Guy Mannering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Author | Sir Walter Scott |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Language | English, Lowland Scots |
| Series | Waverley Novels |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | |
| Released | 1815 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | Waverley |
| Followed by | The Antiquary |
Guy Mannering or The Astrologer is a novel by Sir Walter Scott, published anonymously in 1815.
According to an introduction that Scott wrote in 1829, he had originally intended to write a story of the supernatural, but changed his mind soon after starting.
The book was a huge success, selling out the day after its first edition [1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Guy Mannering is set in the 1760s to 1780s, mostly in the Galloway area of south west Scotland. It tells the story of Henry Bertram, the son of the Laird of Ellangowan, who is kidnapped at the age of five by smugglers after witnessing the murder of a customs officer. It follows the fortunes and adventures of Henry and his family in subsequent years, and the struggle over the inheritance of Ellangowan. The novel also depicts the lawlessness that existed at the time, when smugglers operated along the coast and thieves frequented the country roads.
The title character, Guy Mannering, is a relatively minor character in the story, a friend of the family who uses his knowledge of astrology to predict Henry's future on the day of his birth.
The book is notable for some of its minor characters. The most important of these is the old gypsy woman Meg Merrilies, who is evicted from the Bertram lands early in the novel. In spite of this she remains loyal to the Bertram family, and much of the plot is dependent on her actions. She was based on an 18th century gypsy queen named Jean Gordon. Dandie Dinmont is a rough but friendly farmer from the Liddesdale hills, who owns a number of terriers - the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is named after him. Dominie Sampson, according to Nuttall, was "a poor, modest, humble scholar, who had won his way through the classics, but fallen to the leeward in the voyage of life". "Dominie" is the Lowland Scots term for a school master.
[edit] Characters
- Laird of Ellangowan
- Harry Bertram, son of Laird of Ellangowan
- Guy Mannering, astrologer
- Meg Merrilies, gypsy woman
- Dandie Dinmont, farmer
- Dominie Sampson, schoolmaster
- Jean Gordon, gypsy queen
[edit] External links
- Dandie Dinmont terrier history, and connection with the book
- page on Guy Mannering
- The Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club
[edit] E-texts
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
