The principles of creating a historical novel in the work of Walter Scott "Ivanhoe. Character history Genre of Ivanhoe

The theme of medieval chivalry in Western literature of the 19th century becomes relevant for very different political, sociocultural and historical reasons. This trend was accompanied by a series of historical events that forced the Western intelligentsia to reconsider their views on political system, on life values ​​in general.
First, one of the most important prerequisites for this retrospective view of reality through the eyes of contemporaries can be considered the American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783. and, most importantly, great French Revolution 1789–1794 Her emotional experience, and then the comprehension of her experience, her consequences played a decisive role in the emergence and development of the romantic worldview. On a short time the revolution created the illusion of universal liberation from centuries of slavery in captivity of external circumstances, a person felt himself omnipotent.
Secondly, aesthetic origins romantic literature- this is, first of all, sentimentalism, which created an apology for individual feelings, and various options pre-romanticism: meditative landscape poetry, gothic romance and imitations of medieval poetic monuments.

Walter Scott, typical product of his time, creator historical novel as a novelist did not take place immediately. The son of a small judicial official, after graduating from the university, was engaged in advocacy, but the history of his native land attracted him more, and he devoted himself entirely to studying its customs and traditions. That was the beginning of it creative way to the formation of a personality that descendants will later call outstanding English writer. First, he made a career as a translator, then, as a result of a long collection of English and Scottish folklore, he gave birth to many poems, united under the name “Songs of the Scottish Border”, and only then, as a result of the development of his artistic talent, he became the ancestor of a new one for his time. literary genre genre of the historical novel.
Walter Scott lived in an era of turbulent political times: before his eyes, an entire era of statehood was being destroyed not only in his country, but in all the countries of Europe. It also became obvious that the bourgeois system was a heavy yoke that fell on the shoulders of the masses of the people, who at that time had already opposed the domination of the bourgeoisie more than once (“the Luddite movement” in 1811-1812 - ed.). “Apparently, the events of the turbulent modern political life and put before W. Scott the question of a broad coverage of the ongoing historical process. W. Scott sought to comprehend the causes of the great historical changes that took place in his era: he looked into the past in order to better and more fully understand the present and imagine the path of development of history in the near future. The genre of the poem was too cramped and narrow for the new huge historical canvases, the ideas of which were nurtured by W. Scott. Modernity demanded the creation of such a genre of historical narrative, which could broadly and versatilely cover the depicted era, reveal it as fully as possible. Thus, evaluating all literary activity mature Scott (and this was, as we said above, nothing more than the development of a new genre in literature), we can say that all of them are saturated with the author's insight into history, the presentation of its events through the eyes of an artist who has looked into it. Belinsky wrote: "Reading Shakespeare and Walter Scott, you see that such poets could appear only in a country that developed under the influence of terrible political storms, and even more internal than external." So, for example famous work author of "Ivanhoe", we will try to analyze some moments, without the presence of which it would not have turned out to be truly a world-class masterpiece.

1. A historical event in the novel or ways of introducing the realities of the era into the novel.

As noted above, the basis of all the writer's novels is exclusively the historical aspect, in the light of which various destinies unfold, both the fate of individuals and the fate of an entire nation. (By the way, Scott was much more interested in the fate of the people than the fate of an individual person - ed.) “When analyzing a historical novel, it was customary, first of all, to prove or reject its historical authenticity. To do this, they usually separate "truth" from "fiction" - what the author took from the "genuine" documents, from what he brought his own, which is absent in the documents. But it is essentially impossible to perform such an operation on the novels of Walter Scott, because truth and fiction, history and novel, constitute an indissoluble unity in them. It could be argued that Richard I existed, and Wamba the jester, Gurt the swineherd, Lady Rowena, and all the others were fictitious by the author. But it was possible to find out about this only by destroying the novel and building some kind of abstraction from its fragments, which Scott himself, as a historian and novelist, was incapable of.
Since the events in the novel unfold in the “muddy” times of the Middle Ages, which were distinguished by the particular ferocity and cruelty of the rulers, it is appropriate to recall a fragment of the burning of the castle of the feudal lord Fron de Beuf by the people under the leadership of the Black Knight. In general, Scott's people are shown ambiguously and contradictory in all his works. The author himself was an adherent of conservative political views. He emphasized his devotion to the royal house, however, this is expressed artistically in a slightly different way, in contrast to how it is known to history. However, it cannot be said that, in depicting history, Scott largely distorted the reality that he illuminated with his narrative, but it is absolutely legitimate to say that the people are too willing to recognize the power of leaders who pursue the interests of their class, and not the interests of people. "Ivanhoe" clearly divides the whole mass of the people into supporters of the one who occupies the throne at the moment (this is Prince John: with what devotion, for example, they meet his appearance at the jousting tournament at the beginning of the novel!) And his novel antipode, who disappeared when something of King Richard the Lionheart. Of course, this devotion is partly ostentatious, explained solely by the fear of the wrath of the powerful monarch John (the largest feudal lord in England), and in their hearts each of them dreamed of the solemn return of a genuine people's favorite, but to show this was, as it becomes obvious when reading, too fraught. One way or another, the novel “shows this era of the reorganization of England, which was turning from a country of scattered and warring feudal estates into a monolithic kingdom, into a country where a single new people was slowly melted out of the conquered and conquerors - not the Normans and not the Anglo-Saxons, but the British. W. Scott gave in this novel, on the whole, a true picture of the described moment in the history of England.
The novel features several main characters, one of which is Richard I, better known as Richard the Lionheart, a great and powerful, valiant and fearless knight .... Order, distinguished, as history knows, not so much by its feats of arms, how much in a loud and thunderous voice, from the cry of which the horses squatted, and this was noted by the author himself:
“... he himself was anxious all the time, whether from under the lowered visor of this knight covered with steel armor, the low and formidable voice of Richard the Lionheart would be heard!” . The deeds that he does are not recorded in any historical document, but this does not particularly bother the author, because his goal is to show Richard as he sees the knight himself, in the light of his artistically fictional portrait sketches and strokes. Sending his hero to visit the cell of the monk-hermit Tuka, Scott skillfully weaves a whole layer into this small plot segment. historical heritage: together with the monk, they arrange a whole feast with wine and a hearty dinner, accompanied by the singing of ballads and other folk songs, which medieval England is so rich in!
The true character of Richard is revealed by the very fact of his coming to the monastic cell: this really corresponds to the then existing knightly tradition of the “adventurer”.

