study material for literature students

1. FICTION-KENILWORTH
BY SIR WALTER SCOTT
MRS. S. ANNIE CUTIE
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2. Objectives
To introduce the learners
to historical novel as a
literary form
To enable the learner to
comprehend, analyse and
appreciate English
historical novels.
To motivate students to
read Kenilworth by
Walter Scott
To enable the students to
appreciate Kenilworth

3. Expected outcome
Students would define a
historical novel
Students were able to list the
characteristics of a historical
novel
Would have gained the
background information
about the novel and the
author
Would have gained knowledge
to appreciate, comprehend
and analyse the novel
Cultivate an interest to read
more historical novels

4. Historical Novel
• A novel set in a period of history and attempts to convey
the spirit, manners and social conditions of a past age
• May deal with actual historical personages, or a mixture
of fictional and historical characters
• Focus on a single historical event
• Attempts to portray a border view of a past society in
which great events are reflected by their impact on the
private lives of fictional individuals
• Became popular with Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley

5. Characteristics of Great Historical fiction
• must exhibit a high level of writing
• Setting is a slice from history
• Events and characters appropriate to historical timeline
• Fictional characters merge with history-seems real
• Plot intertwined with real and fictitious events yet seamless
• At the end of the novel the reader may want more of the story
• During and after reading the reader does research on actual
historical facts out of curiosity

6. Sir Walter Scott
[1771-1832]
• Sottish poet, historical
novelist & playwright
As a Novelist
• Started writing after
gaining popularity as a
poet
• Wrote on Scottish, British
& Irish histories from
11th to 16th centuries
• Known for his Waverley
novels

7. Works (Novels):-
• Waverley (1814)
• Guy Mannering (1815)
• The Antiquary (1816)
• The Black Dwarf (Tales of My Landlord, First Series) (1816)
• The Tale of Old Mortality (Tales of My Landlord, First Series) (1816)
• Rob Roy (1817)
• The Heart of Midlothian (Tales of My Landlord, Second Series) (1818)
• The Bride of Lammermoor (Tales of My Landlord, Third Series) (1819)
• A Legend of Montrose (Tales of My Landlord, Third Series) (1819)
• Ivanhoe (1819)
• The Monastery (1820)
• The Abbot (1820)
• Kenilworth (1821)
• The Pirate (1821)
• The Fortunes of Nigel (1822)
• Peveril of the Peak (1823)
• Quentin Durward (1823)
• Saint Ronan's Well (1823)
• Redgauntlet (1824)
• The Betrothed (Tales of the Crusaders) (1825)
• The Talisman (Tales of the Crusaders) (1825)
• Woodstock (1826)
• Chronicles of the Canongate, First Series (1827)
• The Fair Maid of Perth (Chronicles of the Canongate, Second Series) (1828)
• Anne of Geierstein (1829)
• Count Robert of Paris (Tales of My Landlord, Fourth Series) (1831)
• Castle Dangerous (Tales of My Landlord, Fourth Series) (1831)

8. • Published in 1821 as 3
volumes
• 13th of the Waverley novels
• Wrote about Queen of Scotts
in The Abbott so wanted to
wrote about Queen Elizabeth
in Kenilworth
• Cumnor Hall was the original
title suggested by the
publisher Constable
• His source of inspiration for
the novel is the poem
“Cumnor Hall” by William
Julius Mickel

9. Title - Kenilworth
• It refers to Dudley’s Kenilworth
Castle in Kenilworth,
Warwickshire
• It is the seat of power and
fortress to the English
• Built in 1122, it has been
altered, extended and
strengthened at various times
by Henry II, John of Gaunt and
Robert Dudley
• It has the record of sustaining
the longest siege during the
Wars of Roses
• It was partially demolished
during the Civil War
• It is now the largest castle ruin
in England
Pinrest.nz

10. Johnsmilitaryhistory.com

11. Setting
• Set in 1575 Elizabethan
England
• The novel opens at
Cumnor place, near
Abingdon in Berkshire
(now Oxfordshire) and
moves on to
Kenilworth Castle and
the Royal Palace in
London
wikipedia

12. Plot
• Centres on the secret
marriage of Robert Dudley,
Earl of Leicester and Amy
Robsart
• Amy betrothed to Tressilian,
loves Dudley and flees her
father.
• Even though Dudley loves
her, courting the favour of
Queen Elizabeth I, keeps the
marriage a secret
• The queen discovers the truth
• But its too late because Amy
is murdered by the earl’s
ambitious steward Varney

13. Theme
• Selfishness vs Selflessness
• Ambition vs love
• 13 day reception of the Earl to Queen Elizabeth to win her heart
• The queen’s noble justice

14. Characterisation
• Finest characterisation
1. Ambition driven Earl, stoops
to deceit to attain goals- but
loves Amy and finally gives
up pride and ambition and
confesses his marriage
2. Amy pretty, spoiled - her
tragic situation teaches her
maturity and determination -
but too late
3. Tressilian - serious, and
steadfast in love who finally
dies of heart break
4. Varney- greedy and ambitious
with no bounds-pushes the
Earl beyond limits to secure
power -murdering Amy
Robsart

15. Style
• Great story teller in 3rd person
narrative -but jumps to 1st person
when he wants to explain
something important
• Disjointed flashbacks - picks a
thread of story to a logical point
and goes back to pick another,
thus weaving a colourful pattern
• Leaves structural clues all along
• Starts each chapter with a
reference quotes from a poem
relating to the events in the
chapter
• Has some historical inaccuracies
for the sake of the plot-time of
Amy’s death, secrecy of Dudley’s
marriage, Shakespeare in court,
etc.

16. The race of mankind would perish
did they cease to aid each other.
We cannot exist without mutual
help. All therefore that need aid
have a right to ask it from their
fellow-men; and no one who has
the power of granting can refuse it
without guilt.
- Walter Scott