Second reading: February 2017

First reading: December 2014

Indisputably a classic for all of the right reasons. This is an incredible adventure story that is full of famous icons and age old ideas about courtly love but it is also a fascinating social commentary and complex bit of storytelling. Sir Walter Scott provides highly entertaining content which also respects the intelligence and intellectual curiosity of its readers. Read Ivan home for the story but know that it will leave a mark on your heart and will challenge the way in which you perceive others.

Sir Walter Scott challenges social ideas both of his time and the time of his setting. His caricatures of the heroes and the villains are interesting, complex and properly balanced. When the worst stereotypes of medieval Jews are shown in Isaac, they are immediately counterbalanced in the sincerity and generosity of Rebecca. Where the monastic friars are corrupt, licentious and self-serving they are counterbalanced by Christians who are sincere, faithful and gentle. We have a Black Knight who is anything but dark or evil. We have Templars who are attired in light and airy garments who are evil personified.

The balancing and counterbalancing extends also to the characters themselves. In Cedric we see a brash, judgmental, harsh Lord who is also tender and loving and gracious. In Sir Brian, we see a calculating and sophisticated warrior who seeks to serve his own interests until he is bewildered by an inexplicable affection for someone he cannot have who renders him gentle, supplicant and almost worthy.

I have always loved Robin Hood and the fact that he feature so prominently in this story serves me as a bit of the cherry on top of the sundae. I love sir Walter Scott's treatment of Robin Hood. He is highly organized, deeply Noble and, as the Black Knight calls him, a king in his own right.

This is my second reading of the book and I spent a significant portion of my childhood watching the Anthony Andrews movie. this novel does not fail to impress. I enjoyed it, I learned from it and I am certain that I will be reading it again and again throughout my lifetime.

Romanzo di grande successo al suo primo apparire, apripista del genere storico, modello perfino del grande Manzoni, Ivanhoe rivela ancora oggi le ragioni della sua gradevolezza non potendo più, per ragioni cronologiche, essere annoverato fra i bestseller. È un romanzo corposo per mole, evanescente nella sommaria trama e gradevole per il tono umoristico dal quale è attraversato. Alla base del successo l’eterna lotta del Bene contro il Male, la netta contrapposizione fra eroi ed antieroi, i colpi di scena, gli smascheramenti, le trasfigurazioni, il riconoscere nella storia medievale le proprie origini di popolo attuale, la forte connotazione nazionalista nel binomio Sassoni –Normanni, Scozzesi-Inglesi. La trama è nota ai più viste anche le innumerevoli trasposizioni e non solo cinematografiche che gli sono state dedicate; si tratta in breve del rientro del re Riccardo dalla Terra santa intrecciato a quello del nostro prode cavaliere Ivanhoe che tende a giuste nozze con la protetta del padre Cedric, Rowena, tra mille peripezie, duelli, tornei, imboscate, tradimenti e la finale vittoria del Bene sul Male. Recluso fra i libri etichettati come letteratura per ragazzi, la sua giusta collocazione potrebbe essere più azzeccata nei paraggi di Dumas padre, ad ogni modo è lettura da farsi in età adulta quando si possiedono gusti letterari ben delineati, poco inclini ai facili entusiasmi e strumenti di conoscenza per darle giusta collocazione all’interno della storia della letteratura inglese; non è certo compito mio, esistono studi infiniti al proposito. A me resta solo da consigliare un libro vivace, seppur impegnativo per mole, abbastanza fluido , capace di richiamare tempi, ideali, costumi ormai tramontati ma pur sempre avvincenti in un piacevole ritorno al passato

