Line #55 Literature/Waverley


1	[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scott_waverley.png]]
2	Creator/WalterScott's first novel, which is often considered to be the first work of HistoricalFiction. The novel followed the title character, the young English gentleman Edward Waverley, as he falls in with a group of Scottish rebels during the 1745 Jacobite Uprising.
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4	This novel lent its name to Walter Scott's entire oeuvre as the "Waverley novels", since he wrote them anonymously, and every one between this and 1827 was credited to "The Author Of ''Waverley''".
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6	The main railway station in Edinburgh (not far from the Scott Monument) is named after it, quite possibly the only instance of a railway station being named after a novel.
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8	----
9	!!This novel provides examples of:
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11	* AFatherToHisMen: Fergus' last request to Waverley is that he take care of his clan. Waverley at the end has enough money from his father's will to do so.
12	* AllThereInTheManual: Copious notes are given, often interesting in themselves.
13	* AuthorFilibuster: There are several places where the story is put on pause and Scott departs on a lecture about a tangential point.
14	* TheBeautifulElite: Everyone in this book is described as improbably physically attractive. Even the daughter of a cattle thief, who is living in the woods, wakes up with perfect hair and ''sparkling white teeth''.
15	* BadassBookworm: Waverley
16	* TheBard: Flora
17	* BraveScot
18	* BettyAndVeronica: Flora and Rose.
19	* [[UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}} Bonnie Scotland]]: The TropeMaker.
20	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Scot does this several times "my dear reader", not least when talking about "Our Hero".
21	* BrilliantButLazy: The title character is a great bookworm but only with books that interest him. When he actually has to work at learning he is less sure.
22	* CharacterTitle
23	* TheChessmaster: Fergus.
24	* CivilWar
25	* ClarkesThirdLaw: The Scots mistake technology (specifically a pocket-watch) for live animals.
26	* ClearMyName: Waverley is accused of instigating defection in the British regiment he is in. All the Whig characters are relieved that nothing of the kind happened and that he didn't join the Jacobites until resigning his commission so his [[HonorBeforeReason honor]] is intact. Waverley could still theoretically be executed for treason and several of his friends are. But that is just for picking the wrong side in a CivilWar, not being an [[TheOathbreaker oathbreaker]] so there is NothingPersonal.
27	* CostumePorn
28	* CultureEqualsCostume: ''All'' of the Highland Scottish characters wear tartan ''at all times''.
29	* CultureClash: Surprisingly averted, in spite of a language ''and'' culture barrier between the main character and most of the people he interacts with.
30	* DeadGuyOnDisplay: [[spoiler:Fergus and Evan]]
31	* TheDulcineaEffect: Waverley does this with Flora [=MacIvor=], although he is volunteering for a cause and not fighting for her specifically.
32	** Flora later feels guilty over the effect of her personality wondering if her urgings had ended up as the cause of her brother's death.
33	** Talbot Lampshades this saying to Waverley effectively, [[LoveMakesYouStupid "Aha, I knew there was a girl in there somewhere."]]
34	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Charles Stuart. Though given many writings of the period, this may be [[TruthInTelevision fairly accurate]]. Also the main character, who is positively gushed over by other characters and the third person narrator at every opportunity.
35	* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Flora, who is described as being more beautiful than the other absurdly attractive women. Also, other women, including Rose, appear to have [[LesYay serious girl crushes]] on her.
36	* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Fergus and Evan]]
37	* [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade Geneological Hero Upgrade]]: Lampshaded when Waverley wonders how he will look in the family history after enough time.
38	* GoodVersusGood: It is a CivilWar and there are good people on both sides. Even both monarchs are capable of being generous and compassionate. That does not make them all [[GoodIsNotNice nice]] or make war [[WarIsHell pleasant]].
39	* GratuitousLatin: Bradwardine speaks a large portion of his dialogue in Latin.
40	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Charles Edward Stuart
41	* ItsAllAboutMe: Or it's all about my family at least. [[WriterOnBoard The author writes in his notes]] that Charles had something of a weakness for ingratitude to his followers, based more on his training in ideology of Divine Right then personal inclination.
42	* IOweYouMyLife: Talbot to Waverley after Waverley first beats him down in a melee and then intervenes to ward off the highlander that is about to strike a finishing blow.
43	* IWillFindYou: Waverley goes seeking Rose at the last chapters.
