Almost impossible reading. Which makes sense once I learned that Scott was completely out of it when he was writing this. So much so that when he reviewed it later he thought it was awful. I think the premise of the story is okay, but he takes like 4 pages to convey one point and 3 graphs to convey one thought. Absolutely miserable.

This book was hard to read with the Scottish jargon and customs being strange, but I really liked it anyway. It reminds me a little of Macbeth with the witch ladies, and evil prophecies, ghosts, and of course the tragic ending. I like the characters; especially the Master of Ravenswood (who is dashing and proud, and makes the best entrance ever at the engagement scene), Lady Lucy Ashton (who is a very tragic figure, bound to obey her parents, but also in love with the family enemy), and the old servant Caleb Balderstone (who is simply very funny--I know that sounds strange, but he really is hilarious in the middle of all this sad stuff).

Indubbiamente mi aspettavo qualcosa di più semplice e così non è stato. Forse a causa della vecchia edizione che ho letto (1982) o forse semplicemente per una errata valutazione dell'opera. Fatto sta che la lettura si è rivelata lunga e complessa. Ho molto apprezzato invece le capacità dell'autore nel descrivere i personaggi, soprattutto, ma anche gli ambienti e le abitudini degli scozzesi della fine del '600. Il corso degli eventi mi ha sorpreso dall'inizio alla fine, cominciando quasi in maniera banale e scontata e procedendo poi in modo inaspettato, fino alla chiusura sorprendente.
In maniera spassosa sono emersi alcuni caratteri e alcune scene indimenticabili, come il siniscalco Caleb e la scena della gara fra carrozze in occasione dell'arrivo al Castello di Ravenswood del marchese di A. e di Lady Ashton che mi hanno fatto letteralmente scompisciare dalle risate.

Lucy Ashton and Edgar Ravenswood are, as Romeo and Juliet; they belong to adversary families. All the omens are against them. They meet and are caught in a web of political and financial dealings. Both are very young. Secretly they decide to betroth themselves. But history, political and financial forces pushes them into tragedy. A novel that shows the social changes in Scotland shortly before the Union Act with England was signed at the beginning of the XVIII centur through the story of the trag lovers. Scott borrows from Shakespere some characters but also from the Gothic novel. This combination makes the characters lack density that after all are driven by historical forces just as puppets do.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. The political landscape preceding 1707 Act of Union in Scotland created tensions surrounding the two families and fascinating plot twists that I enjoyed. While I found the book surprisingly funny, I definitely could have done with less Caleb Balderstone and more romance between Edgar and Lucy. I kept feeling like the ending made absolutely no sense being so dramatic given the complete lack of chemistry between them. That said I’m glad Lucy finally got some characterisation beyond compliant young girl in the end.

Of the novels I’ve read by Sir Walter Scott, “The Bride of Lammermoor” is my least favorite, not because of the primary narrative – the tale of the eponymous spouse and her conflicted swain is effectively told and uncompromisingly tragic – but because of the extended comic episodes, which center on a supposedly amusing old servant and feature long passages of dialect writing that would be unamusing even if they weren’t so annoying to read. Those aside, the novel has a good deal of period atmosphere and a few strongly drawn characters that make it worthwhile despite its drawbacks. Recommended with reservations.

fun and often quite funny, but also an overwhelmingly strange read because of how determined this gothic novel is to be something other than a gothic novel. (it's trying, i think, to figure out how to be a historical or "historical fiction" novel, which is a genre scott arguably invented.) in other words, it's strongly interested in plausibility and being able to explain itself, which means that it evokes ghosts it clearly doesn't believe in, and refuses to narrate the really spectacular violence of the climax. very weird!

shoutout to the servant caleb, who literally sets a fire so he won't have to host guests he isn't prepared for, and to all the jacobites running around scotland and scheming, and to how much this novel (written by a lawyer) thinks lawyers are possibly evil.

I had to force myself to read this for the first half as it is for class and I really didn't want to read it, but damn the last 50% was a lot of action. Turns out I really liked it.

