The Antiquary

by Walter Scott

Other authorsDavid Punter (Introduction), David Hewitt (Editor)

Paperback, 1999

Status

Available

Call number

823.7

Publication

Penguin Classics (1999), Paperback, 512 pages

Description

'It was early in a fine summer's day, near the end of the eighteenth century, when a young man, of genteel appearance, having occasion to go towards the north-east of Scotland, provided himself with a ticket in one of those public carriages which travel between Edinburgh and theQueensferry...'So begins Scott's personal favourite among his novels, in characteristically wry and urbane style, as a mysterious young man calling himself 'Lovel' travels idly but fatefully toward the Scottish seaside town of Fairport. Here he is befriended by the antiquary Jonathan Oldbuck, who has taken refugefrom his own personal disappointments in the obsessive study of miscellaneous history. Their slow unravelling of Lovel's true identity will unearth and redeem the secrets and lies which have devastated the guilt-haunted Earl of Glenallan, and will reinstate the tottering fortunes of Sir ArthurWardour and his daughter Isabella.First published in 1816 in the aftermath of Waterloo, The Antiquary deals with the problem of how to understand the past so as to enable the future. Set in the tense times of the wars with revolutionary France, it displays Scott's matchless skill at painting the social panorama and in creatingvivid characters, from the earthy beggar Edie Ochiltree to the loqacious and shrewdly humorous Antiquary himself.The text is based on Scott's own final, authorized version, the 'Magnum Opus' edition of 1829.… (more)

Media reviews

New York Review of Books

When we turn to The Antiquary we meet another side of Scott's talent; his humour. I wonder how many of those who, like myself, had not read Scott since their schooldays will recall that Scott is one of the great comic writers? It is not purely Scottish humour, depending on the canniness of the

speaker or on a continuous sly, nervous snigger, or on the grotesque and pawky asides of dialect. Scott’s humour, like his best prose, is cross-bred with the English eighteenth century. Sterne and Fielding have put red blood into it. A character like Jonathan Oldbuck does not make thin jokes down his nose, but stands solidly and aglow beside all the well-found comics of our literature. The secret is that Scott’s animal spirits are high, as Fielding’s were... I can read about half of The Antiquary and enjoy the flavours of what I read. After that I skip through the preposterous plot and willingly leave the wooden Lovel and the disdainful Miss Wardour to the pleasure of talking like public statues to each other. In one respect it must be admitted they do surpass modern lovers. Severely regulated by their families and by circumstance, these antique couples are obliged to know their subject. The obstacles to love ensure that the lovers shall concentrate.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member rutabega

This book was my introduction to Walter Scott in a college English course and I was the only one in the classroom (besides the professor) who actually enjoyed it. Scott is an acquired taste these days, an author who definitely does not suit every reader, but for some of us who revel in 19th century

verbiage and habits he really shouldn't be overlooked.

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LibraryThing member anthonywillard

Scott started out as a poet, a very popular one. He wrote long narrative poems, a form which was soon taken up by the English poet Byron, who became more successful than Scott. Scott saw the handwriting on the wall, and turned to writing novels. The rest is history.

Scott's novels are referred to as

The Waverley Novels, because the first one was called Waverley. He did not at first sign his novels: Waverley was anonymous, and the subsequent ones were published as being "by the author of Waverley." They are not a series or sequence, but independent novels each with its own plot, setting, and characters. But they are all, or almost all, historical novels. Scott was one of the originators of the historical novel genre. He is known best today for his novels about the Middle Ages and Renaissance, such as Ivanhoe and Kenilworth. But many of the Waverley Novels are set in seventeenth and eighteenth-century Scotland. Waverley itself is one of these, as is Scott's second novel, Guy Mannering, and this, the third, The Antiquary.

The Antiquary is said to have been Scott's favorite of his own novels. I am not sure why (personally, I would vote for Old Mortality.) Some reviewers speculate that it is because he modeled the principal character, Jonathan Oldbuck, on himself, a kind of humorous self-caricature. Oldbuck is the antiquary of the title, a small but comfortable landowner in a coastal region of northeast Scotland, with a passion for relics of Roman, Scottish, and Pictish antiquity, and a habit of uninterrupted pedantry, combined with practical good sense and a warm heart. The development and exploration of the character of Oldbuck and that of Edie Ochiltree, a wandering "licensed beggar," dominates the novel, somewhat overwhelming the adventurous, and Gothic, plot. Many of Scott's novels take forever to get off the ground, and this is one. Once they do get going, one-third to halfway through, they really take off and are fairly adventurous. But in my opinion, Scott's main interest was in characters, and this novel is particularly rich in them. I should add that Scott also had a strong interest in abstruse Scottish history, antiquity, and folklore, which he has ample opportunity to indulge in this tale.

Without discussing the bizarre and romantic plot, I can say that despite the ample Gothic touches The Antiquary falls distinctly into the comic genre, a comedy of manners and character. The history is kept in the background (unlike, for example, Waverley or Old Mortality where the history is paramount.)