44	* GentlemanSnarker: Talbot, who repeats the Presbyterian wisecrack that as Charles is making such effort to get an earthly crown he wishes him a heavenly one.
45	* GoingNative: Waverley, with the Scots. [[spoiler:However, he changes his mind and returns to England.]]
46	* GratuitousForeignLanguage: Done with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language Scots]] and Scottish Gaelic; however, Scott had some technical difficulties with the latter (errors made more unfortunate by attempts to [[ShownTheirWork be scholarly about it]]).
47	* IdiotBall: Waverley frequently has it
48	* JustLikeRobinHood: Donald Lean
49	* KangarooCourt: Subverted. No one suggests that Fergus' trial isn't as fair as can be expected under the circumstances, even Fergus, although everyone knows the outcome. Talbot points out that Fergus may be an admirable person in many ways but he was clearly not a silly boy like Waverley. While Fergus defies the judges by pointing out that if the judges don't execute him they have to execute themselves as either he is a rebel or they are.
50	* LaResistance: The Jacobites
51	* [[LockedAwayInAMonastery Locked Away In A Nunnery]]: Flora ends up doing this.
52	* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Waverley has no idea that Donald Lean has been writing to his superior officers for him.
53	* LoveMakesYouStupid: Waverley.
54	* LovedINotHonorMore: Lampshaded. Flora rejects Waverley's advance telling him that she cannot make him a good wife because she is to busy being a good Jacobite.
55	* MightyWhitey: The English in general, though averted with the title character.
56	** Well they did kinda [[JustifiedTrope win]] you know.
57	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Waverley first feels this when the Jacobites march through his father's estate and later when he meets his own former regiment in battle. Flora feels this when Fergus is sentenced to death and she feels responsible for prodding him into revolt with her own Jacobite fanaticism.
58	** [[ShownTheirWork According to notes]] Charles(who was certainly not NewMeat at the time of the revolt) couldn't bring himself to [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating take pleasure]] in his victory at Preston, because he considered the dead English to be [[CivilWar his Father's subjects.]]
59	* NewMeat : the title character. In the beginning even Rose has seen more of warfare then him.
60	* NobleSavage: the Scottish rebels. Played painfully straight.
61	** Sometimes subverted. Many of the rebels are rustlers, or racketeers. Some are political schemers and some poor folk armed with nothing but TorchesAndPitchforks. And they often quarrel over precedance in a manner contrary to the interests of their cause. Even Fergus and Flora are to some degree Frenchified, making them less "pure" example's of savages.
62	** Inverted with Talbot, who is portrayed as more noble than his Scottish captors by dint of being "civilized"
63	* OpposingCombatPhilosophies: Highlighted at Preston.
64	* ThePardon: Talbot begs this from King George for Waverley effectively arguing, "He's just a silly boy and besides he did it for a girl".
65	* PinballProtagonist: Waverley
66	* PlanetOfHats: the Scots
67	* PleaseSpareHimMyLiege: Talbot to King George for Waverley. In a downplayed version, Waverley to Prince Charlie for Talbot(Charles has no intention of executing him but has to be convinced to let him go see his family).
68	* PoliticalOvercorrectness: In-verse Charles is referred to as "the Chevaliar" whenever Whigs and Jacobites converse to avoid calling him either prince or pretender. The narrator does that too as a meta example.
69	* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Fergus
70	* SceneryPorn
71	* TheRustler: The highlanders raiding the estate of Rose's father.
72	* TruceZone: The hall of Rose's father is a place where Whigs and Jacobites are forbidden to argue. Rose's father toasts "the king" and leaves it to his guests to decide which king they are toasting.
73	* TurnInYourBadge: Talbot threatens this to King George himself when he first refuses a pardon for Waverley.
74	* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: In the notes, a story is told of a real Jacobite who saved the life of a defeated Hanoverian. In return the Hanoverian begged his life, in much the same way.
75	* WarIsHell: There are honorable men on both sides fighting each other and the whole country is shaken up. As Waverley is seeking Rose, he finds debris all round, and Rose's father's hall is wrecked. After his experience, Waverley admits to Talbot that he has had enough of being a gallant romantic warrior, and that his deepest desire is to be a [[IJustWantToBeNormal nice, boring, husband and father in a nice, boring house.]]
76	* WhatBeautifulEyes: Waverley. The author describes them in detail.
77	* WideEyedIdealist
78	* WorthyOpponent: Talbot

Context Literature / Waverley