Chronicles of the Canongate (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Walter Scott (Author), Claire Lamont (Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: September 30, 2003

Set within a framing narrative, these three stories take place in the years following the Jacobite defeat and feature characters who are leaving Scotland to seek their fortunes elsewhere. In two of Walter Scott's best-known tales, The Highland Widow and The Two Drovers, two young men are torn between traditional Scottish loyalties and the opportunities offered by England. The Surgeon's Daughter follows three young Scots to India during the first years of the British Empire. All three highlight Scott's unique gift for re-creating the spirit of historical eras and painting stirring portraits of Scottish people.

Editorial Reviews

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. With a judicious mixture of historical fact, seductive legend and a vivid imagination, [Scott] invented an entire country, complete with custom, tradition, genealogy, even national dress. It was a country called Scotland and, for better or for worse, we are still living in it. The great gain to literary studies of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels comes ... from those volumes which make available reliable and scrupulously annotated texts of novels long out of print and consequently little read. Editors deserve high praise for the vast amount of completley original research which has gone into them .. These are splendid and timely editions which will and should drive renewed critical work on Scott and his literary and historical contexts. 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. With a judicious mixture of historical fact, seductive legend and a vivid imagination, [Scott] invented an entire country, complete with custom, tradition, genealogy, even national dress. It was a country called Scotland and, for better or for worse, we are still living in it. The great gain to literary studies of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels comes ... from those volumes which make available reliable and scrupulously annotated texts of novels long out of print and consequently little read. Editors deserve high praise for the vast amount of completley original research which has gone into them .. These are splendid and timely editions which will and should drive renewed critical work on Scott and his literary and historical contexts. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Walter Scott (1771-1832) was born and educated in Edinburgh and is the foremost Romantic novelist in the English language. Also a poet, he is credited with establishing the form of the historical novel. Claire Lamont is a professor of English at the University of Newcastle and series editor for Walter Scott in Penguin Classics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140439897
• ISBN-13: 978-0140439892
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #886,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly, yet Accessible, Edition, January 8, 2005

By 

James R. Fromm "Randy" (Las Cruces, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chronicles of the Canongate (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This edition of Chronicles of the Canongate is scholarly enough to allow students of Scott's work, or Scotish Literature, to develop new insights to the work itself and to the contexts surrounding it's production in relation to Scott's own situation when writing it. At the same time, it is made accessible to the general reader through well researched textual notes, including translations of the Latin phrases peppered throughout the text, and a glossary of unfamiliar (most usually Gaelic or Scotish) words and phrases, allowing for an informed--and consequently more enjoyable, reading. I was directed to this edition of the "Chronicles" through a conference paper, recently presented at the MLA (2004) Conference in Philadelphia, concerning the story "The Two Drovers"--one of the better known stories in the "Chronicles". I am not disappointed in that recommendation. And I highly recommend this volume, in turn. The text, as a whole, presents a marvellous opportunity for readers to "experience" Scott through relatively short works, before taking on one of his larger (in terms of scope), longer novels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sir Walter Scott's Chronicles of the Canongate is an excellent introduction to the Scottish master's shorter fiction, October 20, 2009

By 

C. M Mills "Michael Mills" (Knoxville Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chronicles of the Canongate (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Chronicles of the Canongate is a short masterpiece by Sir Walter Scott. The book is set within a framing device in which a fictional narrator Mr. Chrystal Croftangry relates three stories of Scottish life in the eighteenth century. Scotland and England were united in 1707 to become Great Britain. Scott's fiction helped the two countries understand one another's people and customs. He is the grandfather of historical fiction.
Chrystal Croftangry is retired and living in Edinburgh. The well to do Croftangry decided to become a writer of fiction. Through his friendship with Mrs. Baliol and others he learns stories of Scottish life conducive to his efforts in fiction.
The Highland Widow is set in the years following the failed uprising of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the final defeat of the Highland Clans at the battle of Culloden in 1746. Widow MacTavish lost her husband to English soldiery bullets during this bloody time in Scottish history. Her son Hamish joins the British Army being recruited to fight in America during the French and Indian War of 1755-1763. Mrs. Mactavish persuades Hamish, on leave from the army, to desert. When British troops arrive to arrest him for being AWOL he shoots an officer. Hamish is executed. The strange Mrs. Mactavish lives a solemn, lonely and angry life in the highlands. Scott had the ability to etch memorable characters: you will not forget this tragic tale.
The Two Drovers deals with the Scot Robin and his English friend Wakefield who are cattle drovers. Over 1000,000 cattle were driven each year from Scottish farms to markets in the north of England. On one of their droving trips Robin and Wakefield argue over the right of their cattle to graze on rented land. Robin kills Wakefield and is executed by an English court. The story shows the revenge motif in clan life put into action when Robin kills his quondom friend. This is a tragic tale which is the shortest of the three in the Chronicles of the Canongate (the Canongate is a major Edinburgh thoroughfare).
The longest tale in this collection is The Surgeon's Daughter. It deals with a love triangle. Surgeon Grey's daughter Menie is loved by two medical apprentices. The first lover is Richard Middlemas (he was adopted by the doctor and named for Middlemas the Scottish village where the story begins). His rival for Menie is Albert Hartley. Middlemas is evil while Hartley is a good hearted soul.
The trio of young people emigrate to India. This story is one of the earliest set by a British author in India the exotic land which became the jewel in the British crown. Tragedy and death ensue among the characters as Scott delves into native Indian politics and intrigue.
The Penguin Edition is based on the Edinburgh Edition of all of Scott's novels. Over 100 densely printed pages explain literary and historical references made in the text. An extensive glossary of Scottish words is included in addition to an incisive introduction to the work.
Sir Walter Scott is difficult to read. His language is elaborately ornate and the Scottish dialect makes reading hard for 21st century American eyes. I am a fan of Scott, however, for with all his literary failings the man could tell a good story peopled with memorable and colorful characters.