Some Poems

Scott, Walter, 1771-1832Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 76K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Some Poems by Walter ScottAuthor: Scott, Walter, 1771-1832,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2004

Editor's review

This selection comes from the Scottish writer Walter Scott. Scott is known for his historical novels and long narrative poems; his poetry often draws on the historical legends and folk tales of the Scottish border, with strong rhythms, vivid imagery, and a pronounced Romantic coloring. The pieces collected here are relatively short, making the book a lightweight way into Scott's poetic world; it can also be read alongside his historical novels to observe how his narrative gift plays out in different genres. As a public-domain electronic text, it is convenient for searching and excerpting, but it generally contains no detailed annotations, so readers may need to look up Scottish place names, historical figures, and folk legends. Reading piece by piece is recommended: start with the more narrative works, then the shorter lyric pieces, and note the natural imagery and border atmosphere that recur throughout.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Scottish literature and Romantic poetry
Novel readers who want an initial look at Scott's poetry
English majors and readers who need public-domain British poetry texts for course reading
Lovers of short narrative poems on historical and legendary themes

Not a good fit for

Readers familiar only with modern free verse who are unused to rhymed verse
Readers hoping to read Scott's major long narrative poems
Beginners unwilling to look up Scottish history and place names

Reading tips

Read piece by piece, two or three at a time, starting with the more narrative works and then the shorter lyric pieces.
Note the descriptions of natural scenery and border atmosphere to appreciate the Romantic pictorial quality.
Look up brief information on Scottish place names or historical figures as you go; don't dig too deep, or you'll break the reading rhythm.
Read alongside passages from Scott's historical novels to observe the same author's narrative technique across genres.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book contain Scott's long poems?

From the title and the available information, this is a selection of some of Scott's poems, and the pieces included are relatively short; they are not his major long narrative poems. For a systematic reading of Scott's long poems, you will need a more comprehensive edition.

Can I read it without knowing Scottish history?

You can, but your understanding will suffer. Scott's poetry often draws on the historical legends and folk tales of the Scottish border and contains many references to places and figures. Readers can use brief background material for support, grasping the overall situation and emotion first without researching every point.

Does this ebook have annotations?

As a public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, the text is designed mainly for searching and excerpting and usually contains no detailed scholarly annotations. When you meet unfamiliar place names, allusions, or dialect, you will need to look them up yourself.

Is it suitable for learning English poetic meter?

It can serve as supplementary material. Scott's poetry has strong rhythms and regular rhymes, good for sensing the basic cadence of English verse; but this is not a meter textbook and lacks systematic explanation, so it is best used alongside an introductory guide to English prosody.

Comments

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About the author

Scott, Walter, 1771-1832 Author

Walter Scott (Scott, Walter, 1771-1832) was a British writer known for his historical novels and narrative poetry. The library holds 94 of his works, including the representative Ivanhoe and Waverley Or ‘Tis Sixty Years Since — Complete, as well as The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 2. His historical novels often draw on the history of Scotland and England, weaving real historical events into the fates of fictional characters, with unhurried plotting and vivid characterization; they exercised a profound influence on the development of the European historical novel. Ivanhoe, set in medieval England, is among his most widely read works. Publicly available information on his nationality, dates of birth and death, and other biographical details is limited, so no speculation is offered here.