Overview

A bestselling author in his own time and long after, Sir Walter Scott was not only a writer of thrilling tales of romance and adventure but also an insightful historical thinker and literary craftsman. Over the last two decades, scholars have come to see him as an important figure in Romantic-period literature, Scottish literature and the development of the historical novel. Walter Scott and Contemporary Theory builds on this renewed appreciation of Scott's importance by viewing his most significant novels - from Waverley and Rob Royto Ivanhoe,Redgauntlet, and beyond - through the lens of contemporary critical theory. By juxtaposing pairings of Scott's early and later novels with major contemporary theoretical concepts and the work of such thinkers as Alain Badiou, Judith Butler, Jacques Derrida and Slavoj Žižek, this book uses theory to illuminate the complexities of Scott's fictions, while simultaneously using Scott's fictions to explain and explore the state of contemporary theory.

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9781441120229

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Reviews

Far from being overwhelmed by contemporary theory, Scott's novels are restored to something like their original strength and freshness in Evan Gottlieb's sparkling account. He treats them not just as theory's objects but as powerful theoretical works in their own right, addressing urgent questions of identity, history, power, and what it means to be human with a critical sophistication at least equal to the most adventurous current thinking. -- Ian Duncan, Department Of English, University Of California, Berkeley, USA 20121221 Energetically aligning nineteenth-century novels and today's theorists, Gottlieb achieves unexpected readings of Scott and suggests intriguing applications for current theory. -- Caroline McCracken-Flesher, Department Of English, University Of Wyoming, USA 20121221 In Walter Scott and Contemporary Theory Gottlieb adopts the possibilities offered by an array of theoretical approaches to explore the surprising contemporaneity and richness of Scott's fiction. In turn he also examines the potential of these theoretical positions by setting them against the issues inherent in historical fiction. The result is a study that both expands our understanding of Scott and asks us to reconsider what contemporary theory may offer us more generally as readers. -- Alison Lumsden, Chair In English, University Of Aberdeen, UK 20121221

The book succeeds in providing accessible introductions to a range of theorists and fiction ... Among its high points is an insightful analysis of three great but little known short stories: 'The Highland Mother', 'The Two Drovers' and 'The Surgeon's Daughter' ... Informative and engagingly well-written. -- Andrew Lincoln, Queen Mary University of London, UK Scottish Literary Studies In Walter Scott and Contemporary Theory Evan Gottlieb makes a very persuasive case for the suitability of Scott's novels as texts to be read, productively and flexibly, through various theoretical perspectives ... [He] provides a wide theoretical framework throughout. The Year's Work in English Studies At the outset, Gottlieb states that his aim is to provide readers with a 'greater understanding of the complexities and pleasures of both the Waverley Novels and contemporary theory'. Thanks to the persuasive arguments presented in this study, and the sheer energy and enthusiasm that Gottlieb brings to his subject matter, this goal must be easily realised. Not only does Gottlieb have something genuinely new to offer both Scott scholars and contemporary theorists, his palpable enthusiasm for his subject makes this study a joy to engage with. -- Ainsley McIntosh, University of Aberdeen, UK The BARS Review Far from being overwhelmed by contemporary theory, Scott's novels are restored to something like their original strength and freshness in Evan Gottlieb's sparkling account. He treats them not just as theory's objects but as powerful theoretical works in their own right, addressing urgent questions of identity, history, power, and what it means to be human with a critical sophistication at least equal to the most adventurous current thinking. -- Ian Duncan, Department of English, University of California, Berkeley, USA Energetically aligning nineteenth-century novels and today's theorists, Gottlieb achieves unexpected readings of Scott and suggests intriguing applications for current theory. -- Caroline McCracken-Flesher, Department of English, University of Wyoming, USA In Walter Scott and Contemporary Theory Gottlieb adopts the possibilities offered by an array of theoretical approaches to explore the surprising contemporaneity and richness of Scott's fiction. In turn he also examines the potential of these theoretical positions by setting them against the issues inherent in historical fiction. The result is a study that both expands our understanding of Scott and asks us to reconsider what contemporary theory may offer us more generally as readers. -- Alison Lumsden, Chair in English, University of Aberdeen, UK

Author Information

Evan Gottlieb is Associate Professor of English at Oregon State University, USA.

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