“A pack of feudal lords, hosting in England, causing the hatred of the English people, is headed by Prince John, brother of King Richard I, who seized power in the country in his absence. V. Scott, distorting the historical truth, shows Prince John as a spineless and pitiful figure, a tool in the hands of a feudal clique that regards England as its prey. But common point W. Scott's view of the prince and his supporters is basically correct."
The writer did not bypass such a topical topic, and not just a topic, but a drama and a scourge of all times and all peoples without exception, as an unfortunate and always and everywhere persecuted nation of Israelis, embodied in the images of the old Jewish creditor Isaac and his beautiful daughter Rebekah , who drove the cynical, cruel, but great hunter of Boisguillebert women crazy. So, the story is known for certain that Prince John, having imprisoned some rich Jew in one of his castles, ordered to pull out his tooth every day. This went on until the unfortunate Israelite had lost half of his teeth, and only then did he agree to pay the enormous sum that the prince sought to extort from him. Taking this as a plot historical fact, Walter Scott managed to recreate a unique picture of medieval torture, as well as talk about the character, customs, traditions, religion (remember how often Isaac in his remarks turned to different saints) and even the clothes of those who were subjected to them (Jewish hat of Isaac, a characteristic outfit his daughter is also described in detail).
Not the last role is played by such details-methods of introducing historical realities as the slave collar of the swineherd Gurta, the Templar cloak de Boisguillebert and much, much more. To achieve even greater reliability, Walter Scott uses his favorite technique in the novel, in which the main characters are presented to the reader, as if by chance, in an everyday view, and historical figures are also “incognito”.

So, from a small number of examples given, it will be logical to conclude that where there is history, there is also fiction, where there is fiction, there is also history, since then the novel would not be a novel, but would be a chronicle, and would not be historical, but would lie down on a shelf with fantasy (I recall Lewis Carol: “if you want to reach the oak, you need to go to reverse side"- approx. auth.). "Obviously, Scott's historical characters are as fictional as the non-historical ones."<…>“You can embody more historical truth in a fictional character than in a historical character; in order to create and therefore explain a fictional character, one can draw on more information about moral life, way of life, the existence of the masses - information that is not in the documents, but which determines the nature of the entire era.<…>“For Scott, as well as for his reader, the images he created were not fiction, but history. Discover the patterns that created this image, meant to produce historical research era, its customs, national traditions, way of life, public relations.»

2. The system of social connections and its reflection in the system of images.

Describing England of the 12th century, when England was not yet England, but a military field of struggle between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons, W. Scott focuses not so much on the very hostility of these two political camps as on class contradictions, and contradictions between the enslaved serfs and the feudal lords as Anglo-Saxon and of Norman origin. The struggle was in particular between the English kings during the second half of the XII century and their own subjects -
dukes, earls and barons, all in the name of creating a centralized English feudal monarchy. It is obvious that, as in all times, the royal power pursued only its own selfish interests, in general, this process of centralization was inevitable, progressive and necessary as a necessary condition. further development civilization in general. This natural historical process was slowed down only by numerous feuds between the conquerors and those already conquered, bringing only confusion into the natural historical process of reorganization. “The reader sees that both the Norman knights Fron de Boeuf, de Malvoisin and de Bracy, and the representatives of the old Anglo-Saxon nobility, Cedric and Athelstan, are equally lagging behind in their development, in their views, from the tasks facing the English people. They can't resolve the old argument about the relative merits of winners and losers. Their feuds lead to the fact that England is constantly threatened by civil strife, destroying the life of the country, a heavy burden on the people.
By introducing such vivid images into the novel as the ballad hero Robin Hood, who received from Scott the name of the best shooter Loxley, the author tried to recreate the image of those people in whom he saw hope for a better future for his country.
The figure of Ivanhoe - the main character - is rather pale, and even somewhat modernized, more similar in character and mood to a person of the 19th century. The same can be said about the main character - Lady Rowena. However, for Walter Scott, the main thing was the observance of the condition characteristic of all his work - the dependence of Ivanhoe's fate on those historical events, a participant or witness of which he somehow turned out to be.
Considering social aspect people in principle, without taking into account either politics or economics, a person inevitably faces the problem of social inequality when it comes to a more intimate area of ​​his life - about marriage, about love. Although the author does not pay much attention to love line novel, however, it would not be superfluous to note that Rebekah, a representative of a hostile tribe, does not have the right to love the knight Ivanhoe, and Rebekah, in turn, does not have the right (we are talking about the moral right, of course) to desire Boisguillebert. Not a single code will allow him to marry her, but Rebekah is not able to simply dishonor himself and allow himself to be mastered as a toy. Although she is Jewish, she highly appreciates and honors the laws of her tribe and faith, besides, it is unacceptable for her that the person who by force captured and locked her in his castle with her father, threatening death, seeks her favor .
“I believe what I was taught,” Rebekah objected, “and may God forgive me if my faith is erroneous. But what is your faith, sir knight, if you invoke your greatest shrine when you are about to break your most solemn vows.
“You preach very eloquently, O daughter of Sirach! the templar said. “But, my fine theologian, your Jewish prejudices make you blind to our lofty privileges. Marriage would be a serious crime for a Knight of the Temple, but for petty sins, I can instantly get a pardon in the nearest confessional of our order. The wisest of your kings, and even his father, whose example must have some power in your eyes, enjoyed more extensive privileges in this respect than we, the poor warriors of the Temple of Zion, who acquired such rights for ourselves by defending it so zealously. The defenders of Solomon's temple can afford the pleasures sung by your wisest king Solomon.
Through the images of Ivanhoe and Rebekah, the attitude of the protagonist towards the Jews is traced. At first, his behavior gives the impression that he does not feel contempt for them, like all the other characters in the novel. This can be assumed from the scene when he gives Isaac his place by the fireplace, he is a noble knight, at a time when all the servants clearly demonstrate to Isaac their disdain for him, and also when Ivanhoe saves a poor Jew from certain death. But this impression is deceptive. His true attitude to the sons of the “despicable people” is clearly seen in his relationship with Rebekah. He is like everyone else noble people At that time, he was disgusted with her. This is shown in the scene when he woke up wounded in the castle of Reginald Fron de Boeuf. First he sees in her beautiful girl which saved his life. He calls her "dear", "noble maiden". But as soon as Ivanhoe finds out that she is Jewish, his whole attitude towards her changes dramatically: “... with what feeling her faithful knight first looked at the beautiful features and brilliant eyes of the beautiful Rebekah ... But Ivanhoe was too sincere a Catholic to keep feelings for a Jewess ... "
3. As a conclusion.
The hero as the embodiment of the "code". Functions of the chronotope in the novel.

