The Bride of Lammermoor (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Sir Walter Scott (Author), Fiona Robertson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: August 20, 1998

The plans of Edgar, Master of Ravenswood to regain his ancient family estate from the corrupt Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland are frustrated by the complexities of the legal and political situations following the 1707 Act of Union, and by his passion for his enemy's beautiful daughter Lucy. First published in 1819, this intricate and searching romantic tragedy offers challenging insights into emotional and sexual politics, and demonstrates the shrewd way in which Scott presented his work as historical document, entertainment, and work of art.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Published in 1819 and 1824, respectively, these titles are typical of Scott's historical soap operas involving revenge, kidnapping, love, political turmoil, and what have you. To help readers understand the Scottish dialect in Scott's writing, these include glossaries as well as scholarly introductions. Both books are based on Scott's original texts.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

The Edinburgh Edition respects Scott the artist by 'restoring' versions of the novels that are not quite what his first readers saw. Indeed, it returns to manuscripts that the printers never handled, as Scott's fiction before 1827 was transcribed before it reached the printshop. Each volume of the Edinburgh edition presents an uncluttered text of one work, followed by an Essay on the Text by the editor of the work, a list of the emendations that have been made to the first edition, explanatory notes and a glossary ! The editorial essays are histories of the respective texts. Some of them are almost 100 pages long; when they are put together they constitute a fascinating and lucid account of Scott's methods of compostion and his financial manoeuvres. This edition is for anyone who takes Scott seriously. Times Literary Supplement The Edinburgh Edition respects Scott the artist by 'restoring' versions of the novels that are not quite what his first readers saw. Indeed, it returns to manuscripts that the printers never handled, as Scott's fiction before 1827 was transcribed before it reached the printshop. Each volume of the Edinburgh edition presents an uncluttered text of one work, followed by an Essay on the Text by the editor of the work, a list of the emendations that have been made to the first edition, explanatory notes and a glossary ! The editorial essays are histories of the respective texts. Some of them are almost 100 pages long; when they are put together they constitute a fascinating and lucid account of Scott's methods of compostion and his financial manoeuvres. This edition is for anyone who takes Scott seriously. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192835440
• ISBN-13: 978-0192835444
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,466,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gothic chills and local flavour, March 18, 2000

By 

Eva Mann (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bride of Lammermoor (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

A rather weird novel that does not lack local flavour and even comical characters is the result of Scott's excursion into gothic style of writing. The atmosphere of the novel is perfectly eerie. Falling down residences, a mad old woman, the shadow of death on Lammermoor from the beginning. A feud between to families in which the Ashtons, have taken over all the possessions of the Ravenswoods, forces Edgar, the only offspring of that ill-fated house, to live in the decaying Wolf's Crag. A grim prophecy foretells his end, if he ever should ride to Ravenswood (now inhabited by the Ashton's, among others the gentle Lucy). And, last but not least, he himself senses that he will never by happy. It is no surprise that the dreamer Lucy falls in love with this dark hero after he has saved her and her father from an angry bull. It is clear from the very beginning that this love can only end in despair, madness and death. Which is, in my opinion, not a flaw of the book, but one of the things that make it special. - Even Lucy and Edgar must know that their love will never come to a good end, but yet they follow the path of their destiny; they can not help themselves. It is that sense of doom that makes the instants at the fountain so precious and moving, or the moment where the lightening illuminates the profiles of the lovers in Edgar's derelict castle. The characters try to act, but in one way or the other are manipulated by Lady Ashton. She IS fate, or much more nemesis. Her "victims" don't have a chance. But the book has more to offer than just a tale of stark tragedy. Scott draws vivid pictures of his characters, for example Caleb (Edgar's faithful old servant) - and plays with the his rough humour against the sombre background. Or the strange people of the village and the weird women in the graveyard who must have been characteristic for rural Scotland in Scott's day. All in all it is a capturing book one is not likely to forget so soon.

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good one to start with, January 11, 2001

By 

Extollager (Mayville, ND United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Bride of Lammermoor (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Sir Walter Scott was once considered the equal of Shakespeare by some. His influence on 19th century literature was immense. What's more, he still offers good reading. You might not know it from the typical undergraduate British literature survey text, though, where he is likely to be neglected in favor of writers more fashionable today.

I had to read Scott on my own -- fired by the enthusiasm of C. S. Lewis, whose essay on Scott in SELECTED LITERARY ESSAYS is warmly recommended. The first one I read, Kenilworth, wasn't all that good. Better were The Antiquary, Redgauntlet, Rob Roy, The Heart of Midlothian, and Waverley. This novel, The Bride of Lammermoor, is a good one to start with -- being not as long as many of his masterpieces. I suggest the first-time reader skip to the second chapter and start there. Be independent! Find out for yourself why your great-great-great grandparents loved this guy. If you like a warm-hearted storyteller, you should look into Sir Walter.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love's Course, April 9, 2007

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bride of Lammermoor (Paperback)

I read the biography of Anna Cora Mowatt, "Lady of Fashion." As the brightest theatre star of the 1840s-1850s, she starred in a stage version of "The Bride of Lammermoor." In addition to the opera, there were two stage adaptations of Scott's novel. I haven't been able to locate either of the stage versions, but I did check out Scott's book to read the story.

This is a tale that keeps your interest throughout. I found the Scottish dialect a bit hard to wade through although I "ken" understand it for the most part. Oddly, the first chapter starts with the tale of Dick Tinto who apparently relates this story to our narrator. Tinto is referred to in one other place in the novel. However, his story appears attached and unrelated to what comes after.

The tale of Lord Ravenswood and the demise of his family's fortune is an interesting one. Lucy Ashton's attachment to him happens quickly and seems as if it were enchanted. Alice, the old blind woman who foretells the lovers' fate, is a rich and vibrant character. The servant Caleb is hilarious as he manufactures excuses why the best food and accommodations cannot be given to Ravenswood's guests, even to the point of breaking empty bottles as he enters a room and then using that as an excuse for not having wine to serve. Lady Ashton seems to be more controlling than alert, missing all of the signals of her daughter's mental state nor particularly caring about them. The story's outworking after the wedding with Ravenswood's disappearance into the mist is likewise strange, with both he and his horse forever gone. I enjoyed this book, its gothic castles, the hunt, the commonfolk and the political alliances.

The novel written in 1819 holds up remarkably well 188 years later. Scott paces the unfolding of the adventure well, keeping the reader wanting to reach for one more chapter to uncover the next incident. While we never stop rooting for the lovers, we know that love's course never did run smooth! Enjoy!