The Reinvention of Scottishness in Walter Scott's Waverley and its Legacy

Sir Walter Scott played a pivotal role during the nineteenth century. The literary critic George Lukacs esteemed him as the pioneer of the modern notion of the historical novel genre. Scott's Waverley Novels have exerted a significant impact on several other writers and have been instrumental in shaping the imagination of his readers, not only in Great Britain but also beyond its borders. His works have been fundamental in the enhancement and reorientation of Scottish national identity, which had undergone a significant weakening following the Union between Scotland and England in 1707, as well as the aftermath of the Jacobite uprising of 1746. However, despite the noted prominence of this writer, a significant decline in his popularity occurred throughout the twentieth century. This decay culminated in a notable lack of recognition not only from scholarly critics but also from the general reading public. The focal area of interest delineated in this thesis centers upon the novel "Waverley", the first of the author's historical novels and the one achieving outstanding success. The principal aim of this dissertation is to undertake a comprehensive examination of the methods employed by Scott to reshape and give value to Scottish identity by challenging the unfavorable preconceptions of the period. This objective is pursued through an analytical assessment of his characters and his way of portraying the Scottish landscape. Moreover, an additional aim is to investigate the underlying factors contributing to the author's decline, as well as his more recent rehabilitation. Efforts are undertaken to hypothesise potential methods of interpretation whereby his works are deemed pertinent in a contemporary context. Ultimately, the analysis of Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" serves as a contemporary exemplification of the pervasive impact of Scott's literary heritage nowadays. Research observations reveal that Walter Scott played an integral role in Scotland and the reinvention of the concept of Scottishness. These findings bring to light that this author deserves renewed recognition owing to the continued pertinence and significance of his legacy.