Ivanhoe (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Walter Scott
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: Walter Scott was a renowned British historical novelist and poet of the 19th century, and Ivanhoe is his representative work in historical fiction. China published an ancient Chinese translation of Ivanhoe as early as 1905, retitled The Saxon Stories of Ivanhoe. The story of this book takes place in the height of feudalism in England at the end of the 12th century. The plot is fantastical and vivid, with images, making it well worth reading. Ivanhoe (1819) is Scott's most famous novel and also his finest historical novel depicting medieval life. China published an ancient Chinese translation of Ivanhoe as early as 1905, retitled The Saxon Stories of Ivanhoe, followed by several subsequent translations in vernacular Chinese, but all of them were abridged and rewritten versions. The story of the novel takes place during the imprisonment of King Richard I of England, known as the Lionheart, abroad at the end of the 12th century. King Richard was a warlike and glory-seeking ruler who launched the Crusades in 1191. Due to internal divisions among the Christian nations participating in the crusade, he was forced to retreat shortly after. On his way back, he encountered a storm and, disguised as commoners with a few followers, took a route through Vienna to return to England, only to be captured by the Duke of Austria and imprisoned in a castle on the Danube for over a year. He was eventually released in 1194 after paying a substantial ransom. The outstanding achievement of Ivanhoe lies in its authentic and vivid recreation of the historical period of feudalism at its height in England at the end of the 12th century, reflecting in a comprehensive and profound manner the complex contradictions of the society at the time. Since the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Anglo-Saxon people of England suffered oppression from foreign invaders, 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 fiefs for knights was established. By the end of the 12th century, after over a century of rest and recuperation, the feudal lords had consolidated their rule in their respective domains and grew increasingly arrogant and complacent. Some engaged in mutual mergers, 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, was a separate force, directly under the jurisdiction of the Roman papacy and owning one-third of the land in the country. Powerful factions within the church, such as the Knights Templar in this book, 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 Norman conqueror's ruling group; the ethnic conflicts and disputes between the Anglo-Saxon nobles, represented by Cedric, and the Norman nobles, represented by Brienne de Chatillon; as well as the class contradictions and struggles between the oppressed peasants, represented by Robin Hood, and the Norman feudal lords, such as Fran de Bek. While depicting romantic scenes of tournaments and duels in the novel, the author did not idealize medieval society but instead used vivid prose to expose the corruption and decadence of the feudal nobles and clergy, and profoundly noted in the book: "The description in this novel has not yet fully revealed the dark and tragic reality of that era."