Read in an 1897 edition. [These notes were made in 1982:]. This novel should have been a hundred pages longer. It starts and proceeds at Scott's leisurely pace, and about half the main action - the return of Ravenswood, Lucy's attempted murder of Bucklaw, her madness and death, and Ravenswood's death, are crammed into the last 15 pages. That rather glaring fault aside, there is much to like here, and some particularly impressive scenes - one can see how it captured the European imagination enough to be turned into an opera. Having taken Jay [Macpherson:]'s course, I am now fully aware of two contrasting elements in Scott's work - the generalized "romantic", with its ladies beside fountains, its proud young hero, and domineering mother-in-law figure. These characters could as easily be English, or French, or Spanish, or anything, provided they were surrounded by appropriately stunning scenery. Then there are the highly localized, dialect-speaking lower and middle class, who certainly fit into the scheme Walpole identified - the "comic relief" - but are also the transmitters of the Scottish tradition, the Scottish language, and the Scottish (as opposed to merely general) supersititon. With a curious double vision, we can see the three old hags of this novel not only as direct descendants of Macbeth's trio, but as aged Scottish crones - in which latter light they are consistently characterized by the narrative voice. Scott is playing games with us here, although it is a game common to the Romantic period - the game of relating in a very rational, almost sceptical fashion, things which bear only supernatural explanations, prophecies which irresistibly come true. "Here it is for your consideration," we are challenged, "something which shouldn't be, but is - and I, your author, have no opinion on the matter." The plot of Lammermoor is, of course, familiar through the opera Lucia, but where the brother is the chief "heavy" in the opera, it is the shrewd but rather weak father that Scott concentrates on. Caleb Balderston, with his single-minded pursuit of outward respectability for the Ravenswoods at any cost, is a fine creation. Not Scott at his best, but definitely and most enjoyably Scott.

This is my first contact with Sir Walter Scott and i must say i am surprised i took me so long to read any of his work. The story was quite interesting.
Set in the end the 18th Century, in Scotland, it is the tale of the unfortunate love and tragedies of Edgar the Master of Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton.
It might not be an original story, but the setting was fascinating, with a background of Scottish superstitions and legends.
I always enjoy this kind of historical fiction, it always made me dream of a different world, where oaths were sacred and unbreakable, where honor was more valuable than fortunes and where love was pure, simple and eternal.

The characters were very interesting, and my favorite may not be considered as a main one, it is Caleb Balderstone, The butler of the Master of ravenswood. Walter Scott made him look fascinating in his blind devotion for the family he serves and many times he was really hilarious with all the tricks he came up with in order to save the Family Credit, he was a piece of work!
The style of Walter Scott was different and interesting, and i enjoyed the ballads, poem.. that were inserted all along.
and i am sure this will not be the last Walter Scott for me!

Quando Edgar Ravenswood, ultimo discendente di una nobile famiglia ormai in rovina, salva dalla morte la giovane e bella Lucia Ashton, figlia di Sir William Ashton, nemico giurato dei Ravenswood e causa della loro rovina, fra i due scocca l'amore, ma la madre della giovane ordirà un piano per mandare a monte le nozze e combinare un matrimonio forzato con il signore di Buclaw, gli eventi vireranno presto verso la tragedia.

"La sposa di Lammermoor", romanzo storico scritto da Walter Scott nel 1819 e a detta sua basato su eventi realmente accaduti nella famiglia scozzese dei Darlymper, ci immerge nella Scozia del regno della Regina Anna (1702-1714).
Il romanzo, una tragedia gotica d'amore, prende il lettore sin da subito, con una scrittura ricercata ma non complessa il romanzo si dipana in un crescendo di disperazione sino al gran finale che lascerà interdetti.
I personaggi, ben tratteggiati e "raccontati" anche se non così approfonditi, risultano perfettamente intrecciati nel racconto, una menzione speciale va poi al vecchio Caleb Balderston, servo di Ravenswood che riesce, con alcune trovare comiche, ad alleggerire il racconto altrimenti particolarmente cupo.
Un romanzo sull'Amore disperato e impedito che nonostante il ritmo non proprio frenetico, terrà il lettore incollato alle pagine.

