IVANHOE by Walter Scott, KSIĄŻKI różne, ebook, pdf

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IVANHOE by Walter ScottNow fitted the halter, now traversed the cart,And often took leave,----but seemed loath to depart!** The motto alludes to the Author returning to the stage* repeatedly after having taken leave.Prior.INTRODUCTIONTOIVANHOE.The Author of the Waverley Novels had hitherto proceeded in anunabated course of popularity, and might, in his peculiardistrict of literature, have been termed "L'Enfant Gate" ofsuccess. It was plain, however, that frequent publication mustfinally wear out the public favour, unless some mode could bedevised to give an appearance of novelty to subsequentproductions. Scottish manners, Scottish dialect, and Scottishcharacters of note, being those with which the author was mostintimately, and familiarly acquainted, were the groundwork uponwhich he had hitherto relied for giving effect to his narrative.It was, however, obvious, that this kind of interest must in theend occasion a degree of sameness and repetition, if exclusivelyresorted to, and that the reader was likely at length to adoptthe language of Edwin, in Parnell's Tale:"'Reverse the spell,' he cries, 'And let it fairly nowsuffice. The gambol has been shown.'"Nothing can be more dangerous for the fame of a professor of thefine arts, than to permit (if he can possibly prevent it) thecharacter of a mannerist to be attached to him, or that he shouldbe supposed capable of success only in a particular and limitedstyle. The public are, in general, very ready to adopt theopinion, that he who has pleased them in one peculiar mode ofcomposition, is, by means of that very talent, rendered incapableof venturing upon other subjects. The effect of thisdisinclination, on the part of the public, towards the artificersof their pleasures, when they attempt to enlarge their means ofamusing, may be seen in the censures usually passed by vulgarcriticism upon actors or artists who venture to change thecharacter of their efforts, that, in so doing, they may enlargethe scale of their art.There is some justice in this opinion, as there always is in suchas attain general currency. It may often happen on the stage,that an actor, by possessing in a preeminent degree the externalqualities necessary to give effect to comedy, may be deprived ofthe right to aspire to tragic excellence; and in painting orliterary composition, an artist or poet may be master exclusivelyof modes of thought, and powers of expression, which confine himto a single course of subjects. But much more frequently thesame capacity which carries a man to popularity in one departmentwill obtain for him success in another, and that must be moreparticularly the case in literary composition, than either inacting or painting, because the adventurer in that department isnot impeded in his exertions by any peculiarity of features, orconformation of person, proper for particular parts, or, by anypeculiar mechanical habits of using the pencil, limited to aparticular class of subjects.Whether this reasoning be correct or otherwise, the presentauthor felt, that, in confining himself to subjects purelyScottish, he was not only likely to weary out the indulgence ofhis readers, but also greatly to limit his own power ofaffording them pleasure. In a highly polished country, where somuch genius is monthly employed in catering for public amusement,a fresh topic, such as he had himself had the happiness to lightupon, is the untasted spring of the desert;---"Men bless their stars and call it luxury."But when men and horses, cattle, camels, and dromedaries, havepoached the spring into mud, it becomes loathsome to those who atfirst drank of it with rapture; and he who had the merit ofdiscovering it, if he would preserve his reputation with thetribe, must display his talent by a fresh discovery of untastedfountains.If the author, who finds himself limited to a particular class ofubjects, endeavours to sustain his reputation by striving to adda novelty of attraction to themes of the same character whichhave been formerly successful under his management, there aremanifest reasons why, after a certain point, he is likely tofail. If the mine be not wrought out, the strength and capacityof the miner become necessarily exhausted. If he closelyimitates the narratives which he has before rendered successful,he is doomed to "wonder that they please no more." If hestruggles to take a different view of the same class of subjects,he speedily discovers that what is obvious, graceful, andnatural, has been exhausted; and, in order to obtain theindispensable charm of novelty, he is forced upon caricature,and, to avoid being trite, must become extravagant.It is not, perhaps, necessary to enumerate so many