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Tales of My Landlord #4 part 2

Castle Dangerous

walter scott

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The story is set in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire around 1306, shortly after the death of William Wallace during the Wars of Scottish Independence. From Scott's introduction: "The incidents on which the ensuing Novel mainly turns, are derived from the ancient Metrical Chronicle of The Bruce, by Archdeacon Barbour, and from the History of the Houses of Douglas and Angus, by David Hume of Godscroft; and are sustained by the immemorial tradition of the western parts of Scotland. They are so much in consonance with the spirit and manners of the troubled age to which they are referred, that I can see no reason for doubting their being founded in fact; the names, indeed, of numberless localities in the vicinity of Douglas Castle, appear to attest, beyond suspicion, many even of the smallest circumstances embraced in the story of Godscroft."

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1832
Series
Tales of My Landlord
Places
douglas castle lanarkshire scotland, douglas lanarkshire scotland, lanarkshire scotland, ayrshire scotland, 

This edition

Format
264 pages, Paperback
Published
September 1, 2006 by Aegypan
ISBN
9781598189582
ASIN
1598189581
Language
English
Characters More characters

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About the author

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walter scott

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet FRSE FSAScot, was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.

As an advocate, judge, and legal administrator by profession, he combined writing and editing with his daily work as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire. He was prominent in Edinburgh's Tory establishment, active in the Highland Society, long time a president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820–1832), and a vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1827–1829). His knowledge of history and literary facility equipped him to establish the historical novel genre as an exemplar of European Romanticism. He became a baronet of Abbotsford in the County of Roxburgh.

Scott's work shows the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment. He thought of every individual as basically human, regardless of class, religion, politics, or ancestry. A major theme of his work is toleration. His novels express the need for social progress that does not reject the traditions of the past.

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 15 votes)
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15 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
LocalAutist
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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L' action du château périlleux ( ou château dangereux, selon les éditions) se déroule pendant la première guerre d'indépendance écossaise , au début du XIV e siècle. le château en question est celui de Douglas, au Sud de l'Ecosse : quand le roman débute, il est tenu par une garnison anglaise fidèle au roi anglais Édouard Ier, tandis que James Douglas, écossais partisan de Robert Bruce futur roi d'Ecosse, tente de reprendre son château et ses terres.

Voilà le contexte du roman, qui restitue donc le climat de ces années qui ont vu les Écossais se battre pour « bouter les Anglais » hors d'Ecosse et regagner leur indépendance. le récit est vu côté anglais et , dans ce paysage de landes brumeuses et de ruines, Walter Scott fait évoluer quelques personnages bien typés : de jeunes chevaliers pleins de vaillance, des fiers patriotes écossais, un vieil archer donneur de leçons, un abbé de monastère un peu sot, une soeur borgne et défigurée...Et puis il y a Bertram, ménestrel anglais, qui fait route vers le fameux château en compagnie de son « fils » Augustin , dont on apprend dès les premières pages que c'est une jeune fille déguisée . Si l'on sait assez vite qui elle est, il va falloir attendre les 3/4 du roman pour comprendre ce qu'elle fait là et pour que l'action s'accélère un peu..
S'il y a des descriptions intéressantes et une certaine ambiance, j'ai trouvé ce roman de chevalerie bien long et pas vraiment palpitant. Il m'a permis de revoir un peu l'histoire de l'Ecosse et des rivalités entre « croix de St André et croix de St Georges » et les codes de la chevalerie mais bon...

