Reading 1001 discussion

This Classic tale for young boys stands the test of time and entertains audiences of all ages. It is a book that is fun to read. I found myself at many places thinking of my favorite movie: The Princess Bride. There are no Pirates here -- but the kidnappings, the love from afar, the farcical trial... it adds up to a story full of all the things that a reader could want. The history is not perfect but if you follow the book with a reading of Sparknotes you will get a good feeling for where it goes astray.

This year I am attempting to read more of the Classics, and this book is a rewarding reason to do so. I loved it.

B J Harrison does a good job. His narration is subtle and quiet but he builds the tension appropriately. I did enjoy Simon Prebble's narration of The Remains of the Day more, and think that he may have been a slightly better choice to read this book too.

Read: June 24, 2012 – Finished Reading
Rating: 4 stars
Review: A story of knights and yeoman set in the 1200s is historical fiction but it is also a romance and a political statement. It details the political and cultural hostility between the Saxons and their Norman rulers during the reign of Richard the Lionhearted in the twelfth century. Richard’s brother is trying to usurp the throne. There are historical and imaginary characters that assist The Black Knight in his campaign to return as ruler of England. The story revolves around three confrontations; the tournament at Ashby-de-la-Zouche, the siege of Torquilstone Castle and the rescue of the Jewess Rebecca from Templestowe where she is being tried as a witch. Templestowe is the seat of the Knights Templar, a monastic military order. The story also examines the political, chivalry and romantic practices of old. It pioneered the genre of the historical novel. A main theme for this book is reconciliation which is displayed through Richard, Ivanhoe and even with Rebecca.
I enjoyed this book. It was written to please and it does. Some complaints include the characters are stereotyped. Isaac the Jew is characterized as money hungry, tight fisted individual but Rebecca his daughter is the ideal woman. She is full of courage and virtue. She stays true to her faith. Christianity is not depicted in a favorable light. The Jewish characters are kinder and more charitable than any Christian in the book. Christians did not read the scriptures at this time and still behaved like that pagans they had been. I liked this quote from the book, “I envy thee not they faith, which is ever in thy mouth, but never in thy heart nor in thy practice”. Scott wanted to show he could write about something outside of Scotland and he did. He wanted to please the reader and he does. He wanted to describe what it would take for a united England to occur. It wasn’t meant to be a historical book but a work of fiction based on history. Some say that Rebecca would not have been burned as a witch at this time but the Grand Master could do as he wanted regardless of the law of the land. This is a good book to read for those that like happy endings.

I found Ivanhoe everything I wanted in a classic romantic adventure story and more. The introduction to some of the mythic tales of medieval England during the time of the Crusades, combined with a comparison of Jewish and Christian faith and character in which the Christian's do not fare so well, and lastly the bringing together of two different cultures to make one English people, is amazingly humorous even today. I laughed out loud a number of times and was often chuckling. The characters, from the strong, intelligent and faithful Rebecca, the daughter of a money hungry (and unfortunately stereotypical) Jewish father, to the Jester Wamba, son of Witless, who is clearly more clever, loyal and stout hearted than many of the knights, are really wonderful. Richard is taken to task for not putting his country and his people before his own love of knightly adventures and Ivanhoe is rather the least of the characters in this book titled after him.
Evidently Scott did not adhere to factual historical timelines in that the witch trial and the Norman/Saxon antipathy actually were not of that era. However, he was true to a myth of England in which two cultures combined into one which may have reflected his hope for Scotland. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the "bad guys", the knights following Prince John rather than being loyal to Richard, are full characters with passions and a strong sense of honor and are not one dimensional.
Truly worthy of the term: "classic"

Quote: "Will future ages believe that such stupid bigotry ever existed!" (unfortunately yes, we do believe because it continues to exist)

postscript: I also love "The Princess Bride"

Rating: 4 stars


I don't know why I hadn't got around to reading this book sooner. I found this quite enjoyable and I see how this has inspired so many later books, movies, art, music, etc. I love the rich descriptions of the time period (12th century). Overall, a fun and entertaining book.

Rating: 3 stars

Classic tale follows knight Ivanhoe and many other historical persons from Middle ages, including Richard Lion heart and Robin Hood. It has everything: knights, bravery and beautiful ladies. If I were 30 years younger I might have enjoyed it more.