So, events unfold in the Middle Ages in the space of medieval buildings - castles, castle dungeons, medieval cities.

conflict between political camps, historical crisis, turning point in the country's history.

Scott is interested in a specific historical moment, the specifics of a certain era, hence the localization of the plot in historical time;
- opposition of polar loci, symbolizing the opposition of order and chaos (for example, a city-forest)

Compositional-speech forms and a system of points of view
- the distance between the past and the present is emphasized; therefore, there are significant differences between the points of view of the narrator and the character;
- a large number of comments, descriptions of life, mores, customs of the era, given directly in the text of the novel (numerous lyrical digressions that characterize the described time, cited ballads, folk songs, epigraphs to chapters)

The obligatory presence of historical characters (Richard the Lionheart, Prince John, the Jew Isaac, who also has his own real prototype)

The presence of several “pairs” of characters that are somehow compared with each other, which are needed to show the change of eras as a change in their inherent characters (Prince John is opposed to Richard, Ivanhoe can be opposed to Fron de Boeuf)

The hero of Ivanhoe's novel is the spokesman for the code of chivalrous ideas, attitudes, and behavior. The duty of a true knight is to be a supporter of the weakest party, the weakest of the ruling camps (in this case, the conflict between King John, who is in power and has a number of supporters with him, and Richard, who was just about to strike a decisive blow with his appearance on the political arena). Ivanhoe, as a true knight, was devoted to Richard and sincerely hoped that the latter, upon returning, would destroy all John's insidious plans and restore justice in the country.
Getting wounded in the castle of Reginald Fron de Boeuf, in fact the same knight, the owner of the castle sets to look after him. This is not an accidental plot twist and not a gesture of goodwill: even though front de Boeuf is villain novel, strict concepts of knightly honor forbade any violence against a knight who was in a helpless state. However, it is difficult for a person experienced in knightly exploits to remain inactive, like some monk or woman, while others around him perform valiant deeds, so Ivanhoe heroically rushes into battle, strives into the thick of events, especially when on the other side of the room where he is, there is an active deposition of the castle. “After all, battle is our daily bread, the smoke of battle is the air that we breathe! We do not live and do not want to live otherwise than surrounded by a halo of victory and glory! These are the laws of chivalry, we have sworn to fulfill them and sacrifice for them everything that is dear to us in life. Thus, the reward of a knight is glory, only it will perpetuate the name of the hero. The chivalrous spirit distinguishes a valiant warrior from a commoner and a savage, he teaches to value his life incomparably lower than honor, to triumph over all hardships, worries and suffering, not to be afraid of anything but dishonor. The worst crime of a knight is betrayal of honor and duty. And the crime is punishable by death, so the punishment is inevitable (Font de Boeuf and Brian de Boisguillebert). Chivalry is the source of the purest and most noble affections, the support of the oppressed, the protection of the offended, the bulwark against the arbitrariness of the rulers. Without him, noble honor would be an empty phrase. In the image of the fictional Ivanhoe, all the principles and laws of the military spirit of a medieval knight are observed, the whole plot of the novel is based on these selfless truths and are, as it were, a convoy of the entire work, through which readers of many generations can recreate the type of a worthy and faithful person and restore a reliable, authentic appearance a real man, because it is especially hard to do in the 21st century, when all the ideals and patterns of behavior are so mercilessly trampled and irretrievably lost.

Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe" is the first historical and adventure novel of the nineteenth century, which was subsequently translated into Russian. It is known that its sales were huge.

So, in just 10 days, the first large edition of the book was sold out: 10 thousand copies. The plot of the novel takes the reader outside of Scotland, and it describes the events of 1194, when the famous Battle of Hastings took place.

Despite the fact that the events that Walter Scott describes took place 128 years ago, they were interesting to the reader of that time.

In contact with

History of the creation of the novel

In his work "Ivanhoe" Walter Scott shows how strong was the enmity between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons in those days when Richard the First was on the English throne.

It is known that at first Scott wanted to publish his novel without attribution. Wanting to understand how the reader is familiar with his works, he dreamed of publishing another novel in the future and competing with himself. But the publisher dissuaded him from this plan, suggesting that this could adversely affect the literary career of the writer, and the fees and success would no longer be so amazing.

Description of events in chapters 1 to 10

The action of this chapter begins to develop in the forest, where two commoners were talking to each other. They discussed the situation that has developed in society. It was a jester and a swineherd.

A small group of horsemen rode up to this place in the second chapter. They were unusually dressed, like foreigners. There was also a confessor of high rank in this detachment - Abbot Eimer. But a man over 40 stood out in particular. The author describes it as follows:

1. High growth.
2. Thin.
3. Muscular and strong.
4. Dark and penetrating eyes.
5. Luxurious clothes.

Aimer and his traveler asked the jester and the swineherd how to get to Rotherwood Castle. But the jester decided to show them the wrong way. This companion of the abbe was the knight Briand de Boisguillebert. But on the way the rider met a stranger, who led them to the castle.