The Antiquary is set in the 1790's, a period when the British Isles were in fear of invasion by the forces of the French Revolution. It is a period only about twenty years earlier than the date The Antiquary was written, as if someone today were to write a historical novel about life in the USA during Desert Storm. But today, of course, the 1790's were quite a while ago, so many references and assumptions that are unfamiliar today would have been clear to the original readers. Thus the historical situation is not explained. This is a problem with many of Scott's Scottish novels, and the reader needs an annotated edition such as the Penguin Classics or Oxford World's Classics version. A related problem is the Scottish dialect spoken by many of the characters. It can be impenetrable without some help. The Penguin version I read had a glossary and detailed footnotes which I found indispensable, but it slowed down reading considerably to be constantly flipping to the back of the book for a word or a phrase or a reference. This characteristic kept me from reading Scott's fiction for many years. I finally decided to bite the bullet and go as slow as necessary in order to learn the dialect. And it does get easier - you don't have to look up the same word too many times before you know it. But if this kind of thing robs you of all enjoyment in reading, skip Scott, or at least the Scottish novels. In my case, it has paid off, Scott has become perhaps my favorite novelist.

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LibraryThing member skieper

The best of the Waverly novels in my opinion. I loved the Latin throughout.

LibraryThing member morryb

Sir Walter Scott really is one of my favorite authors, but the Scottish dialog can be a little off putting sometimes. This Oxford edition of "The ANtiquary" has a nice glossary in the back and while looking up the different words slowed me down, it alos made the conversations easier to follow.

Eventually I learned some of the words and did not have to take the time to look them up. Also the notes included can be helpfull but are not necessarily mandatory tot he understanding of the story.

The description of this book states that it is Sir Walter Scott's favorite novel that he wrote. If that is ture than I can say he did not make a bad choice. Unlike many of his historical novels, this one takes place within the last 30 years from the time of writing. The background is a french invasion of Scotland. Scott takes time to develop several characters and it could alomost be difficult in determining which one is the main character. However, since the name of the book is "The Antiquary" it is somewhat safe to assume the antiquary is the main character. Really we get to see a little of Sir Walter Scott's humerous side in this book. The dialog between the antiquary and his neighbor, nephew and the women in his life is very entertaining. The villian with his strong german accent and his con and the way he is conned is quite entertaining as well.

As for the Antiquary himself, along with his humer, he tries to portray a very gruff exterior, but as the story proceeds, a very tender hearted and kind character is revealed. This may not be so novel now, but perhaps in the early 1800's it was. This is a novel that I would certainly recommend, but I belive it is becoming harder to find, and maybe out of print at tis time. Fortunatly I was able to find a copy at half-price books.

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LibraryThing member TrysB

This is said to be one of Scott's less popular works, but most people find the Scots dialect and abundant humor very pleasing. Mr Jonathan Oldbuck is the Antiquary, endowed with a gift for quaint sayings and "garrulous knowledge". The Antiquary's friend, Sir Anthony Warden has a beautiful daughter,

Isabella, who is as wise as she is virtuous. Her honor is beset by the conniving Herman Douster-Swivel who pretends to be an adept in the black arts. As in all of Scott's masterly novels, the plot is complex and the characters are colorful and memorable.

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LibraryThing member losloper

First published in 1816 in the aftermath of Waterloo, The Antiquary deals with the problem of how to understand the past so as to enable the future. Set in the tense times of the wars with revolutionary France, it displays Scott's matchless skill at painting the social panorama and in creating

vivid characters, from the earthy beggar Edie Ochiltree to the loqacious and shrewdly humorous Antiquary himself.
The text is based on Scott's own final, authorized version, the 'Magnum Opus' edition of 1829.

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LibraryThing member mbmackay

The third book in Scott's Waverley series. Another well told yarn set in an historic background (1790s this time). I found the plot a little contrived - another lost heir, but not to the point of affecting my enjoyment of the writing. I was interested to read later that this book was one of Scott's

personal favourites. Also remarkable to read how quickly it was written and published - Scott was under financial pressure, and was putting out these books at a manic pace. One of the central roles in this book is a "licensed" beggar, who is given very sympathetic treatment, continuing Scott's generosity towards people on the fringes of society (in Guy Mannering it was the "Gypsy Queen").

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LibraryThing member P_S_Patrick

The Antiquary was Walter Scott’s third novel, set like the first two in Scotland in the 18th Century. Again, the novel is as much of value for entertainment as it is as an historical record of life in Scotland at that time, with all its cultural intricacies of dialect and language, manners and

mannerisms, social conditions, and characters. Like the unforgettable gypsy Meg Merilless from his novel Guy Mannering, the mendicant Edie Ochiltree here provides a fully drawn and lifelike character with a similar though in many ways unique role in the plot. Again, based on a person known to the author in his youth, what we have is another masterpiece of observation in human nature, and idiosyncracy linked to bygone ways of life. The Antiquary of the title arguably plays supporting lead to the beggar, though he is none the less unique in his peculiarities that spring to life from the page. In more second rate supporting roles we have Lovell, the real protagonist of the plot, and the German con-artist Dousterswivel who plays the pantomime baddy with conviction.
In terms of plot we have some predictability, with the end being guessable well before we get there, though when we do get there the novel ends very abruptly, as if Scott did not spend the time and effort on wrapping it up that he did on most of the rest of the story. There are some very good scenic and atmospheric set piece scenes, which together with the historical and social interest make this arguably at least as good or better than Scott’s first two novels.

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