Romanian review: Aceasta este prima poveste pe care o citesc cu Robin Hood ca personaj secundar și, având în vedere că toată lumea îi cunoaște pe de rost povestea, mă mir că nu este folosit mai des în felul acesta.
Din punct de vedere al gradului de divertisment, ,,Ivanhoe" este exact ce promite, o carte distractivă, plină de acțiune, cu lupte eroice între cavaleri, turniruri, asedii și orice îți poți imagina când te gândești la Evul Mediu și la cavaleri, însă romanul suferă la caracterizare.
Toate personajele pozitive au aproape exclusiv trăsături pozitive, iar personajele negative au aproape exclusiv trăsături negative. Nu avem personaje cu adevărat complexe și niciun personaj nu are un profil psihologic cu adevărat dezvoltat, accentul cade atât de mult pe acțiune încât personajele sunt șterse.
Avantajul lui Walter Scott este că utilizează personaje consacrate ca Robin Hood, Prințul John și Regele Richard Inimă-de-Leu, care sunt atât de emblematice, încât sunt interesante fără prea multă muncă din partea autorului, însă chiar și aceștia sunt cam personaje de carton.
Un aspect care ridică valoarea romanului îl reprezintă comentariile cu privire la situația evreilor în Evul Mediu. Suntem atât de obișnuiți să citim despre crimele naziștilor, încât adesea uităm că antisemitismul și prejudecățiile față de poporul evreu sunt o boală veche. Walter Scott reușește să prezinte toată situația într-un mod care reflectă epoca respectivă, dar care nu îi nedreptățește pe evrei, deci aici are un plus.
În ansamblu, ,,Ivanhoe" este un roman istoric distractiv, genul de carte de aventuri care cu siguranță m-ar fi încântat mai mult la o vârstă mai fragedă, dar merită să fie citit, însă fără a-și găsi loc printre capodoperele omenirii.



English review: This is the first story I've read with Robin Hood as a supporting character and, given that everyone knows his story by heart, I'm surprised he isn't used in this way more often.
In terms of entertainment, "Ivanhoe" is exactly what it promises, a fun, action-packed book with heroic battles between knights, jousting, sieges and anything else you can imagine when you think of the Middle Ages and knights, but the novel suffers at characterization.
All the positive characters have almost exclusively positive traits and the negative characters have almost exclusively negative traits, we don't have any truly complex characters and no character has a truly developed psychological profile, the focus falls so much on action that the characters are kind of bland.
Walter Scott's advantage is that he uses established characters like Robin Hood, Prince John and King Richard the Lionheart, who are so iconic that they are interesting without much work on the author's part, but even these are pretty much cardboard characters.
One aspect that raises the novel's value is the commentary on the plight of Jews in the Middle Ages; we are so used to reading about the crimes of the Nazis that we often forget that anti-Semitism and prejudice against Jewish people is an old disease. Walter Scott manages to present the whole situation in a way that reflects the era, but does not unfairly portray the Jews, so here he has a plus.
Overall, "Ivanhoe" is an entertaining historical novel, the kind of adventure book that certainly would have thrilled me more at a younger age. It deserves to be read, but without finding its place among the masterpieces of mankind.

Had an uneven reading experience with Ivanhoe. There were some very good scenes and I was pretty invested in the story, and in particular, Rebecca’s part in it. Her scenes with that bastard Bois-Guilbert were the best of the book and the one part where the dialogue didn’t bog the story down. In general though, the dialogue was what took the life out of the novel. Wordy, almost Shakespearean, the dialogue frequently had me tuning out the story so that I had to go back and reread several times. Now I imagine back in the day, this would have been sublime. If ever a novel was written to be read aloud, perhaps even acted out, this would surely have fit the bill. Dramatic, good versus evil (hey, we’ve been hooked on that theme since the Bible) with characters to root for and villains to be defeated. Damsels in need of rescue, and most worthy of it too makes this pretty exciting fare. Those early readers would likely have had a good deal of Shakespeare under their belts and may have found the convoluted prose and dialogue elevating. But for me, I confess it was a bit of a chore. However, when viewed as though it were written as a means to entertain, Ivanhoe certainly succeeds. There was humour, suspense, outrage and fulfillment. Rebecca’s character was very well written and I freely admit I was worried for her. The scene with Athelstane was pretty good too. So while I struggled with the old English style of writing, I did really enjoy the story and I’m glad I’ve finally gotten around to reading it.

That was...a painful reading experience.

Ivanhoe is a good adventure story of medieval chivalry. It centers on Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon who turned a supporter of Norman King Richard, the Lionheart. This angers his Saxon father, Sir Cedric who disowns him.