In the third chapter, the reader will get to know Cedric Saxa, to whom the travelers were sent. He was a simple-minded man, but quick-tempered. There were rumors that he kicked his only son out of the house because he looked with loving eyes at the beautiful Lady Rowena. Sax used to fight, but in Lately he began to tire of both battles and hunting, as he was already 60 years old.

The riders arrived at the castle just in time for dinner. Soon the late guests entered the hall, and old Sachs hastened to send the maid to the beautiful mistress of the castle so that she would not come out for dinner.

In the fourth chapter, the reader gets acquainted not only with the riders who entered the hall where Sax was going to dine, but also with Lady Rowena, who disobeyed the orders of the owner of the castle and appeared before the guests. The author uses many epithets trying to describe the beauty of Lady Rowena:

1. Growth is high.
2. Beautifully built.
3. Rowena's skin was dazzlingly white.
4. Clear Blue eyes and long eyelashes.
5. Thick light brown hair.

The whole conversation at dinner concerned only the knightly tournament, which everyone in the district had been talking about for a long time. The guests invited Cedric to accompany their couple to this horizontal bar. But he did not accept this offer, considering himself a brave fighter. But the conversation was interrupted by the fact that the servant told about a wanderer who asked for a lodging for the night.

The conversation turned to the most powerful knights, among which Ivanhoe was named.

In the sixth chapter, the reader learns in detail about the knight Ivanhoe, who interested Lady Rowena, and she began to ask about him.

The seventh and eighth chapters take the reader to a jousting tournament. The rich Jew Isaac was also here, along with his beautiful daughter Rebekah. Prince John reminds the abbot that it is still necessary to choose the most beautiful girl in order to appoint her the queen of beauty and love. The queen will be handing out awards on the second day of the tournament.

In the midst of the tournament, a new knight appeared, the inscription on the shell of which stated that he had been disinherited. He easily defeated the knight De Boisguillebert, and then also easily won battles with the others. So he became the winner of the knightly tournament.

In the ninth chapter, the knight not only refuses to reveal his face, but chooses Lady Rowena as the beauty queen. In the tenth chapter, he refused to take a ransom from the defeated de Boisguillebert, since he was his mortal enemy.

Main content of chapters 11 to 20

Gurth, who independently transferred to the service of the Knight of the Disinherited, was attacked by robbers at night. The robbers tried not only to take his money, but also wanted to know who his owner was. Gurt said that his master was rich, and that he wanted to take revenge on his offender.

On the second day of the tournament, the battles continued. In chapter 12, the templar and the disinherited knight meet again in battle. Despite the numerical superiority of opponents, the new knight did not want to give up. Knocking the offender to the ground, a knight unfamiliar to everyone demanded that the templar admit defeat, but Prince John stopped the duel. When the Disinherited knight took off his helmet from his head so that the beauty queen rewarded him, and Rowena recognized him as her beloved Ivanhoe.

In chapters 13 and 14, Ivanhoe gives Prince John a note in which Richard, the prince's brother, wrote that he was alive and well and wished to return soon. To gain popularity with his subjects, John arranges a feast at which he asks Cedric about why he kicked out his son Ivanhoe. He saw with what joy the guests raised a toast to King Richard, and this upset him.

In the fifteenth chapter, de Bracy gathers supporters who could support Prince John and oppose Richard. A plan was also conceived to capture Lady Rowena.

In chapters 16 and 17, the reader is transported to the forest where Ivanhoe lives with his "robbers". The Black Knight and the hermit dined in the hermit's hut. Soon they were already competing in playing the harp and in knightly poetry. After that, the feast continued.

In chapter 18, Cedric Sax remembers his son. At the tournament, when Ivanhoe fell, he wanted to help him. But he stopped in time, as society would not accept his act. Cedric sacrificed his son for Saxon independence. It seemed to Sax that it was Atelvan who would be their new king. But many believed that this primacy should have been given to Lady Rowena, who was also of royal origin.

Now Cedric believed that it was necessary to marry Athelstan to Rowena and then the two parties that were so close to him could unite. But his son interfered with this, which is why he was expelled from his parental home.

In chapter 19, Cedric returned home with Lady Rowena, Athelstan and retinue. But as soon as they went deeper into the dark forest, they immediately met Isaac and his beautiful daughter Rebekah. They told that they were attacked by robbers. Soon the robbers appeared before the fellow travelers, but only they were the disguised people of de Boisguillebert and de Bracy. The jester and Gurta quietly retired and unexpectedly met another gang of robbers. They decided to help out Cedric.

In chapter 20, Gurd finds himself in a clearing where the robbers' camp was located. Locksley, whom they met in the forest, tells his comrades about the captives. The black knight also wanted to help free Cedric.

Brief retelling of further events

Chapters 21 and 22 tell of the conditions under which the captives were placed at Thorquilstone Castle. Cedric was kept with Athelstane. The old man already guessed why he was here. Isaac was taken to the cellars, where they were going to torture him if he did not immediately pay them silver coins. But the Jew resisted, demanding to give him his daughter.

Not best position had beautiful women. In chapter 23, de Bercy molested Rowena, demanding that she become his wife, otherwise she would never leave this castle. And de Boisguillebert could not achieve the location of Rebekah, who later began to care for the wounded Ivanhoe.

In chapter 30, the attack of the castle began. And inside the castle, trying to take revenge on her offenders, kindled the fire of Ulrik. As soon as they managed to save the captives, the whole castle was on fire. But the templar in this turmoil managed to steal and take away Rebekah.

Prince John again organized a feast in his castle, at which he learned that Richard had returned. But supporters with every minute became less. But not everyone was saved that night, and they decided to execute Rebekah like a sorceress. She was saved from burning by Ivanhoe and King Richard, who again began to rule his country. Ivanhoe married Rowena, and Rebekah decided to help the poor and infirm.

