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Quentin Durward; Ivanhoe; Kenilworth (Modern Library Giant G12)
by Scott, Sir Walter
- Used
- Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Good/No Jacket
- Seller
-
Webster, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: The Modern Library, 1945. Reprint. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket. 8x5x1. 1945-63 printing, Toledano G012.1, binding style G5, brown endpapers with centered decoration featuring logo, spines and opened pages of books, and four figures reading. Lacks jacket. Boards lightly soiled, ink mark on rear board, a few lights spots on top edge, hinges just beginning to weaken, half-title page creased. 1138 pp. Quentin Durward is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1823. The story concerns a Scottish archer in the service of the French King Louis XI (1423–1483) who plays a prominent part in the narrative. The plot centres on the medieval rivalry between Louis XI of France and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Louis incites the citizens of Liège to revolt against Charles, and they seize and murder Charles's brother-in-law, Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liège, under the command of Louis's ally, William de la Marck, who was hoping to install his son in Louis de Bourbon's place (a real historical event which occurred in 1482). At the time of the murder, Louis is present in Charles' camp at Péronne, hoping to fool him with a false display of friendship. Charles, however, sees through his mask of deceit, accuses him of instigating the uprising, and has him imprisoned. Louis's superior coolness of mind permits him to allay Charles's suspicions and to regain his liberty. In a sub-plot, the Burgundian heiress Isabelle de Croye takes refuge at Louis's court when Charles attempts to give her hand in marriage to his odious favourite Campo-Basso. Louis, in turn, resolves to give her in marriage to the bandit-captain William de la Marck, and sends her to Flanders under the pretence of placing her under the protection of the Bishop of Liège. She is guarded on her journey by Quentin Durward, an archer, who has left behind poverty in Scotland to join the Archers of Louis's Scottish Guard. Quentin prevents the intended treachery and earns Isabelle's love. Charles, though, promises her in marriage to the Duke of Orléans (heir to the French crown) but she refuses, and, in anger, the Duke promises her to whoever brings him the head of de la Marck. This Quentin does with the help of his uncle, Ludovic Lesley, and wins Isabelle's hand.--Wikipedia. Ivanhoe: A Romance (/ˈaɪvənˌhoʊ/) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. At the time it was written, the novel represented a shift by Scott away from writing novels set in Scotland in the fairly recent past to England in the Middle Ages. Ivanhoe proved to be one of the best-known and most influential of Scott's novels. Set in 12th-century England, with colourful descriptions of a tournament, outlaws, a witch trial, and divisions between Jews and Christians, Ivanhoe is credited for increased interest in chivalric romance and medievalism. John Henry Newman claimed that Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the Middle Ages", while Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin likewise asserted Scott's great influence upon the revival of interest in the medieval period, primarily based upon the publication of the novel Ivanhoe.[1] Moreover, Ivanhoe much influenced popular perceptions of Richard the Lionheart, King John, and Robin Hood.--Wikiepdia. Kenilworth. A Romance is a historical romance novel by Sir Walter Scott, one of the Waverley novels, first published on 13 January 1821. Set in 1575, it leads up to the elaborate reception of Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle by the Earl of Leicester, who is complicit in the murder of his wife Amy Robsart at Cumnor. Kenilworth is set in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and centres on the secret marriage of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and Amy Robsart, daughter of Sir Hugh Robsart. Amy passionately loves her husband, and the Earl loves her in return, but he is driven by ambition. He is courting the Queen's favour, and only by keeping his marriage to Amy secret can he hope to rise to the height of power that he desires. At the end of the book, the Queen discovers the truth, to the shame of the Earl. The disclosure has come too late, for Amy has been murdered by the Earl's even more ambitious steward, Varney.--Wikipedia
Synopsis
Quentin Durward is a historical novel by Walter Scott, first published in 1823. The story concerns a Scottish archer in the service of the French King Louis XI.