Scott's storytelling brings wonderfully to life medieval tournaments, where knights fought one another to demonstrate their courage and skills, and characters that we've heard from our childhood, like Ivanhoe, Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood), Friar Tuck, the brave and fair King Richard the Lionheart, and vile Prince John. However, the underlying theme of this story which narrates many adventures is the conflict between the native Saxon nobility and the invading Normans. Saxons, led by Sir Cedric, find it hard to accept a Norman king and secretly entertain a futile hope of restoring a Saxon king to the throne. His son, Ivanhoe's acceptance and support of a Norman king are hard on him. But Ivanhoe's support of Norman refined ways and customs and his ultimate marriage to Saxon Lady Rowena unites the two races and symbolises the unity of the old (Saxon) and the modern (Norman).

The story is quite engaging and Scott is a wonderful storyteller. But the violence of medieval times and the strong antisemitism impaired my enjoyment of it. It was particularly hard to read Knight Templars' cruelty to Rebecca. I'm not passing judgment here. The morals of that time are quite different from now. Yet, that doesn't make it any easier to read.

More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/

“Nobles cosas guarda tu espíritu, pero es como el jardín del holgazán; la mala hierba ha crecido y amenaza con devorar la hermosa cosecha”
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Llevaba muchisimos años sin leer una novela con tonos fantásticos y he disfrutado como una niña de esta lectura. A pesar de tratar temas morales no es una novela pesada, lo cuál ha sido un gran alivio como estudiante de filologia. No le he dado 5 estrellas porque el final me ha decepcionado bastante, no por lo que pasa sino por como esta hecho. Walter Scott termina la novela de forma muy repentina y da la sensación de que decidió terminar la novela antes de lo que tenía planeado. A pesar de esto es un libro que he disfrutado mucho como una lectura ligera entre otras mas complejas, que suelen tener un mayor peso en nuestra mente (refiriendome a que impactan y repercuten en la forma que sentimos o pensamos y resultan en ciertas emociones quizás negativas)

A glorious story of knights and ladies, jousts and castles and great feats.

I grew up on the Anthony Andrews/Lisette Anthony movie, with Sam Neill doing his best smolder as Sir Brian DuBois Gilbert and Olivia Hussey looking like a Biblical illumination as Rebecca. The original version of the book that I had, a crappy paperback picked up for probably fifty cents, had a nevertheless great introduction that, among other things, explained that the true hero of the book is Richard the Lionheart, returning to free his kingdom from Prince John's tyranny, and the true heroine is Rebecca, standing up for her beliefs and willing to give up the love of her life because it's the right thing for both of them. Understanding that gives you a true appreciation of this story, which I think might otherwise make you try (and fail) to see Wilfred and Rowena as romantic ideals who . . . honestly spend a lot of time locked in bedrooms. (And not in a sexy way.)

“When the two champions stood opposed to each other at the two extremities of the lists, the public expectation was strained to the highest pitch. Few argued the possibility that the encounter could terminate well for the Disinherited Knight, yet his courage and gallantry secured the general good wishes of the spectators.”

Obviously, Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe has gained quite a reputation as a solid classic work that is notable for its medieval and high adventure qualities and is the basis for several film adaptations.

I can see why this novel has come into some criticism for both its antiquated viewpoints from several characters and its questionable historical references. I do feel, however, that Scott’s novel is quite compelling in several ways in its storytelling and has relevant themes that give it substance.

This novel is odd in that there is not really one central main conflict, per se, but rather a series of them through various episodes. Perhaps, though, the prevailing conflict comes in the form of the clashing between the Saxons and the Normans.

In my opinion, the best parts of the novel are simply the essentials that make this a great adventure. The battle scenes and spectacle of the tournaments as well as the several moments of peril where a hero must rush in to try to save the day make for a very compelling story. There is quite a bit of “star power” in this one in terms of legendary heroes as well, with Ivanhoe, Robin Hood and King Richard wearing disguises and for a good deal of the plot and then coming in and key points in moment of peril.

There are some very engaging scenes, and this book really has it all when it comes to the staples of this genre: damsels in distress, villainous and dastardly antagonists, compelling combats that leave the audience in awe, wanderings through the forests and castles, romance, a code of chivalry and honorability, and a compelling witch trial.

