Edgar, the brooding young master of Ravenswood, retains none of his
ancestral estates but a crumbling castle. Embittered by the lawsuits
that have stripped him of his patrimony and shortened his despairing
father's life, he determines to confront Sir William Ashton, the lawyer
whose machinations led to the decline of Ravenswood's fortunes. But
Edgar's plans take an abrupt turn upon meeting Sir William's lovely
daughter, Lucy, and a romance blossoms against the tumultuous backdrop
of the two warring families.
Sir Walter Scott's immensely popular Waverly novels enthralled readers
with their dashing mix of historical fiction, romance, and revenge. This
installment, originally published in 1819, takes place in the early
1700s amid Scotland's Lammermuir Hills. Edgar and Lucy's troubled
relationship -- beset by social, political, and religious barriers --
reflects Scotland's struggles in the early 18th century, as the country
and its citizens were torn asunder by the Jacobite rebellions. Scott's
treatment of the lovers' inexorable destiny unfolds in a gothic
atmosphere, punctuated by supernatural elements and symbolic imagery.
The inspiration for Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor, this novel
remains a compelling example of its author's ability to transmute the
effects of historical change into literary art.
