Walter Scott: a short biography and creativity

Walter Scott, whose biography is described in thisarticle, is a world-famous writer of Scottish descent. It is believed that he is the founder of the historical novel. Probably, in the educated world there are no people unfamiliar with his knight Ivanhoe or the history of Rob Roy.

Childhood and youth

Sir Walter was born in August 1771 inEdinburgh. His family was very prosperous and educated. Father - Walter John - was a lawyer. Mother - Anna Rutherford - was the daughter of a professor of medicine. The couple had thirteen children. The writer was born the ninth in a row, but by the time he reached the age of six he had only three brothers and sisters.

After the dead could go and Walter himselfScott. A brief biography for children does not specify this point. But in January 1772 the child fell seriously ill. Physicians diagnosed children's paralysis. The relatives were afraid that the baby would remain forever immobile, but after long therapeutic manipulations the doctors managed to put him on his feet. Unfortunately, until the end, mobility was not restored, and Sir Walter remained lame for life.

Several times he had to undergo a long treatment for the consequences of infantile illness in the resorts.

Most of his childhood was in the wonderful town of Sandinou, where his grandfather's farm was located.

At the age of seven, he returned to his parents in Edinburgh, and from 1779 began to attend school. Physical defect to him more than replaced the living mind and phenomenal memory.

After graduation, Walter Scott, whose brief biography is very informative, goes to a local college.

At this time, he begins to get involved in mountaineering,again because of health. Doing sports helped the young man get stronger and get respect from peers. He read a lot, paying special attention to Scottish tales and ballads. Sir Walter learned German to better understand the German poets, whose creativity was also fascinated in their student years.

All as one of his friends claimed that he is a wonderful storyteller, and he was supposed to be a great writer. But Scott had another goal: he dreamed of a lawyer's diploma.

Career

This happened in 1792, when the futureliterary celebrity withstood the exam at the university. He was awarded a diploma, and Walter Scott, whose biography is a confirmation of the writer's success, opened his legal practice.

In 1791, Scott enters the discussion club, becomes his treasurer and secretary. Later he will lecture there on the topics of parliamentary reforms and the immunity of judges.

For the first time Scott acted as a defender in the criminal process in 1793 in Jedburgh.

Because of the nature of his work, Sir Waltertime spent in Edinburgh, traveled a lot around the district, taking part in various court cases. In 1795, he visited Galloway, where he acted as the lawyer of the accused party.

He does not leave his passion for literature and brings from every trip a lot of folklore material, records of legends and local myths.

In the same year, 1795, the Edinburgh Bar Association selects him as the curator of the library, since Scott is the most knowledgeable in this matter.

The love of poetry and writing in general has virtually no effect on the main work of Walter Scott.

After the creation of the English militia - in 1796 - he enters the royal dragoon regiment, where he is appointed quartermaster.

Since 1799 in the local newspaper begin to publish Scott's articles on legal issues. In the same year he was appointed sheriff of Selkirkshire.

In 1806, he was appointed successor to the secretary of the courtin Edinburgh J. Houma. In 1812, after the death of the latter, Scott receives this position and income of 1,300 pounds a year. This work requires the writer daily presence in court, but despite this, the fascination with literature does not come to naught.

Poetic activity

Walter Scott, whose short biography does not contain all the events from his most interesting life, traveled a lot in search of old ballads and legends that he dreamed of publishing.

His own activity as a writerbegan with translations. The first experience was the German poet Burger, whose poems ("Lenore", "Wild Hunter") he adapted for the inhabitants of the United Kingdom. Then there were Goethe and his poem "Goetz von Berlichingham."

In 1800 he wrote the first original ballad"Ivanov the evening". In 1802, his dream comes true - the publication "Songs of the Scottish Border" is published, in which all the collected folklore material was published.

Walter Scott, whose biography has becomeinterested in admirers of his work, in a moment became famous. From 1807 to 1815 he published many romantic works that glorified him as an innovator and genius of the lyric-epic poem.

The prose way

Beginning to write novels, Walter Scottdoubted the success of this case, although it was already known to the public. His first prose work "Waverly" was published in 1814. Not to say that it gained success and fame, but it was highly appreciated by both critics and ordinary readers.

For a long time, Scott reflected on what genrewrite your novels. The author did not doubt that they will be connected with history. But in order to be different from others and bring something new to the literary world, he developed an entirely new structure and thereby created the genre of the historical novel. In it, real personalities are only the background and the reflection of the era, and the fictional characters come to the fore, the fate of which is influenced by historical events.

Walter Scott, whose biography and creativityunited by their love of the past, wrote twenty-eight novels for their lives. This is an incredible performance writer, because the first novel was published when he was already forty-two years old!

Until 1819, Scott wrote works with an acute socio-historical orientation. For example, "Puritans" (about the revolt against the Stuarts dynasty), "Rob Roy" (about the Scottish Robin Hood), etc.

After the subject of his works significantlyexpands. If earlier the writer was interested only in the Scottish history, now he refers to the events in England and France (Ivanhoe, Quentin Durward).

Since 1820, Walter Scott, biographywhich later becomes a source of inspiration for many writers, publishes a number of historical works (The History of Scotland, The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte).

For his country, he became a hero. Walter Scott, a biography whose work was of great importance to the Scots, made the whole world know the history of his homeland thanks to his writings.

Ivanhoe

For the Russian reader, the most significantThe bibliography of the writer is his novel "Ivanhoe". It is held in school, they are read by boys, dreaming of the glory of a knight, and romantic girls, thirsting for love.

Already in the nineteenth century, this novel was recognized as a classics of literature. The circulations and speed of selling books for that time were just phenomenal.

The attention of the novel is drawn exclusively to English culture. The author describes the events taking place during the reign of Richard the First. The basis of the plot was the struggle between the Saxons and the Normans.

The book was four times screened and twice adapted for opera.

Death of the writer

The life of Walter Scott was incredibly rich, successful and, no doubt, happy. But poor health and a complete lack of rest made themselves felt.

In 1830, after an apoplectic attack, the writer paralyzed his arm. And on September 21, 1832, there was a heart attack, which took the life of Sir Walter.

Personal life

Walter Scott, whose full biography will bedescribed shortly after the writer's death, was a faithful and respectable person. He fell in love twice in his life. For the first time it happened in 1791. It was William Bellshes, the daughter of a lawyer from Edinburgh. But she preferred him to a banker.

In 1796, Scott met a Frenchwoman Charlotte Charpentier, who married a year later. The spouses had four children (Sofia, Walter, Anna, Charles).

Interesting Facts

1. The author's first novels were published anonymously, and then under the pseudonym Waverley.
2. Most of his encyclopedic knowledge the writer received on his own, for this it was worthwhile to read the book once, which once again confirms the fact of his excellent memory.
3. It was Scott who coined the term "freelancer", using it in the novel "Ivanhoe".