. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co.; and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., London, 1821. Three volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.
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[Sir Walter Scott]. Kenilworth: a romance. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co.; and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., London, 1821. Three volumes; Vol. 2 displayed.
The
title refers to Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire, home of the ambitious and
conniving protagonist the Earl of Leicester. The favourite of Queen Elizabeth,
Leicester feels obliged to conceal his marriage to Amy Robsart to maintain his
position at court. Kenilworth is open
at a scene in which Leicester offers his opinion concerning the imprisoned Mary
Queen of Scots.
[Sir Walter Scott]. Kenilworth: a romance. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co.; and John Ballantyne, Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., London, 1821. Three volumes; Vol. 2 displayed.
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