fjm persuaded me to give it another go, and I must say that with a paper copy (rather than reading off the Blackberry as I had previously tried) it was much easier to speed-read through the cod-medieval prose and get the sense of story. This edition also has a very useful introduction pointing out that the imagined distance from the Norman Conquest to the setting of Scott's novel is about the same as the real interval between 1688-91 and the writing of the novel. The conflict between Saxons and Normans, which feels rather anachronistic for 1192, then actually stands as a metaphor for national reconciliation between the ex-Jacobites and the Whigs. This helped me get through the book. I found it all pretty heavy-handed, though, including the treatment of the Jews both by the other characters and by the author. Occasionally the cod-medievalisms made me wonder if it was all supposed to be a joke - "It is as true as the Gospel of Saint Nicodemus" struck me as a phrase capable of more than one interpretation - but alas in the end I think the author was taking himself seriously and expected us to take it seriously too, Saxon heirs, Richard the Lion-Heart, Robin of Locksley, Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all. And I can't quite manage it. November Books 8) Ivanhoe, by Walter Scott
fjm persuaded me to give it another go, and I must say that with a paper copy (rather than reading off the Blackberry as I had previously tried) it was much easier to speed-read through the cod-medieval prose and get the sense of story. This edition also has a very useful introduction pointing out that the imagined distance from the Norman Conquest to the setting of Scott's novel is about the same as the real interval between 1688-91 and the writing of the novel. The conflict between Saxons and Normans, which feels rather anachronistic for 1192, then actually stands as a metaphor for national reconciliation between the ex-Jacobites and the Whigs. This helped me get through the book. I found it all pretty heavy-handed, though, including the treatment of the Jews both by the other characters and by the author. Occasionally the cod-medievalisms made me wonder if it was all supposed to be a joke - "It is as true as the Gospel of Saint Nicodemus" struck me as a phrase capable of more than one interpretation - but alas in the end I think the author was taking himself seriously and expected us to take it seriously too, Saxon heirs, Richard the Lion-Heart, Robin of Locksley, Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all. And I can't quite manage it. -
My tweets
Tue, 10:45: RT @ marlenestocker: Gonna use this next time I'm late on a deadline! https://t.co/MpBFHDY6LS Tue, 11:30: RT @ HarleyShah: I…
-
My tweets
Mon, 20:10: Kathedralen uit de steentijd, by Herman Clerinx https://t.co/N3IkMouG0M Tue, 00:04: Whoniversaries 20 April…
-
My tweets
Fri, 12:56: Will sovereignty break up Britain? https://t.co/J2I1GPK1pL “Sovereignty” = “Brexit”. Fri, 16:05: Madoff and me: How I lost my…
- Post a new comment
- 6 comments
- Post a new comment
- 6 comments