The leitmotif of this novel is the leitmotif of a ballad. The plot deals with tragic love, family hostility and suffering. There is an abundance of pathos in the narrative. This novel has all the qualities of a medieval ballad. There is love between the Master of Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton – a love which overwhelms the lives and hearts to the two lovers. And there’s cataclysm -- they die and die wretchedly. This catastrophe makes the atmosphere of the novel gloomy. In the medieval ballads, we come across Kings and Knights, who care little for the feelings of their children and enforce their will upon them. This irrelevance results in disaster and anguish. In this novel too, we have Lady Ashton, who, far from caring for the sentiments of Lucy, is bent upon separating Lucy from her lover.

The novel has a heartrending end . Two themes run throughout the novel, the theme of love and the theme of revenge. But the episodes, which occur fundamentally by the force of circumstances, show that tragedy has its upper hand. Love between the Master of Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton does not culminate in marriage. The result is that both remain ill-fated. And, both suffer. Perhaps, this is so since they began their love at a place, the Mermaidens Fountain ---which had customary jinxes. Then, Lady Ashton's attempt to prevent her daughter from loving the Master of Ravenswood, does not succeed. Again, Lucy’s marriage with the Laird of Bucklaw, under force, does not bring them contentment. Rather, Lucy stabs her husband where she finds a chance. The Master of Ravenswood is killed in a duel by Henry, Sir William Ashton's son. This is how everything comes to meet an end -- a gruesome end.

Finally, this novel is a tragedy of Fate. Unlike Shakespeare's Tragedies, it is not a tragedy of character. It is all chance, that plays a predominant part in this tragedy. The Master's falling in love with Lucy at the 'Mermaiden's Fountain' is but a stabbing the Laird of Bucklaw, though the latter is chance. Lucy's slaying her husband, is but a chance, for it is never a calculated action on her part. She does not even think about it; she has rather no capacity to think anything. The hero and the heroine are but unknowing tools in the hands of Fate or chance. And we remain passive spectators. Perhaps the tragic end of the two lovers is pre-destined and nothing could change it.

All said and done, we must conclude that the main governing theme of the novel is the theme of love. It is never over-shadowed by any other theme. It makes the novel a single and complete whole. When the main theme meets the tragic end, it is a tragedy full and comprehensive.

I mean, it's a classic for a reason. A haunting story of the young Scots Master of Ravenswood, whose father lost all his lands and gold, leaving the Master to live frugally and alone in a crumbling castle. He saves the life of Lucy Ashton, whose family now own the Ravenswood lands, and from that moment the two families are locked in a battle of love and revenge. Walter Scott really liked to chuck everything in to a story: there's witchcraft from three Shakespearean hags, superstition in the folk tale of the Bride of Lammermoor, romance between Lucy and the Master, action as the Master is challenged to duel with just about everyone, and comedy with the doggedly devoted Ravenswood servant Caleb, who concocts wild tales of imaginary servants and treasure, rather than admit that the family is impoverished.

Poor Lucy is beset by her family, notably her own mother, who tries everything to force the end of Lucy and the Master's engagement, even subjecting her to apparent hypnotism by one of the local witches. But it does not end well...

Loved it.

"La maledicencia, que siempre persigue al mérito con zancadas proporcionadas al avance de éste." 14

"Así terminó Dick Tinto; lamentable prueba de la gran verdad de que en el arte no se tolera la mediocridad y que quien no pueda subir hasta el último escalón hará bien en no poner el pie en la escalera." 19

"Pero la mayoría de la gente, inclinada a calumniar a los poderosos cuando están ausente, así como a lisonjearlos cuando presentes, sostenía una opinión menos caritativa." 26

"Es muy distinto cuando la soberanía ha sido delegada en el jefe de un partido, a quien un líder contrario va pisando los talones en la carrera de la ambición. Tan breve y precario disfrute del poder ha ha de emplearse en recompensar a los partidarios, extender su influencia y aplastar a los adversarios." 28