I did feel, though, that the ending was just a tad anticlimactic and that there were some moments where things dragged a little, mostly due to some character giving a long-winded speech that could have been summed up a little more neatly and quickly.

Overall, though, Ivanhoe is a fun, engaging adventure, and historical fiction. I can see how its classic status has endured for all these years.

Ivanhoe is a historical novel, a mix between fiction and reality, which fascinates the reader of any age and launches it into the past with incredible ease. If you read it, prepare for this effect.
The plot takes place in England at the end of 1100. The Norman king Richard "Lionheart", just returned from a Crusade, was captured in Austria, with the complicity of his brother, the greedy Giovanni Senzaterra. Giovanni Senzaterra, does the functions of regent, but wants to definitively obtain the throne and thus favors the Norman side against the Saxon one. Ivanhoe, son of Cedric, is a Saxon, but his father disinherited him because Ivanhoe fought alongside Richard in the crusades and also because he fell in love with Rowena, a Saxon noble who Cedric wanted to marry Athelstane, descendant of the last Saxon king, so as to reinvigorate the Saxon race and contrast the Norman one.
Ivanhoe returns from the Crusade in disguise, that is, under the guise of the Disinherited Knight, and goes to Cedric Castle, where he also finds Rowena and the slimy Templar knight Brian de Bois-Guilbert, who hates Ivanhoe because he defeated him in a duel. Ivanhoe, on the way to the country's tournament, saves the Jew Isaac from an ambush by Bois-Guilbert. During the tournament, Ivanhoe is wounded, but beats all his rivals, including Bois-Guilbert, thanks to the help of a mysterious Black Knight. However, due to the injury, Ivanhoe cannot prevent his helmet from being removed, and therefore everyone sees who he really is. At the final banquet, Giovanni Senzaterra is informed of the release of his brother Richard and the tension between Saxons and Normans grows, in particular between Ivanhoe and his father Cedric, who cannot accept Ivanhoe's decision to stay on the side of the Normans. Meanwhile, Rebecca, Isaac's beautiful daughter, falls in love with Ivanhoe, just when Bois-Guilbert and another shady figure organize a plan to kidnap Rowena and Rebecca, the two women they want. Cedric, Athelstane and Isaac are also captured in the ambush, but two servants escape and reach a gang of thieves, commanded by a certain Locksley, also joined by the mysterious Black Knight.
Here we get into the action: Locksley's gang manages to free Cedric and Rowena, but in the operation Athelstane is killed by Bois-Guilbert who flees carrying Rebecca with him. Bois-Guilbert brings Rebecca before a court, where, being Jewish and considered a witch, she is sentenced to death, unless she manages to find a Christian paladin who fights for her in a duel. The Black Knight (who we actually discover is King Richard) falls into an ambush by his brother Giovanni, who wants to get him out of the way to take the crown. Riccardo is however saved by Robin Hood's intervention (yes, him!). When Cedric and Ivanhoe arrive, we find out that Athelstane is not dead and they are all happy, because he is not against the love between Rowena and Ivanhoe. And Cedric, advised by King Richard, forgives Ivanhoe. Soon after Ivanhoe goes to save Rebecca, whom we had left in search of a paladin who fought for her; in a final fatal clash with Bois-Guilbert, Ivanhoe wins when the rival, anguished and torn between his immense love for the Jewish Rebecca and his Christian faith, dies of a heart attack. After these excited events, Ivanhoe and Rowena get married, while Rebecca and her father leave England to settle in Spain.
The characters of the story are easily framed between Good and Bad: there are the Normans (that is, in practice, the French) all amoral, unrestrained, proud opponents, so valiant as to be a great source of pride for those who defeat them, that is, the British. The British are all good, perhaps a little rough, but only because they are pure.
This is a very schematic reconstruction of the book, a sort of balance between good and bad, in which the good can triumph even using violence for good. The happy ending in this sense is blatant: the good Ivanhoe gets everything he wanted: he marries, his father forgives him, the King blesses him, he carries on the English dynasty.
These stereotypical characters are perhaps the least convincing thing about the book, which is otherwise pleasantly readable; reading is fluent, easy, the lexicon is rich; Scott goes a long way in descriptions, the images created are very lively and reading is never heavy. Medieval society is well represented and perhaps it is the true protagonist of the book: the feelings of each individual and faction, their values and their objectives are perceived.
After all Scott is Scott and Ivanhoe is a classic of English literature.

