Waverley · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Waverley by Walter Scott.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
Walter Scott dedicates his collected works of fiction to King George, expressing humble gratitude for the royal permission to do so, and noting that the stories have provided amusement and relief to readers, thereby contributing to the happiness of the people.
Chapter 2
Editor's Introduction to Waverley
The editor discusses the composition and reception of Waverley, noting Scott's deliberate slow start, his autobiographical reflections on education, and the contrast between English and Scottish settings. The chapter explores Scott's creative process, the novel's historical context, and its enduring appeal through character, humor, and poetry.
Chapter 3
Preface to the Third Edition
The author addresses the public's favorable reception of the novel, acknowledges speculation about his identity, and defends his portrayal of Highlanders against accusations of unfairness, citing historical examples and a poem to illustrate the complexities of the 1745 uprising.
Chapter 4
Epigraph
The epigraph quotes Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II, posing a question of political allegiance that foreshadows the novel's central conflict between loyalty to the Hanoverian king and the Jacobite cause.
Chapter 5
Waverley
The opening chapter of 'Waverley' introduces the eponymous hero, Edward Waverley, a young man of romantic temperament and desultory education, caught between the influences of his Jacobite uncle Sir Everard and his Hanoverian father Richard. The narrative establishes the historical backdrop of 1745 and sets the stage for Waverley's journey into the Scottish Highlands, where he will encounter conflicting loyalties and the allure of a vanishing world.

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Dedication

Editor's Introduction to Waverley

Preface to the Third Edition

Epigraph

Waverley