Evan Huar

Author: Walter Scott
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Ivanhoe (1819) is one of Walter Scott's most famous novels and also one of his finest historical works depicting medieval life. China published an early classical Chinese translation by Lin Shu and Wei Yi in 1905, retitled The Saxon Story of the Conquest. Subsequently, several translations in vernacular Chinese were published, but they were all abridged and rewritten versions. The story of the novel takes place in the late 12th century, around the time King Richard I of England, known as "Lionheart," was imprisoned abroad. Richard was a warlike and ambitious king who launched the Third Crusade in 1191. Due to internal divisions among the Christian nations participating in the crusade, he was forced to retreat shortly after. During his return journey, a storm struck, and Richard, accompanied by a small retinue disguised as commoners, took a route through Vienna to return to England but was captured by the Duke of Austria. He was imprisoned in a castle on the Danube for over a year before being released in 1194 after paying a substantial ransom.
The outstanding achievement of Ivanhoe lies in its realistic and vivid portrayal of the historical period of feudalism in England at its height in the late 12th century, reflecting the complex contradictions of society at the time in a comprehensive and profound manner. Since the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the Anglo-Saxon people of England suffered oppression from foreign rulers, with most peasants becoming serfs, and the original Anglo-Saxon feudal lords were also bullied by Norman feudal nobles. The ruling class at the time consisted mainly of two strata: feudal nobles and clergy. Within the feudal nobility, a system of fiefdoms for knights was established. By the late 12th century, after over a century of rest and recuperation, feudal lords had consolidated their rule over their domains and grew increasingly arrogant and complacent. Some engaged in mutual, while others openly rebelled against the king. To satisfy their luxurious lifestyles, they continuously exploited and oppressed the peasants, forcing some to resort to desperate measures, such as the Robin Hood and his band of outlaws in this book.
The church, meanwhile, operated as an independent force, directly under the jurisdiction of the Roman Curia and owning one-third of the land in the nation. Powerful factions within the church, such as the Knights Templar in this novel, even dared to oppose the monarchy. These sharp and complex social contradictions are vividly depicted and reflected in the novel, such as the struggle for the throne between the Norman feudal nobles, represented by Prince John, and King Richard I; the ethnic conflicts and disputes between the Anglo-Saxon nobles, represented by Cedric, and the Norman nobles, represented by Brienne de Chatillon; and the class contradictions and struggles between the oppressed peasants, represented by Robin Hood, and Norman feudal lords like Fran de Bek.
Whening medieval English life in the novel, while Scott depicts some romantic scenes of tournaments and duels, he does not idealize medieval society. Instead, he uses vivid prose to expose the corruption and decadence of feudal nobles and clergy, and meaningfully remarks in the book: "The descriptions in this novel have not yet fully revealed the dark and tragic reality of that era."