The Life of Walter Scott: A Critical Biography (Blackwell Critical Biographies) [Paperback]

John Sutherland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blackwell Critical Biographies | Publication Date: January 13, 1998

John Sutherland's new critical biography is an undertaking of major importance in which he penetrates into the darker areas of Scott's life in a sceptical (yet sympathetic) spirit,

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Edgar Johnson's two-volume Sir Walter Scott (LJ 6/15/70), still the standard biography though it is out of print, indulges in special pleading for its subject and his books. Sutherland, who has published widely on Victorian literature, is more critical, showing small appreciation for the man or his writing. Sutherland is best in relating the works to Scott's life and times, for example, when he links the Napoleonic Wars to the battles that culminate each of Scott's major poems, or when Sutherland argues that the darkness of The Bride of Lammermoor mirrors Scott's sense of mortality at the time of composition. A good alternative to Sutherland is A.N. Wilson's thematically arranged The Laird of Abbotsford (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1980).
Joseph Rosenblum, Greensboro, N.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A critical study of Scott might be something to approach with trepidation, but Sutherland surprises in a lively, zestful and witty study." David McVey, The Guardian

"I have read only five of Scott's novels. Sutherland's book persuades me there are grotesque treasures buried in all of them." Alasdair Gray, The Guardian

"Excellent critical, but not unfriendly, new look at his life and work." Eric Anderson, Sunday Telegraph

"A splendid biography: erudition and scholarship set forth with elegance and wit." N. John Hall, Distinguished Professor, City University of New York

"A compelling narrative, and a shrewd, unillusioned portrait of Walter Scott, in his various guises; a high point in the history of Scott studies." Karl Miller, University of London

"Contentious, compelling, and very readable." Scotland on Sunday

"Learned, exact, he writes as Scott did, for the enjoyment of the reader, and does not let his assessment of the man cloud his keen appreciation of Scott's art. This is a finely judged and hugely absorbing biography." The Sunday Times

"Professor Sutherland takes us from birth to death in this engrossing volume, tracing the development of the child crippled by infantile paralysis to the successful, then penniless, author, who wrote to clear off his debts, and died a disturbed and slow death in his beloved Abbottsford in the borders." The Evening News

"I have read only five of Scott's novels. Sutherland's book persuades me there are grotesque treasures buried in all of them." Irish Press

"John Sutherland's pithy, cynical Life of Scott is very much a biography of our time: irreverent, streetwise, set foursquare in a 'real world' in which careers achieve money and power and character is at least 51 per cent of image."Marilyn Butler, London Review of Books

"Any fair-minded person who reads Sutherland's criticism and praise should conclude that Sir Walter, warts and all, can still be regarded as Great Scott. This unflinching account is outstandingly well researched and a major contribution to an understanding of him."Rennie McOwen, The Tablet

"Immediate and immensely readable, The Life of Walter Scott is a masterful account that penetrates into the darker areas of Scott's life in a sceptical (yet sympathetic) spirit... Through this account, Scott is justified as a writer to be read and understood today as much as in his heyday in the nineteenth century." Wisconsin Bookwatch

"Sutherland does not invite the reader to enter a gold mine recently discovered, but his work is nevertheless an impressive achievement. His hallmark as a scholar is skill in condensing a wide range of sources in his endeavour to give as complete a picture of Scott as man and writer as possible. Above all, Sutherland is a good writer who combines a lively and crisp style with critical acumen." Lars Hartveit, English Studies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (January 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631203176
• ISBN-13: 978-0631203179
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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