Around the time of the union between Scotland and England 1707, great changes are occurring in that ancient an often unhappy land of the north, rebellion is always beneath the calm surface, in uneasy Scotland. Rivalries, family blood feuds, (and just plain hate) political contests between Whigs and Tories for power, but with a polite face shown. Edgar , the son of the late Lord Ravenswood, his downfall caused by Sir William Ashton a devious lawyer or a honest man, depending on your side of the aisle, bribery was common in that era's legal courts. Of course brooding Edgar, after a few duels, seeks vengeance against the the destroyer of his family's fortune, estates and honor, he lives in a ruined , like his life, haunted (some say) castle with only one old wily servant left, Caleb Balderstone, in Wolfscrag. A tower above the pounding surf of the North Sea (always seemingly ready to collapse into the yearning waves below), in the Lammermoor Hills of the southeast part of the country. Chance can complicate situations, Edgar hunting on his small estate, saves the life of Sir William, his neighbor, and his pretty daughter Lucy, from an angry, wild bull. Why ? Family honor maybe, but that question is never answered clearly, except the fragile, meek Lucy, is fascinated by the handsome stranger, and he also feels warmth towards the alluring lady . His sworn enemy's daughter, the former Lord Ravenswood, his father had lost that title , supporting the losers, during the Glorious Revolution, would not understand either, if he were still alive. Edgar finds out from friendly, grateful, Sir William, that the deceased, had borrowed many thousands of pounds sterling, and was unable to repay him. The almost Gothic romance between Lucy and Edgar, is mostly in secret walks, (Lady Ashton, the mother, despises poor Edgar) outside the homes of the rivals, by an antiquated fountain, the site of their first inauspicious meeting. They visited blind, old, Alice, in her tiny decrepit, as much as she is, hovel, on Lucy's father's land. The woman had for many years been a valuable servant of Lord Ravenswood's, but Alice opposes the marriage between the happy couple... she predicts disaster in the future (uneducated people have accused her, of being a witch). When the old woman dies , Edgar sees her apparition , and is very shaken. Witches, unknown things felt, or thought seen in the woods, rumors of the supernatural are spoken in the nearby village of Wolfshope ( but this is the age of the believers, in evil spirits). Lady Ashton makes arraignments in Ravenswood Castle, Edgar's former home for a more worthy husband for her young daughter, wealthy but coarse, Francis, Laird of Bucklaw. Sir William is afraid of his dominating wife and the engagement is announced, while Edgar is attending business for his rich, influential relative the Marquis, who is trying to get his land back, on the continent. Lucy has written many letters to him, as he has too, but her cruel mother has not let them pass . Will Edgar come back before it is too late?...A popular Opera, was made from this novel. One of Scott's best books....based loosely on historical events.

Originally published on my blog here in October 2001.

Scott was once the most famous writer of his generation, and his novels were still quite widely read until relatively recently. Today, though, most of them have pretty much lapsed into obscurity. The Bride of Lammermoor, for example, is probably better known today through the opera Donizetti based on it.

The Bride of Lammermoor is basically a melodramatic variation on Romeo and Juliet. As the son of a Jacobite, Edgar, Master of Ravenswood, has lost his estates to Whig lawyer Sir William Ashton. He lives in poverty in an romantic ruined castle, Wolf's Crag, and falls in love with Lucy, William Ashton's daughter. Ashton himself is reasonably willing to permit the match, as he has no personal animus against Ravenswood and as he moreover forsees an imminent improvement in the political fortunes of the Tories. His wife has other plans for Lucy, though, and so she remains implacably opposed to the match.

While there is much in the novel which has dated, The Bride of Lammermoor still remains exciting in part. The opera simlifies the novel, leaving out many of the minor characters, and this is something which is going to improve it. The servant characters are mainly used by Scott as opportunities for atmosphere or humour, and to a modern reader they seem two dimensional and their use heavy handed. This is particularly the case with Ravenswood's servant Caleb Balderston, who spends the entire novel making extraordinary efforts to conceal the very obvious diminution in the family fortunes.

My second read of this story based on a true story where the bride went insane and stabbed the bridegroom on the wedding night. This tragedy has also been made into a opera.

The novel starts with the death of Lord Ravenswood and there now being only one member of the Ravenswood family left, is Master Edgar Ravenswood living in a ruin beside the sea called Wolf’s Crag a derelict castle. Edgar has lost everything and swears vengeance on the Ashton family who have taken over his fathers estate.

The Ravenswood family has lost their lands and fortune after the rebellion. Sir William Ashton is the new owner of the estates and Ravenswood Castle. He is Edgars sworn enemy and he has vowed revenge. On the day he was going to get his revenge he instead ends up saving his life and the beautiful daughter Lucy Ashton from a wild bull.

He and Lucy fall in love. The father encourages it as he fears Edgar. They become secretly engaged. However, Lucy’s mother Lady Ashton will have none of it. She is the true villain f the piece. Instead of the feud ending the mother dominates the daughter who is weaker and ends up in despair and melancholy as she has promised Edgar to marry him.

Throw in a few witches, intrigue and the parents forcing Lucy to renounce her engagement and to marry the unlucky Bucklaw. This quote sums up the story.

“When the last Laird of Ravenswood to Ravenswood shall ride and woo a dead maiden to be his bride, He shall stable his steed in the Kelpie’s flow, And his name shall be lost for evermore!”

I enjoyed this story and the sword duel and the descriptive scenes. Of course Caleb Balderstone the loyal butler for Edgar provides comical relief, albeit stereotypical. The true villain of the piece is Lady Ashton.