Reviews
On Aug 15 2021, a reader said:
I would like my grandson to read this. The protagonist is a prime example of the stoic virtues, high mindedness, confidence, cheerfulness, endurance and industriousness. This is a woefully neglected topic these days. The author seems to have learned from Shakespeare, in terms of language and the utilization of the universal themes: life, love, work, warfare, kings, revenge, and so on. Scott portrays a cross section of humanity, with a sympathetic understanding of both commoner and king. The author seems to revel in dialog, both in the folk idioms of the court executioner, in the clever wranglings of the barber (and chief advisor) to the king, and the ascerbic, intricate political machinations of Louis XI. Well researched, a vivid portrayal of the times. Surprisingly entertaining. One isolated chapter of stereotypical female character pearl-clutching and the spouting of idealized pietism. Interesting to read a book that does not rely on metaphor, that is almost exclusively complete sentences. Surprising that the bad old technique of telling, as opposed to showing, can be so effective in reenacting a battlescene. Nowadays such a scene would be written in a clipped manner. The author furnishes the reader with a LOT of information, details, details. A thing of inestimable value IMHO, the reliability of the author as a reporter of truth. The characters' reactions are realistic. There are seldom improbabilities. Scott does not gloss over the ugly realities of warfare. Lances penetrate eyeballs and go into the brain. The bishop's throat is cut in the middle of a victory feast. The only exception, to the degree of plausible realism, is the fact that his protagonist always seems to have a perfectly composed speech on the spur of the moment. He speaks the way we might speak, if we had a few hours to think about it. This is not to say that it is necessarily bad, because it does convey the concept of heroism. In regards to Durward's prowess in battle, that is dealt with realistically. He has narrow escapes, his helmet is bashed in. When there is an opportunity for him to defeat one of the chief villains, he is off somewhere, escorting some ladies off the battlefield. If I might bring up Dickens. Dickens in comparison, is more imaginative, in coming up with creative uses of language. Some of his characters are either caracatures or are intended for comic relief, with the realistic and the comic dealt with as separate modes of writing belonging to the same narrative. Some of Dickens' characters are overly sentimental. There may be comic characters, with Scott, but they silliness is over after a couple of sentences. There is the influence Scott had on writers of fiction and history. Scott, inventor of the historic novel. James Fennimore Cooper. Robert Louis Stevenson. Goethe. Emil Ludwig, author of the history, "Napoleon." Mark Twain wrote that the South needed to get over the writings of Walter Scott, because Scott had filled the minds of the young southern men with romantic notions of chivalry, heroism and warfare, probably contributing to war positivity. Which takes me back to the beginning, to the value of Scott's books in helping to instill in boys the traditional male virtues. Maybe we have let the pendulum swing too far. Moderation in all things. The branch becomes more and more brittle the farther you venture from the main stem. Yes, Walter Scott is an important author to read. He may be just what is needed, a remedy for our times. Dicken's books seem to focus on informing the public on the need for social reform, while Scott's seem to focus on instilling individual virtue, while also providing a backdrop of the injustices after--and possibly as a consequence of--Scotland's unification with England. Another of Scott's major themes is the accomodation necessary for persons, accustomed to practicing the archaic virtues of an earlier era, to conform to a new regime with more laws and regulations. One deslt with social constructs, the othe with the individual. Scott's program would be applicable under any social system, in any country, at any time.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Yesterday's Muse Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2325098
- Title
- Quentin Durward; Ivanhoe; Kenilworth (Modern Library Giant G12)
- Author
- Scott, Sir Walter
- Format/Binding
- Hard Cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- No Jacket
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Reprint
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- The Modern Library
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1945
- Size
- 8x5x1
- Weight
- 2.13 lbs
- Keywords
- SCOTTISH LITERATURE SIR WALTER SCOTT MODERN LIBRARY GIANT
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
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About the Seller
Yesterday's Muse Books
Biblio member since 2005
Webster, New York
About Yesterday's Muse Books
Yesterday's Muse Inc. is an independent used & rare bookseller that has been in operation for over 15 years. We opened our first 'brick and mortar' storefront in December of 2008 in our hometown of Webster, NY.Owner Jonathan Smalter is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), former vice president of the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA), both of which are trade organizations created to promote ethical online selling practices, and to encourage continuing education among fellow booksellers. He is also a 2011 graduate of the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS). He has nearly 20 years of experience in the book trade, during which time he has become adept at evaluating used and collectible books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Reprint
- Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By definition, a reprint is not a first edition.
- Soiled
- Generally refers to minor discoloration or staining.
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