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His name and image are everywhere - from Bank of Scotland fivers to the bizarre monument in Edinburgh's city centre. Scott-land presumes that the reader will have only a hazy awareness of Sir Walter Scott, and, although Stuart Kelly will offer insights into Scott's works and biography, this is emphatically not a conventional literary biography, nor is it a critical study. Partly a surreptitious autobiography - Stuart Kelly was born near Abbotsford - his examination of Scott's legacy and character come to change his own thoughts on writing, reviewing, being Scottish, and being human.… (más)
By and large, a thoroughly well-done history of the life and afterlife of Sir Walter Scott. Kelly surveys Scott's literary productions, his inspirations and the many ways in which his works have continued to influence Scottish culture down to the present. If you've got any interest at all in Scott's biography and lasting legacy, by all means read this book.
That said, the organization is quite idiosyncratic, with only the barest sense of narrative cohesion; it's so choppy as to be confusing, and sometimes Kelly's line of argument is completely lost within the deluge of anecdote and detail. I wanted more from Kelly on the tourism to Scottish locations Scott's works prompted, and the sections on how his writing led to so much of what many consider "traditionally Scottish" felt rushed. More than once I wanted to roll my eyes at an attempted joke that just fell flat, and a number of small errors grated.
Perhaps the most frustrating bit for me, though, is that none of the text is footnoted at all, and Kelly goes so far as to poo-poo the very idea of providing a complete bibliography. Grumble grumble. ( )
Quite a unique biography/history/travelogue covering the impact of Sir Walter Scott on the image of Scotland held by both Scotland and the rest of the world as a result of Scott's writings and political activities. Very well presented, successfully intertwining biographical insight with historical and geographical setting. Kelly admits to developing a grudging admiration for Scott, and his mixed feelings about the author seem to lead to quite a balanced portrayal of the man and his works. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this work to anyone interested in Scott the man, or in how Scottish culture came to be what it is today.
My first impression was that there was not as much directly on Sir Walter Scott as I'd hoped for. But I was wrong! It's a fabulous book, and the more I read, the more I want to read. ( )
Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
To my nephews Danny, Frazer and Finlay, wishing them all 'the will to do, the soul to dare', as Scott says in The Lady of the Lake, and, as always to Sam, who like the young Lochinvar has ever been 'so faithful in love and so dauntless in war'.
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Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
Imagine travelling from London to Edinburgh by train. Somewhere between the ruined cottages on red sandstone cliffs and the austere white cube of a nuclear power station, England changes into Scotland.
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Información procedente del conocimiento común inglés.Edita para encontrar en tu idioma.
If ever we lose touch with this one most reckless and defeective writer, it will be a proof to us that we have erected round ourselveds a false cosmos, a world of lying and horrible perfection, leaving outside of it Walter Scott and that strange old world which is as confused and as indefensible and as inspiring and as healthy as he.
His name and image are everywhere - from Bank of Scotland fivers to the bizarre monument in Edinburgh's city centre. Scott-land presumes that the reader will have only a hazy awareness of Sir Walter Scott, and, although Stuart Kelly will offer insights into Scott's works and biography, this is emphatically not a conventional literary biography, nor is it a critical study. Partly a surreptitious autobiography - Stuart Kelly was born near Abbotsford - his examination of Scott's legacy and character come to change his own thoughts on writing, reviewing, being Scottish, and being human.
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That said, the organization is quite idiosyncratic, with only the barest sense of narrative cohesion; it's so choppy as to be confusing, and sometimes Kelly's line of argument is completely lost within the deluge of anecdote and detail. I wanted more from Kelly on the tourism to Scottish locations Scott's works prompted, and the sections on how his writing led to so much of what many consider "traditionally Scottish" felt rushed. More than once I wanted to roll my eyes at an attempted joke that just fell flat, and a number of small errors grated.
Perhaps the most frustrating bit for me, though, is that none of the text is footnoted at all, and Kelly goes so far as to poo-poo the very idea of providing a complete bibliography. Grumble grumble. (