Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on Scott's pervasive use of intertextual allusions. It explores the resources available to Scott when composing his novels, notably but by no means exclusively his splendid library at Abbotsford with its remarkable collection of often rare historical books. The book establishes the textural context by considering the salient points of his narrative style. It examines his characteristic ways of handling an abundance of literary allusions and quotations, and considers the most remarkable of his intertextual devices. Scott often plays on coded speech used by characters to include or exclude hearers belonging or not belonging to their particular sociocultural circle. The characteristic style of the Author of Waverley, not least in its fondness for seeing things in terms of images and its constant allusion to literary texts, is virtually indistinguishable from that frequently found in Scott's voluminous letters.