The Literature Book

RENÉ

(1802), FRANCOIS-RENÉ

CHATEAUBRIAND

The melancholic figure of René,

wandering the lands from France

to the Americas, finding only ennui

both in the city and the countryside,

offered a perfect protagonist for

early Romanticism. René by French

writer, diplomat, and politician

Chateaubriand (1768–1848) shocked

readers with its plot revelation

that René’s sister Amélie joined

a convent to conquer her feelings

of incestuous love. The novella was

an instant success.

THE SKETCH BOOK OF

GEOFFREY CRAYON, GENT.

(1819–1820), WASHINGTON IRVING

Penned by American writer

Washington Irving (1783–1859), The

Sketch Book is a collection of short

appearance as an outlaw with

exemplary archery skills and a

compelling sense of justice. Scott’s

characterization in Ivanhoe helped

rejuvenate Robin Hood’s reputation

for a Victorian readership.

THE LAST OF

THE MOHICANS

(1826), JAMES FENIMORE COOPER

Set in the 1750s at the height of the

French and Indian War (1754–63),

The Last of the Mohicans tells of

Chingachgook and his son Uncas,

the eponymous last pure-blooded

member of the Mohican tribe.

American writer Cooper (1789–

1851) details their brave efforts,

with their white trapper friend

Natty Bumppo, to save innocent

lives. By far the most popular of the

five-part series the “Leatherstocking

Tales,” Cooper’s novel helped to

create several enduring stereotypes

of the Western genre, such as the

romantic notion of the brave,

fearless frontiersman and the wise,

stoic indigenous tribesman.

THE RED AND THE BLACK

(1830), STENDHAL

Told over two volumes, The Red

and the Black describes the

formative years of Julien Sorel,

a provincial young man who

attempts to scale the social order

in 19th-century France. Through

detailed personal, historical, and

psychological accounts of Julien’s

early life, from his beginnings as

the sensitive child of a carpenter,

FURTHER READING

stories and essays. It includes tales

such as “Rip van Winkle,” in which

the main character sleeps through

the American Revolution, and “The

Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” with its

account of Ichabod Crane’s pursuit

by the Headless Horseman. Irving’s

book was one of the first American

literary works to be successfully

received in Britain and Europe, and

raised the reputation of American

literature in the early 19th century.

IVANHOE

(1820), SIR WALTER SCOTT

Set in 12th-century England, Ivanhoe

was based on the tensions between

the brutal Norman rulers and the

dispossessed Saxon population.

Scott’s romance tells the love story

of two highborn Saxons, Rowena

and Ivanhoe; they live alongside

many noble and ignoble knights

who duel and joust. Legendary

figure Robin Hood makes an

150

Sir Walter Scott

Scott (1771–1832) was born

in Edinburgh, and Scotland

is central to much of his work.

Considered by some to be the

inventor and greatest exponent

of the historical novel, Scott’s

childhood love of nature,

the Scottish landscape, and

traditional folktales helped

to foster his strong sense of

national identity. In poetry and

prose, Walter Scott’s meshing

of romance and historical fiction

set against the passionate

depiction of his homeland—

especially in the Waverley

novels (1814–32), which he

wrote anonymously—delighted

huge audiences and changed

the way Scotland was viewed

culturally. Scott suffered with

bad health for much of his life,

finally sailing to Italy for respite,

before dying at Abbotsford, the

estate he had built over many

years in Scotland, in 1832.

Key works

1810 The Lady of the Lake

1814 Waverley

1820 Ivanhoe (see above)

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