Les dernières pages sont toutefois surprenantes et assez émouvantes :

« Le bienveillant lecteur sait que ces contes sont, suivant toute probabilité , les derniers que l'auteur aura à soumettre au public. Il est maintenant à la veille de visiter des pays étrangers. Un vaisseau de guerre a été désigné par son royal maître pour conduire l'auteur de Waverley dans des climats où il recouvrira peut-être une santé qui lui permettra d'achever ensuite le fil de sa vie [•••] ; il peut lui être permis d'espérer que les facultés de son esprit, telles qu'elles sont, peuvent avoir une date différente de celles de son corps; et qu'il peut encore se présenter devant ses brillans amis, sinon exactement dans son ancien genre de littérature, du moins dans quelque branche qui ne donnera point lieu à la remarque que « Le vieillard trop long-temps est resté sur la scène »
Abbetsford, septembre 1831.
Walter Scott meurt en effet l'année suivante.
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
pekosikos
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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It's been one of my ambitions to read all of Sir Walter Scott's novels and with my finishing of this, his final book, I've now done so. It comes after I made a trip to Abbotsford late last year to visit his wonderful home by the Tweed, now preserved as a museum to his memory.

About Castle Dangerous, I was surprised after getting to Chapter 20 to see the book end, as the novels usually run to about double that length.

Nevertheless, I found the book an enjoyable read, set in the time of Robert the Bruce, William Wallace and Edward I, it contains the usual Scott themes of chivalry, courage and romance with that usual touch of mystery, bordering on the supernatural for added measure.

I don't detect much difference in style harking back all the way to "Waverley" but the man was such a good story-teller on every one of his books, I can easily forgive his lack of progression.

The closing lines to "Castle Dangerous" have a valedictory feel to them, written by a man who knew his race was nearly run. Although admittedly hard to read at times, overall I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to the end of my literary journey through his books.
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
Nahnime
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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*Castle Dangerous* was the last novel Sir Walter Scott wrote. It was published in 1831 when Scott was age 60. Set in the first decade of the fourteenth century, the story is set against the background of the Scottish Wars of Independence in the years following the death of England's King Edward I, known as the "Hammer of the Scots." Edward had taken Douglas Castle, the seat of the clan Douglas, and had established an English garrison there. The fictional governor of the castle is the Englishman Sir John de Walton, and the plot revolves around the promise of Lady Augusta of Berkely to marry the man who could hold the castle for England for a year and a day. Realizing the dangers surrounding Sir John, Augusta disguises herself as the son of a wandering minstrel and sets out to examine the situation, but traveling incognito in such times and circumstances, she and the minstrel both fall under suspicion as being spies. Scott has tried in this novel to have no real villain, showing both the English and the Scots as heroic people acting in their own national interests but bearing no personal venom toward the enemy. The tension in the play, therefore, results from suspicions and misunderstandings between the various characters. In some respects, the story bears similarities to Shakespeare's plays of disguise, but it lacks the complexities of most of Scott's novels. As a "swan song," however, it offers a pleasant reading experience.
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Nocturnia
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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First paragraph: cursory summary; second, critical judgment.

A kind of weird Waverly novel, set at the time of Robert Bruce and his battle for Scottish independence from the England of Edward I (Edward Longshanks). Ostensibly a love story, it tells the tale of Lady Augusta, a fair maiden who has pledged to marry any English knight who can keep and hold the landmark of the title for a year. She has in mind John de Walton, a knight who is in possession of the castle at the beginning of the story, assisted by his lieutenant, the newly knighted Aymer de Valance. The latter allows a traveling minstrel to stay at the castle, thus occasioning a serious rift between the two English knights. Meanwhile, the minstrel's 'son', Augustine, is boarded at a nearby monastery, where English monks and nuns reside. In reality, Augustine is Augusta, come to see if de Walton is making good on his pledge. Sir James Douglas, who feels the castle, which once was held by his father, is in fact his, is a supporter of Bruce.

Eventually, it comes down to a climatic sword fight between Douglas and de Walton, which is inconclusive. Word arrives that Bruce's forces defeated those of the Earl of Pembroke at the Battle of Loudon Hill, thus implying that the looked for support from English reinforcements upon which de Walton had counted would not be coming. In fact, Pembroke orders de Walton to surrender the castle to Douglas. At this point, the latter passes the hand of Augusta to his recent foe, and despite his not having held the castle, the lovers are united.

