Quentin Durward / [print]
by Sir Walter Scott.
- [Lexington, Kentucky] : Seven Treasures Publication, 2009.
- 394 pages ; 23 cm
Sir Walter Scott's "Waverley novels" take their name from "Waverley" (1814), the first in the series, because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827. - Back cover. Reprint.
Includes bibliographies and index.
Quentin Durward (first published in 1823), Scott's first "European" novel, was an experiment in transferring the historical romance to foreign soil. Fifteenth-century France, the French Revolution, and contemporary Britain all come together in this sharp-eyed novel of political expediency and intrigue. Quentin Durward is a young adventurer and soldier of the Scottish guards seeking fame and fortune in the France of Louis XI (1461-1483). Embarking upon a dangerous journey through the forest of the Ardennes seeking a name, a partner (there is a romance involving his love for Isabelle, Countess of Croye), and a position in the world, he knows little and understands less, but Scott represents his ignorance and naivete as useful to "the most sagacious prince in Europe" who needs servants motivated solely by the desire for coin and credit and lacking any interest in France, which would interfere with the execution of his political aims. Meanwhile, the Machiavellian King Louis XI of France, maneuvers his realm out of the hands of feudal barons and into centralized control --