reasons whythe author of the Scottish Novels, as they were then exclusivelytermed, should be desirous to make an experiment on a subjectpurely English. It was his purpose, at the same time, to haverendered the experiment as complete as possible, by bringing theintended work before the public as the effort of a new candidatefor their favour, in order that no degree of prejudice, whetherfavourable or the reverse, might attach to it, as a newproduction of the Author of Waverley; but this intention wasafterwards departed from, for reasons to be hereafter mentioned.The period of the narrative adopted was the reign of Richard I.,not only as abounding with characters whose very names were sureto attract general attention, but as affording a strikingcontrast betwixt the Saxons, by whom the soil was cultivated, andthe Normans, who still reigned in it as conquerors, reluctant tomix with the vanquished, or acknowledge themselves of the samestock. The idea of this contrast was taken from the ingeniousand unfortunate Logan's tragedy of Runnamede, in which, about thesame period of history, the author had seen the Saxon and Normanbarons opposed to each other on different sides of the stage. Hedoes not recollect that there was any attempt to contrast the tworaces in their habits and sentiments; and indeed it was obvious,that history was violated by introducing the Saxons stillexisting as a high-minded and martial race of nobles.They did, however, survive as a people, and some of the ancientSaxon families possessed wealth and power, although they wereexceptions to the humble condition of the race in general. Itseemed to the author, that the existence of the two races in thesame country, the vanquished distinguished by their plain,homely, blunt manners, and the free spirit infused by theirancient institutions and laws; the victors, by the high spirit ofmilitary fame, personal adventure, and whatever could distinguishthem as the Flower of Chivalry, might, intermixed with othercharacters belonging to the same time and country, interest thereader by the contrast, if the author should not fail on hispart.Scotland, however, had been of late used so exclusively as thescene of what is called Historical Romance, that the preliminaryletter of Mr Laurence Templeton became in some measure necessary.To this, as to an Introduction, the reader is referred, asexpressing author's purpose and opinions in undertaking thisspecies of composition, under the necessary reservation, that heis far from thinking he has attained the point at which he aimed.It is scarcely necessary to add, that there was no idea or wishto pass off the supposed Mr Templeton as a real person. But akind of continuation of the Tales of my Landlord had beenrecently attempted by a stranger, and it was supposed thisDedicatory Epistle might pass for some imitation of the samekind, and thus putting enquirers upon a false scent, induce themto believe they had before them the work of some new candidatefor their favour.After a considerable part of the work had been finished andprinted, the Publishers, who pretended to discern in it a germ ofpopularity, remonstrated strenuously against its appearing as anabsolutely anonymous production, and contended that it shouldhave the advantage of being announced as by the Author ofWaverley. The author did not make any obstinate opposition, forhe began to be of opinion with Dr Wheeler, in Miss Edgeworth'sexcellent tale of "Maneuvering," that "Trick upon Trick" might betoo much for the patience of an indulgent public, and might bereasonably considered as trifling with their favour.The book, therefore, appeared as an avowed continuation of theWaverley Novels; and it would be ungrateful not to acknowledge,that it met with the same favourable reception as itspredecessors.Such annotations as may be useful to assist the reader incomprehending the characters of the Jew, the Templar, the Captainof the mercenaries, or Free Companions, as they were called, andothers proper to the period, are added, but with a sparing hand,since sufficient information on these subjects is to be found ingeneral history.An incident in the tale, which had the good fortune to findfavour in the eyes of many readers, is more directly borrowedfrom the stores of old romance. I mean the meeting of the Kingwith Friar Tuck at the cell of that buxom hermit. The generaltone of the story belongs to all ranks and all countries, whichemulate each other in describing the rambles of a disguisedsovereign, who, going in search of information or amusement, intothe lower ranks of life, meets with adventures diverting to thereader or hearer, from the contrast betwixt the monarch's outwarda... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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