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Aug 27, 2017traceyrb rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
If you haven't read any Scott then at least read Ivanhoe. One of the most important things to know to understanding Ivanhoe is how the Norman Invasion of 1066 effected the Anglo-Saxon and Briton people. For almost 300 years afterwards, Norman French was the 'acceptable' language and Normans and Saxons did not intermarry. In several places the Normans, to prove a point, sallied out from their castles and wiped out the local population, men, women children. In others they were treated little better than slaves. The Romans and the Anglo-Saxons did not do this. They integrated with the people after initial struggles. They also allowed some sovereignty to local chiefs/kings. Ivanhoe is at it's core a story of an oppressed people struggling to keep their identity, their beliefs and customs, language and freedom. Scott's writing is great and the story interesting if not always historically accurate. He mentions marriages between Saxon and Norman which were very rare. Also, King Richard was only in England for 6 months out of his 10 year reign and spent his time there exacting increased taxes from the people to fund his crusades. He was a giant of a man who was known as the Lion Heart but he really was not that beloved of the people. However, Scott's portrayal of John is pretty accurate except that he probably died of dysentery and not a 'surfeit of peaches.' Scott's depiction of the Jew, Issac of York, is very stereotypical and yet his depiction of his daughter, Rebecca, was a brave move at a time when Jews were still seen as less than Christians. Since Christians were not allowed to loan money for interest and this was the only profession open to Jews, then this image of being money greedy was forced upon them. Maybe Scott wanted to balance the view of Jews and made in Rebecca one of the finest heroines in literature as will be seen later in the book. The Jews were totally expelled from England in the Edict of Expulsion, a royal decree issued by King Edward I of England on 18 July 1290, expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England. The expulsion edict remained in force for the rest of the Middle Ages. The edict was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of over 200 years of increased persecution. Not until 1856 were Jews given equal rights in England. Scott did a very brave thing making Rebecca, a Jewess, the heroine of the story. Another of the great reasons to love Scott. Scott studied chivalry before writing the book and it shows in a lot of Ivanhoe. However, Scott had the Knights; Bois-Guilbert, De Bracy and Front-de-Bouef all display non chivalrous behaviour whereas Cedric's followers, his jester and swineherd, the most. Interesting? Was Scott saying chivalry is more to do with the heart than the taking of an oath? The story is close to my heart being staged close to where I grew up and full of Scott's wisdom and enlightenment. Love the story.