"El juez que empleaba su autoridad para apoyar a un amigo en un proceso y en otro para hundir a un enemigo, y cuyas sentencias se basaban en motivos familiares o conexiones políticas, no podía ser inaccesible a la bolsa de los pudientes, la cual, según se decía, caía con demasiada frecuencia en la balanza para que el litigante pobre perdiera. Los funcionarios subordinados mostraban pocos escrúpulos ante el soborno. Se enviaban valiosísimos regalos y sacos de dinero para influenciar la conducta del Consejo real y ni siquiera se tenía la decencia de ocultarlo. En una época semejante no era demasiado calumnioso suponer que un hombre experto en leyes, y miembro de un poderos partido triunfante, pudiera encontrar y usar los medios de vencer a un adversario menos hábil y peor situado." 28

"...yo supe machacar el hierro mientras estaba al rojo vivo." 68

"Una palabra significa más para el sabio que un sermón para el necio." 90

"...la buena disposición de ésta para encontrarlo todo bien..." 124

"...poseía la notable habilidad de dar la impresión de estar hablando sin reserva alguna, cuando en verdad nunca pronunciaba una palabra que lo comprometiera." 124

"Cuando sus ojos se encontraron, ambos se ruborizaron intensamente, como reflejo de la emoción que los invadía, y evitaron volver a unir sus miradas." 138

"También por esto verás que la mujer domina a todos los hombres." 151

"La necesidad es una maestra severa, pero excelente, y si una ha perdido la vista, ha de informarse por otros medios." 161

"En una balanza cuyos dos platillos estén cargados por igual, basta el peso de una pluma para inclinar uno de ellos." 168

"Gustaba de la ostentosa exhibición de su riqueza, como persona no acostumbrada a ella." 177

"...la alabanza nos resulta agradable aunque proceda de labios de un loco; y la censura, tanto como el elogio, nos afecta por baja opinión que tengamos de quien la emite." 220

"...utilizando las circunstancias más privadas de la vida de los contrarios para convertirlas en materia de discusión política." 256

"¿Qué puede importar el estuche cuando los diamantes han desaparecido?" 262

"Poco puede ya ocurrir en este mundo que me alegre o me apene." 265

I enjoyed this book quite a lot, but its defects, as Wikipedia suggests, have been obvious since its publication. The premise is essentially Scott's take on Romeo & Juliet, so of course the opposition is between a doomed, Romantic Jacobite and an ascendent, vulgar Whig. Edgar Ravenswood is the last of a noble line brought to a state of indigence by the legal chicanery of Sir William Ashton, whose family now occupies the former's ancestral seat. A chance encounter reconciles the two foes and love begins to blossom between Ravenswood and Sir William's daughter, Lucy.

That being said, it's not really a book to read for the plot. If the comedic interludes involving Caleb Balderstone, as well as various other forms of digressive padding, were removed, the book would probably lose half of its length. At one point I thought I had unknowingly bought an abridged version of the text, because I couldn't understand how so little could be happening over so long a period. I am perhaps in that minority who actually enjoys Scott's digressiveness, but clearly it should have been better balanced with the actual stuff of the plot.

The other problem is that while we're on safe ground with Caleb Balderstone, it's less clear if we are expected to laugh at scenes occurring in the main storyline. For example, the timid Sir Ashton has invited a certain Jacobite nobleman to his house in order to discuss a potential political alliance while his domineering wife is in England visiting friends. To his horror, the wife returns early, arriving at precisely the same point as the Marquis, both approaching from separate roads which converge at the head of the driveway. It is hard not to read a moment such as this as comic, though it is by no means clear that Scott intended it to be so. There is, on top of that, all the Gothic silliness that one might expect, somewhat undercut by Scott's own hesitating attitude towards it. (It is always hedged by comments such as 'for in those superstitious days in Scotland...' etc).

For all that, this was a fun read. Scott's prose is a pleasure to read, even when he is being slapdash about it. There is also a wonderful glossary at the back, filled with the old dialect words Scott gives to his rustics. Did you know, for instance, that gravanimous means 'serious, grave'? Or that an 'elbo-jiggers' is a fiddler? It's also fun to notice similarities between Scots and Swedish. E.g. to cry in Swedish is 'gråta', while in Scots it is 'greet.'