Somebody actually wrote "Gird up thy loins..." and it's to be found here. I always thought perhaps that was a joke/line from "Monty Python's Holy Grail" or some satiric entertainment. Here's another great line, "...no man wearing chain and spurs ought thus to intrude upon the presence of an unprotected lady." I suppose not! And homoeroticism (accidental?) is all over the place: "They sat down [hermit and knight]. and gazed with great gravity at each other, each thinking in his heart that he had seldom seen a stronger or more athletic figure..." Yes, a great jousting scene opens the novel (who knew there were so many rules?), two damsels are in distress, castles and moats, and knights returning from the Crusades. I do understand religion ruled pretty much everything in this time period. Scott does indeed let us know anti-Jewish sentiment was rampant. Problem is, he does so over and over to the point where it felt to me the author especially enjoyed writing about it. I kept thinking, "Stop it already." True, there is some lovely prose: "The deep prolonged notes, raised by a hundred masculine voices (natch) accustomed to combine in the choral chant, arose to the vaulted roof of the hall, and rolled on amongst its arches with the pleasing yet solemn sound of the rushing of might waters." The descriptions of clothing and cathedrals, etc., are fascinating. And there are some surprising identity revelations along the way. Overall, great atmosphere, great portrait of knights in shining armor. Fun times for all!

Ivanhoe is a historical novel by Walter Scott published in 1819 as the 10th of his 28 Waverley novels. Up until Ivanhoe, Scott's practice was to set his Waverley stories in Scotland and in fairly recent past of the 19th or 18th Century. With Ivanhoe, Scott changes the setting to England and farther back in time to the late 13h Century when Prince John ruled while his brother King Richard was off fighting in the Crusades and then imprisoned on the mainland. Scott did choose to return to such an early time period setting in some later Waverly novels, probably because Ivanhoe became one of Scott's best-known and most influential novels. Ivanhoe has over 9 times the number of Goodreads ratings as the next most rated Scott novel, Rob Roy.

The story is about the life of Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight who returns to England after having fought bravely and loyally beside Richard the Lionhearted in the Crusades. He has been disinherited by his father, Cedric, for falling in love with Cedric’s ward and his childhood friend, Rowena, who was betrothed to another. Ivanhoe travels in disguise and soon becomes a torn in the side of Prince John getting involved with Robin Hood and his Merry Men and rescues wealthy Jewish moneylender Isaac of York and his beautiful and brave daughter, Rebecca.

Soon Ivanhoe, Robin and his men and the mysterious Black Knight are in conflict with a cadre of Prince John supporters as Prince John tries to solidify his rule in the event of Richard’s return. Included in the conflict are forest-set ambushes and captures, an exciting assault on a castle and an Inquisition type witchcraft trial brought by the Knights Templars, a group depicted as fairly evil in this novel.

There is also an exciting tournament with jousting and archery that, along with a few other book events, were used in the 1939 movie The Adventures of Robin Hood. While it seemed like heavy borrowing from Ivanhoe by that movie’s writers, some of these plot vignettes were likely well-known ones handed down in folklore and first published in half-penny pamphlets available to the masses.

The novel’s characters were well-drawn, diverse and a very entertaining group. Ivanhoe is not the most fleshed out character in the novel. He is absent from the action for much of the book. But, while other characters got more ‘stage time’ and more interesting dialogue, Ivanhoe was still the central heroic character that the plot revolved around. As I had been warned of it several times by a Goodreads friend, Ivanhoe’s reduced presence was not unexpected.

The characters and story events all added up to, except for a slow first chapter, a fairly well-paced action-filled adventure. Scott’s writing was splendidly descriptive, but the narrative did get a bit turgid and wordy at times. I did think his style and wording, while smoother than I anticipated, was a bit more reminiscent of late 18th century authors than his contemporary Jane Austen’s.

Overall, it was a surprisingly enjoyable read, even a page turner at times. Out of the three novels I was reading at the time, it was the one I most looked forward to reading. I rate it as 4 stars.