W. Scott's novel "Ivanhoe" was written in 1819.

Its action takes place in Scotland and takes the reader seven centuries back into a special world of history and experiences. We are interested in the main character - Ivanhoe, whose characteristics will be given in the article. But first, we will briefly review the main events of this work.

The beginning of events in the novel

After the end of the Third Crusade, King Richard the Lionheart languishes in captivity. His place on the throne is treacherously taken by Prince John. Ivanhoe, whose characterization interests us, is a loyal supporter of the legitimate king.

Caught in bad weather, all the heroes of the novel meet in the house of Cedric Sax. There are questions about the campaign in the name of faith.

The templar knight tells that he lost to only one knight in the tournament: his name is Ivanhoe. Everyone gasps - this name is forbidden to be mentioned in the house.

In the meantime, everyone is preparing for the tournament in Ashby, which is to be held the next day.

All the nobility arrived in Ashby to look at the valor of the knights who returned from Palestine. A knight enters the arena, introducing himself as the Disinherited. He does not reveal his face to anyone. Having defeated everyone, he makes a circle around the arena and chooses Lady Rowena as the queen of beauty and love.

The second day of the tournament continues with squad fights. The companions of the Knight of the Disinherited are defeated. He fights alone with three opponents. A knight in black armor comes to his aid. Together they achieve victory, and the black knight disappears. Prince John again appoints the mysterious knight as the winner. He again chooses Lady Rowena as queen, but, wounded, falls from his horse and then his face is revealed. Everyone recognizes Wilfred Ivanhoe, whose characterization will follow.

In captivity

The small detachment of Cedric Sax, which includes Lady Rowena, the beautiful Jewess Rebekah with her father and the wounded helpless protagonist, captures Prince John's detachment and imprisons it in the castle de Boeuf. By cunning, Cedric's subordinates rescue him from the castle. He, along with the Black Knight, captures the castle and frees the prisoners. This knight turns out to be King Richard and invites everyone to his place.

In the king's castle

The royal invitation is an order. According to Cedric, it is Athelstan who is the rightful king of England, and Lady Rowena should belong to him. But Athelstan himself, a native Saxon, swears allegiance to King Richard, and everyone persuades Cedric to connect Rowena and Cedric's son, who are in love with each other. While Cedric hesitates, the knight-hero, exhausted by the wound, rides to certain death - to free Rebekah. She is held captive by the templar Boisguillebert. At the duel, the knight of the order suddenly falls from his horse and dies. Our hero, having freed Rebekah, returns. Cedric was persuaded to allow the marriage of Lady Rowena and his son. There is a wedding of Rowena and Ivanhoe, whose characteristics will be described a little later.

Roman "Ivanhoe"

After the success of the novel "Waverley", which was published in 1814, the eighth work of the historical genre will be "Ivanhoe". The work "Ivanhoe", the characteristic of which is paradoxical and lies in the fact that, having become a classic of historical adventure literature, nowadays migrated to children's libraries.

The novel seems somewhat drawn out, the action develops slowly. On the other hand, there are wonderful digressions that show the panorama of life in the 12th century and immerse you in its atmosphere, in the surroundings of knightly life, which is coming back into fashion: teenagers and adults make themselves knights' costumes and arrange elegant knightly tournaments.

Knight Ivanhoe: characteristic

Wilfred Ivanhoe belongs to an old family. His father Sax adheres to all ancient customs and cannot stand the Normans, who captured the whole country in just one battle. He believes that his pupil, the beautiful Lady Rowena, should intermarry with the face of the royal house of the Saxons. Therefore, he has two reasons to disinherit his son: he swore allegiance to the English king and dreams of marrying Lady Rowena.

Ivanhoe is handsome, young, strong and brave.

He is fluent in all martial arts, which allows him to defeat the experienced knight Boisguillebert in a tournament in Palestine and repeat it in his homeland.

The hero of the work is a patriot. He hates the Normans, who have been cultivating bitterness and bitterness in their homeland for more than a hundred years. common people.

Ivanhoe is monogamous. Having fallen in love with Rowena, he is delicate with Rebekah's feelings and behaves like a knight - nothing more. And he gave his heart to Lady Rowena forever. He dedicates military exploits to his beloved.

Wilfred is noble. He is a man of honor and justice. He helps Rebekah's father, the old Jew Isaac, save his fortune and life from the encroachments of the templar de Boisguillebert. He defends Rebekah at trial.

Ivanhoe is progressive. He understands that the future of his country lies in unification. Therefore, he swears allegiance to the king and goes with him to the Third Crusade. For this, the father deprived his son of his inheritance, and he placed an oak tree on his shield, which was uprooted. Courage, nobility and love for the son's homeland make old Cedric reconsider his Political Views and open your heart to your son.

The hero is a knight, which means that he is true to his word, protects the weak. Always, even at the risk of life, Ivanhoe is truthful and fair, whose characterization is completed.

All the qualities of Ivanhoe are relevant for our time. The question remains: "Is it easy to be a knight?".

Ivanhoe characteristics plan:

• The history of the creation of the novel "Ivanhoe".
• The origin of the hero
• His portrait.
• Loyalty to King Richard.
• Attitude towards positive and negative characters.
• Knightly qualities.

This concludes our review of the novel by W. Scott and its protagonist, Ivanhoe.

In the 1920s, the reading world was gripped by a real Walter-Scott fever. The novels of the "great unknown" were reprinted many times in the UK and very quickly translated into European languages. Scott was fond of people of different ages and classes. Colleagues in the pen envied his success, but mentioned his books in their works. So, on the night before the duel, Lermontov’s Pechorin reads the novel “The Great Unknown”, the main character of the novel “Wives and Daughters” Molly “runs away” from family troubles to the world of noble heroes and beautiful ladies, and they get acquainted with “Rob Roy" in the Nekhlyudovs' living room in Tolstoy "Youth".

