Waverley
Usually considered the first `historical novel in English, Waverly is set at the time of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Edward Waverly, a young Englishman--and, like Scott, a romantic who idealizes the noble, rugged Highlanders, is sent to Scotland, where he is caught up in the pretender`s cause. The hero`s journey of self-discovery takes place in a country torn by civil war, as the old order is breaking down. Scott--who thought of himself as a poet--published this first novel anonymously, but it was such a rousing success that he devoted himself to fiction.

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