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This novel of Sir Walter Scott's was truly outstanding in the tone and the genre in which it was written. Admittedly I have only read four other Scott novels, but this one was unique from the others as it was based off of a true sequence of events in Scottish history, but lent itself to the gothic supernatural genre similar to Shakespeare's "Macbeth." There are prophecies, three old crones foreshadowing impending doom, venerable houses of yore on the verge of collapse, and the Scottish moors. Scott's romantic tendancies find their place in the florid plotline, but are reigned in by the tragedy of the real life story of the Ravenswood and Ashton clans. In that respect he also channels something of "Romeo and Juliet" as well. It is quite different than the other works of his that I have read, but retaining those parts of his style that draw me back to read more of his novels. I would emphatically urge anyone interested in his work or masterfully written Scotch literature to pick this book up and jump in.

I love this book! It's as sexy as any romance novel, but has a tragic ending and feels almost like a Shakespeare play. Usually Sir Walter Scott is romantic about history, and the gallant knights and damsels fair always win the day. Here it's almost like he knows the modern world must triumph over a nobler past, and he's sad but honest. When he lets his hero die at the end, he's like Deke Thornton saying goodbye to Pike Bishop in Sam Peckinpah's classic Western THE WILD BUNCH.

I read this book after working on the opera based on it which, it turns out, has relatively little to do with the novel after all. While the opera is boiled down to the story of two star-crossed lovers, the novel puts the lovers on the back-burner, preferring to concentrate its focus on creating a record of Scottish politics and daily life at the turn of the 18th century. This is evident in the care and detail Scott devotes to describing, say, hospitality rituals, about which he goes on and on. Contrasted to the very quick, to-the-point passages about the lovers themselves (including a resolution that, compared to the rest of the novel, moves at a lightning pace) it is very clear what the true intention here is.

For all that, it is a beautiful novel, in turns haunting and witty, and fascinating as a history piece. I highly suggest an annotated version, as Scott largely assumes the reader has at least a survey knowledge of Scottish Union politics, and large passages are written in thick 18th century Scottish dialect which, unless you're familiar with it, can be completely confounding.

This book is based on an ancient Scottish legend of an ill-fated engagement between two young persons of warring families (Romeo and Juliet). The tale has a little of everything- an amusing servant, an overbearing mother, old crones dabbling in witchcraft, prophecies and politics. Scott is a superb storyteller, and the only quibble I would have with this book is the fact that so much of it is in colloquial Scottish dialect. Hence, one has to refer back to the notes on the text in the rear of the book, every time one starts a new page, and there is also the necessity of consulting the glossary at the end for tricky words. So, a lot of shuffling pages back and forth. But I found it worth the effort. Once I got into the story, I found it hard to put down. It's not the author's fault that there were so few societal roles offered to women at that time period, so I can't fault him for restricting his view to some obvious types. Every time I read a Sir Walter Scott book, I want to read another, and I understand why his works were so popular in the 19th century.

É sempre um prazer revisitar este autor clássico, considerado o pai do romance histórico, mas desta vez o prazer foi ainda maior. Isto porque comparando com as obras de Walter Scott já lidas (Ivanhoe, Waverley e O Talismã) esta ficou como minha preferida das quatro.

Aliada aos elementos já esperados, de aventuras, valentes cavaleiros, famílias brasonadas em castelos na Escócia, duelos e questões de honra, deparei-me com uma formidável mas trágica história de amor, envolta em misticismo, lendas e premonições fatais.

A acrescentar aos aspectos curiosos e interessantes desta história está o facto de Walter Scott se ter inspirado numa história verídica. A história é a da nobre escocesa Janet Dalrymple que casou a 24 de Agosto de 1669, tendo a sua noite de núpcias ficado marcada por circunstâncias trágicas e inexplicáveis. Estes acontecimentos alimentaram a imaginação de Walter Scott mas não só. Janet, filha do visconde de Stair, fundador de uma das mais famosas famílias da nobreza escocesa, família (e toda a sua descendência) que é lugubremente cantada nas lendas e baladas da velha Escócia, como possuídos do poder diabolico.

Existe ainda a particularidade de Walter Scott não ter escrito este texto, mas tê-lo ditado, por se encontrar doente e vítima de dores atrozes. O texto desta edição está escrito de forma muito simples e a história é contada muito rapidamente. Contudo, não me posso pronunciar sobre a escrita deste livro, uma vez que por experiência com outras obras, sei que as traduções das edições Romano Torres são bastante livres e simplificadas em relação aos originais.

Tendo lido até hoje Walter Scott apenas nestas edições não me posso pronunciar sobre a escrita do autor, nem comparar entre esta história que foi por ele "ditada" e as outras que foram por ele "escritas". Espero que "o meu próximo Walter Scott" possa ser lido numa melhor edição, mais fiel ao original, ou quem sabe na língua original.

Eigentlich dreieinhalb, die Konventionen seiner Zeit haben die Erzählung ziemlich viel Potenzial gekostet. Scott ist ein schnell überholtes Genie, Balzac und Dickens haben seine Vorgaben auf ihre Art weiter entwickelt. Dickens mit komischen Originalen, deren Streiche immer grotesker werden und faden Frauengestalten, wiewohl Scott die Qualitäten seiner Lucie auf Kosten seiner in permanentem Ohnmachtsalarm stehenden Zeitgenossinnen heraus streicht.