Especially popular after the debut "Waverley" was "" - the first book, which takes place in medieval England, and not in Scotland of the 16th-17th centuries. Initially, it was a commercial project designed to attract even more readers to the work of Walter Scott, but literary critics are sure that the stubborn author could not write anything worthwhile if he did not hope that this work would become his mite in the political discussion of his day. And even now, when "Ivanhoe" is considered a children's book ("the first and last novel for boys"), it is easy to see important themes of the post-Napoleonic era in it.

Walter Scott

A chivalric novel about the 19th century

If left aside romantic story about the disinherited knight and his beautiful sweetheart, then England at the end of the 12th century, torn apart by disputes between the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans, comes to the fore in the novel. Professional historians have often reproached Walter Scott for exaggerating these differences. Like, more than a hundred years after the invasion of William the Conqueror, both sides had almost nothing to share. The writer, of course, did not invent anything, the remnants of this confrontation are still visible in the English language, where high style is formed by words with Romance roots, and simple speech is marked by lexemes of Germanic origin. However, the resistance of the Anglo-Saxons was really not so obvious.

Could Walter Scott have made such a mistake? There are indeed a number of historical inaccuracies in Ivanhoe, but in the context of the novel, they can rather be attributed to reservations. The writer started this book after working on the article “Chivalry” (“Knighthood”) for the Encyclopædia Britannica. The article was published in 1818 and largely explained the difference between the military-feudal knighthood (an Anglo-Saxon term for a category of professional horsemen) and the Norman concept of chivalry, which includes social and cultural connotations. Based on collected material, a year later the author of Waverley published Ivanhoe.

Today, a number of researchers of Walter Scott's work agree that the end of the 12th century in the novel is easily superimposed on the situation of the first half of the 19th century, and the dispute between the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans is a metaphor for the differences between the British and the Scots. The latter became part of the United Kingdom only in 1707, but did not reconcile themselves to their "vassal" position.

As a Scottish patriot, Walter Scott believed in national identity of his small people, loved their culture and regretted the dying dialect, but as a person who knew politics and understood the situation in the country, he could appreciate the benefits of uniting with England. In this context, Ivanhoe should be seen as an attempt to reconcile the two camps.

Indeed, Scott created a novel not about the end of the Anglo-Saxon resistance, but about the birth of a single English nation. Both warring groups in the book have their strengths and weaknesses. So, the writer clearly sympathizes with the indigenous population, but he portrays the Saxon then Cedric as an inert and grumpy old man, and the main hope of the entire “party” - Athelstan of Koningsburg - as a lazy and indecisive person. At the same time, the Normans, unpleasant in all respects, turn out to be masters of their craft, strong and purposeful warriors, with a more detailed analysis. The indigenous people are fair and freedom-loving, while the invaders know how to "fend for themselves."

The disinherited Ivanhoe and his patron, King Richard the Lionheart, are the best representatives of their peoples here. Moreover, Richard is even more of an “Englishman” than Ivanhoe, he is a true follower of William the Conqueror, a brave and courteous knight, but at the same time a just and wise ruler who is not afraid to sully his reputation by communicating with people who are outlaws (Loxley's story). Of course, Walter Scott idealized the ruler, whose crusade, which ended in a ransom from captivity, almost led the country to economic collapse.

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The literary influence of "Ivanhoe"

The writer followed the ballad tradition of depicting a noble warrior king. And, I must say, rehabilitated Richard I in culture. In 1825, Walter Scott used his image for the second time in his novel. We are talking about the book "The Talisman", where the Lionheart became the main character.

Ivanhoe also influenced literary destiny another semi-legendary character - Robin Hood, who is referred to here as Locksley. Thanks to Walter Scott, the tradition was firmly established that noble robber lived in the XII century and was a contemporary of John Landless and his crusader brother. However, the writer contradicts himself, because in the novel Loxley becomes the winner of the archery tournament, and such competitions began to be held in England no earlier than the 13th century. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, Ivanhoe was not without errors and anachronisms.

Most legends about Robin Hood stipulate that he comes from a noble family. This view was first questioned by the British antiquary and folklore collector Joseph Riton. According to his version, the historical prototype of Robin was a yeoman (small landowner) born in the village of Loxley near Nottingham (hence the second nickname of the hero). Scott adopted precisely this hypothesis in order to make out of Robin Hood a fighter for a strong individual power, capable of resisting the private interests of the feudal lords. Locksley and his detachment are true allies of Richard, helping him in the fight against Fron de Boeuf, de Bracy and others. No matter how pretentious it sounds, the writer turned the noble robber into a symbol of popular resistance. Some literary scholars even call the relationship between people in his squad primitive communism.

Ideal Middle Ages

From the middle 19th century The popularity of Walter Scott's books began to decline. The rational era was not useful romantic heroes author of "Waverley" new wave interest in them arose only at the beginning of the 20th century. But, as the French medievalist historian Michel Pastouro writes, it is still very difficult to find a complete, not adapted for children, version of the novel in European bookstores, which undermines respect for the work in the eyes of literary and university criticism. At the same time, the images of the knight Ivanhoe, Rowena, Rebecca or Loxley have become cultural topoi and continue to influence their audience, if not directly, then through films.

“In a survey conducted in 1983-1984 by the journal Medievales among young researchers and recognized historians, the question appeared: “Where did your interest in the Middle Ages come from?” Among about three hundred respondents, a third claimed that they owe the early awakened interest in the Middle Ages Ivanhoe,” writes Pasturo.

Eugene Delacroix "Rebecca and the Wounded Ivanhoe"

What is it that modern readers find in a not too accurate historical work? The fact is that Walter Scott managed to create an image of the ideal Middle Ages with knightly tournaments, heraldry, trials against witches and the struggle of the feudal lords and the king, in a word, all that, regardless of historical details, is repeated in any scientific or fiction book. The story, built like a fairy tale, is placed in the gloomy atmosphere of the era of continuous wars, which do not allow leaving the house without an armed detachment, and difficult living conditions, where even the chambers of a noble lady are so permeable that curtains and tapestries sway in the wind.