Only about 300pp. in length, and only having about 20 pp. of the actual sword fight, the novel is more one of temperament than of action, particularly in the long drawn out hostility over nothing, (at least as far as it seemed to me) engaged in for more than half the novel by Valance and Walton. A nice subplot of a disfigured nun who had not yet taken her final vows, her tragic story love lost and eventual re-uniting with her long-lost lover can't really save one from wondering what Scott thought he was trying to do with this novel. A focusing on the ideal attributes of character of the good knight might be a possible lietmotif, but even this is relatively undeveloped with the rather peremptory actions of its principal characters.

Definitely a three-starrer
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
TheRealGIN
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Douglas Castle had long been the home of an ancient Scottish family of that same name. During the insurgency of Robert the Bruce the English sacked it, toom it, and turned it into a vital outpost in the Lowlands, albeit one they struggled to keep hold of.

The evicted proprietor, Sir James Douglas, had sworn allegiance to Bruce and become an outlaw on his former grounds, hiding in the thick forests and launching successful raids. The latest English knight to attempt to defend the castle is Sir John de Walton.

Surrounded by rebellious locals on all sides, the defenders of Castle Douglas unnecessarily quarrel amongst themselves, as de Walton and his principle knight, Sir Aymer de Valence, contrive an enmity towards each other from little cause:

'The mother of mischief, says a Scottish proverb, is no bigger than a midge's wing.'

Headed for the castle are a traveling minstrel and an English lady disguised as a sick boy. They clearly have an interest in the fortunes of Castle Douglas, but when questioned their answers are cryptic and unconvincing.

A short and final edition to the Waverley novels of Walter Scott, Castle Dangerous features many of the best elements of the series - the historical backdrop, characters in disguise, chapters headed by appropriate verse quotations - but it lacks for some too.

The colourful Scotch vernacular which enlivened the speech of many of the low born characters in the previous books is entirely lacking here, despite some suitable support players. The plot also hinges on pretty weak material.

But its brevity and an excellent climax on Palm Sunday just about save the day, with Scott, conscious of his advanced years and ailing health, addressing the reader directly at the end to officially sign off as an author.
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Haruki-
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I devoured all Scott's novels as a teenager, but later, after getting 'an education' I had a much more ambivalent reaction to them. Part of me said that this one was very bad, but it is a beautiful piece of romantic escapism. (Not as good as Kenilworth though.)
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
RMB2
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This is the last novel Sir Walter Scott wrote. It is set in 1306 shortly after Wallace was executed Robert the Bruce is fighting Edward the 1st and Castle Douglas is a strategic asset. During the Wars of Scottish Independence, the castle was captured by the English several times and retaken by Sir James "The Good" Douglas.

Sir John de Walton governs the castle and garrison with his second in command Sir Aymer de Valence. Lady Augusta de Berkely has promised her hand and fortune to Sir John de Walton, on condition that he holds the castle for a year and a day.

Here’s where it’s a bit disjointed she disguised as a boy with her minstrel Bertram secretly travel to the castle. For apparently the sole purpose to shorten the period of the promise and to see her fiancée who she has never seen. She ends up in a convent, escapes, taken by Douglas and in between the minstrel is taken to Castle Douglas and interrogated by Sir John for what purpose he is there. All a bit confusing. A possible ghost knight, threats of torture and a very long sword battle with the chivalry knight code playing a key role.

Still an interesting story and although based on a true story the ending substantially differs.
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Vaaaaa95
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Set in 1306 the Castle is actually Castle Douglas. Sir John de Walton has agreed to defend this castle of one year against Robert the Bruce and Sir James Douglas, known as the Black Douglas. Romance,intrigue, adventure and Scott's brand of characters round out this novel to a satisfying ending.
This was Sir Walter Scott last novel.
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