After the release of Ivanhoe, science and literature briefly changed places. The novel aroused such a keen interest in the Middle Ages that in 1825 Augustin Thierry, a graduate of the Higher Normal School, teacher and pioneer of scientific history, publishes the first of his works - “The history of the conquest of England by the Normans, outlining its causes and consequences for England, Scotland, Ireland and continental Europe from antiquity to the present.

1. How to explain that the title of the historical novel is dedicated to the fictitious character of the Crusader Knight Ivanhoe?

Walter Scott is considered the father of the historical novel. Historical prose involves not only a story about the facts of the past, but also a vivid, lively depiction of them. In a historical novel, fiction and historical facts are closely intertwined, real historical and fictional characters act. The writers rely on the historical documents they have studied, and in the work, the realities of the past arise, are described in detail folk life and mores.

In his novels, V. Scott shows the life of society in a certain era, historical events recreated through a person's private life. In each narrative, along with genuine historical events, there is a plot thread connected with the fate of a often fictional hero.

The central character of the novel by V. Scott is not a historical person, but fictional character. The action of the novel "Ivanhoe" takes place in the XII century. The conflict unfolds between two warring camps: the Normans, who conquered England at the end of the 12th century, and the Anglo-Saxons, who have owned it for several centuries and ousted, in turn, the tribes of the Britons. The novel is based on Scott's traditional intertwining of love and political intrigues. Co-shared historical information about the life of medieval England, the writer talks about knightly honor, love and loyalty. Against the backdrop of vivid historical events, a hero acts, faithful to the code of chivalry, acting in accordance with his duty in any situation and remaining faithful to his beloved. He wins the duels of the Knights Templar, fights with Richard the Lionheart, takes part in crusade, protects and writes off the defenseless, fights for his love. Thus, through the fictional story of the brave knight Ivanhoe, historical era life of 12th century England.

2. Which characters in the novel hide their true names for long enough? What caused this - the author's fantasy or the customs of the time described? When and why does the author reveal to us the names of the heroes: the Knight of the Disinherited, the Black Knight (Black Lazy), Loxley? Try to explain the pseudonyms used in the novel.

For the success of the novel, it is important to arouse the interest of readers, intrigue them, make them believe in the mystery and wish to solve it. Some of the characters in the novel, for certain reasons, hide their real names. Ivanhoe, who calls himself the Disinherited Knight, is in disgrace: he is slandered, expelled from his home and exposed as a traitor to his ruler Richard. Trying to restore his honor, for the time being he is forced to hide under a conditional name. Who is hiding under this name, the reader and the characters will find out after the end of the jousting tournament, when, despite the resistance of the wounded Ai-vengo, the helmet is removed from his head in order to lay a wreath of the winner on her.

Under the name of the Black Knight hides the king of England - Richard the Lionheart. Having secretly returned to England, he observes the actions of his brother - the insidious Prince John, who seized power - in order to regain the throne and country at the right time. He reveals his name at the end of the novel after the capture of the castle of Front de Boeuf and the release of its captives.

“You have an English soul, Locksley,” said the Black Knight, “and you guessed by instinct that you must obey me. I am Richard English!

At these words, uttered with majesty befitting the high position and noble character of Richard the Lionheart, all the yeomen knelt down, respectfully expressed their loyal feelings and asked for forgiveness for their faults.

Robin Hood, the noble robber who goes by the name Locksley, also calls his real name at this moment:

“- Do not call me Loxley anymore, sir, and find out the name that has become widely known and, perhaps, even reached your royal ear ... I am Robin Hood from Sherwood Forest.”

3. How can you explain why in the historical novel, which depicts the events of the 12th century very vividly, there are also special historical references from the author?

A feature of the narration in the novel by W. Scott is a vivid manifestation of its author's position. The author declares that he is first and foremost a historian. He is based on his own historical concept, one way or another expressing his attitude to real characters. He cites memoirs and documentary evidence, names the sources, emphasizes the objectivity of what is depicted. For example, in chapter XXIII, where the Saxon Chronicle is quoted, the terrible fruits of conquest are described. From Scott's point of view, history develops according to special laws. Society goes through periods of cruelty, gradually moving towards a more moral state. These periods of cruelty are associated with the struggle of the conquered peoples with their conquerors. As a result, each next stage of development, reconciling the warring, makes society more perfect.

4. Find ethnographic details that are organically included in the plot of the work.

Ethnography reflects the features of life, customs and culture of the people. The life of the English nobility of the 12th century (knightly tournaments, battles for their possessions), traditions, customs and worldview of people, their relationships, the life of ordinary people - all this was described in detail in his novel by W. Scott.

5. Describe one of the characters in the novel. Think about how a portrait of a fictional hero can differ from a portrait of a real-life historical person. Try to emphasize in your answer the signs of that distant era. Do not forget to say about how you imagine the attitude of the author to the hero.

The difference between a portrait of a fictional hero and a portrait of a real historical person can be shown by the example of the image of King Richard the Lionheart. He is most attracted to the life of a simple knight-errant, the glory that he wins alone is dearer to him than the glory at the head of a huge army. Rebekah says of him: “He rushes into battle as if to a merry feast. More than just muscle power controls his blows - it seems as if he puts his whole soul into every blow inflicted on the enemy. This is a terrible and majestic sight, when the hand and heart of one person conquer hundreds of people.

Such traits as courage, generosity and nobility were actually characteristic of the king of England. But, of course, the image of Richard is far from the historical truth, who in the novel by W. Scott looks like a charming, simple man and a wise warrior who cares about the interests of his people, sincerely loving his subjects. In the historical, genuine Richard, the features of court education were intertwined with the repulsive cruelty and greed of the feudal lord-robber, not inferior to the greed of Fron de Boeuf. The history of Richard's wars and raids is full of disgusting facts that strongly contradict the attractive image created by W. Scott. The real Richard the Lionheart was not so close to the common people of England, did not lead them to attack feudal castles, did not judge so fairly and wisely. The English people freed themselves from the feudal yoke not under the leadership of the English kings, but against their will.

The artistic image differs from the real one in that the author draws the hero the way he imagines him. Creatively recreating reality, the writer reflects his perception, his thoughts about it. Having embellished the historical Richard, W. Scott described him in such a way that the reader believes in the plausibility of the image.

6. Prepare a story about an English king called Richard the Lionheart. Let us remind you that the events of the novel "Ivanhoe" refer to recent years his reign. You may need to refer to additional literature.

The future King Richard the Lionheart was born in Oxford, England, in 1157. He received an excellent education, spoke several languages, was a connoisseur of music and poetry, was physically very strong, skillfully wielded weapons, was an avid hunter, a man of rare / personal courage, generosity and nobility, and at the same time cruel, treacherous, a greedy, reckless adventurer who wants to perform meaningless feats and win rewards and lands. He did not pay attention to the daily affairs of managing his possessions, was incredibly arrogant, ambitious and power-hungry. All these qualities combined in one person.

In 1169, King Henry II of England made a division of possessions between his sons, according to which Richard received Aquitaine, Poitou and Auvergne.

Subsequently, a lot of strength was given by Richard to organize a crusade for the liberation of Jerusalem, captured by the troops of the Egyptian ruler Saladin. Richard spent the entire treasury on equipping the troops. “I would sell London Don if there was a buyer,” he said. While the king waged war with Saladin with varying success, a struggle for power began in England, and Richard was forced to sail home, having achieved only minor agreements, leaving a memory of himself in the Arab lands for a long time. On the way home, Richard was captured and imprisoned in a castle on the banks of the Danube, but then he was released and even managed to regain power in England.

Soon Richard began preparations for war with France, and in 1194 he left England. During the siege of Shalu Castle, the king was wounded and died of gangrene.

Historians have been arguing for centuries about the identity of Richard the Lionheart. Some believe that Richard rushed around the world, forgetting his country and ruining its cities. Others emphasize that Richard was a true son of his age - the age of chivalry, and his actions fit perfectly into the knightly ideal. Richard in Europe and Asia was looking for military glory and immortal deeds and remained in the memory of generations as great hero and unsuccessful politician.

7. Among the scenes of the novel there is a meeting between the hermit Took and the Black Knight, which, as W. Scott writes in the preface to the novel, reproduces the events of folk ballads about the meeting of the king with the merry hermit monk. How do you explain the author's attention to this episode ( chapter XVI and XVII)?

W. Scott notes in the preface that the general outline of this story is found at all times and among all peoples. This story tells about the journey of a disguised monarch who, out of curiosity or for fun, appears in the lower strata of society and finds himself in various amusing situations. Such plots are extremely curious in terms of describing the mores of the time. The competition of a merry monk-hermit (it is worth paying attention to the combination of incompatible words merry and hermit), pretending to be an ascetic and modest minister of the church, and hiding his name as a king, leading to clean water roguish owner, entertainingly depicted by the writer and reveals the characters of the main characters.

8. What female character are you interested in? Try to create a portrait of one of the heroines of the ro-mana.

The beautiful Lady Rowena is a typical romantic heroine, for the sake of which a brave knight accomplishes his deeds.

Beauty Rebekah is a more complex, bright and interesting image. The girl is active: she heals wounds, heals the sick. She is very smart and courageous: at the moment of the highest danger, she argues with the knight of the Temple, Boisguillebert, about the role of fate: “People often blame fate on the consequences of their own violent passions.” In a conversation with Ivanhoe, she calls chivalrous deeds a sacrifice to the demon of vanity. Rebekah has self-esteem, she has her own ideas of honor - she even reproaches Boisguillebert for the fact that for her sake he is ready to change his faith. The heroine evokes respect, admiration and sympathy. She is not destined to be happy, but destined to find peace of mind.

9. What scene of the novel seems to you the most important for the development of the action?

It is often claimed that this is God's judgment, although there are readers for whom the climax of the nation is the battle for the Château de Boeuf. material from the site

10. How many storylines do you see in the novel? Who are their heroes?

The novel has several storylines:

1) the story of the life and love of the brave knight king Ivanhoe and lovely lady Rowena. The heroes of this line are also Sed-rik - the father of Rowena, a relative of Athel-stan, Gurt and Wamba; 2) the history of the relationship between Rebecca and Boisguillebert. In addition to them, the heroes of this line are Rebekah's father Isaac, Ivanhoe; 3) events related to the Black Knight - Richard the Lionheart.

name highlights storyline, which tells about the knight Ivanhoe and Lady Rowena.

In this storyline, one should single out a knightly tournament, the capture of captives, the siege of the castle, the meeting of Rebekah and Lady Rowena.

11. What scenes of the story about the knight Brian de Boisguillebert and Rebekah can be considered culminating?
12. How do you imagine the nature of England in the 12th century?

The novel depicts dense impenetrable forests in which the people of Robin Hood hide, and endless valleys surrounding the castles of the English nobility.

13. Does the novel have an epilogue that completes the storylines?

The last pages of the novel are an epilogue and tell about what happened to the characters in the future.

14. What evidence could you provide that this is a historical novel?

The story of England in the 12th century is based on authentic events: the struggle of the Normans, who seized power, with the Anglo-Saxons, the return of King Richard, the activities of the Order of the Knights of the Temple, the Order of the Templars, and the feudal struggle. Races lead to the fact that England is constantly threatened by civil strife, which destroys the life of the country, which places a heavy burden on the people.

W. Scott writes especially sharply about the Norman feudal lords. The novel shows the era of the reorganization of England, which turned from a country of scattered and warring feudal estates into a monolithic kingdom. Ti-pichen, among other knights-robbers robbing the English people, and the cross-bearer Boisguillebert, in his image reflected the features of the activities of the Templars. The feudal church is represented by Abbot Eymer. The Norman nobility is faithfully portrayed. Found a place in the narrative and the struggle of the people against feudal arbitrariness, led by the legendary Robin Hood.

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