Sir Walter Scott, Prominent Novelist
An 1821 portrait of Sir Walter Scott by Henry Raeburn. Scott became famous for his novels (Ivanhoe, The Betrothed, etc.) and is credited with founding the genre of historical fiction.
Lyon wrote of seeing Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) in Edinburgh on Tuesday the 24th of January, 1826. He writes, “Went to the court. Had a sight of the great unknown Sir Walter Scott, but whose countenance [ ] not the least sunshine of intellect” (Lyon 4). Lyon goes on to read The Betrothed, a novel by Scott, in early February of that same year, less than a month later, although whether he finishes it is unknown.
To say that Scott was popular would be an understatement.
His books, especially Ivanhoe, were well-read and appealed to the “common man.” Scott could be (and often is) credited with founding the genre of historical fiction. Even so, Scott did not publically declare his authorship of the lauded Waverley Novels—over two-dozen in all and considered by some to be his finest work—until 1827. This was the year following Lyon’s sighting of him.
When Lyon sees Scott in Edinburgh, he sees him in court. At the time, Scott was going through the process of bankruptcy. This came a year after Scotland’s—and Scott’s—financial crash of 1825, decimating banks and businesses alike. Scott lived outside his means, lost money on the purchase and upgrades of houses, was liable in the bankruptcy of two businesses where he served as partner, and was open-handed with friends in need, lending money that he could not afford to part with. Scott vowed to pay off his deep debt by writing (Anderson xxviii). This he did, ultimately working himself into the grave (Sir Walter Scott).
Title page of the first edition of Sir Walter Scott's published journals.
While the pages of Scott’s journals are filled with reflections on the state of his finances, as well as his determination to write his way out of debt, Scott records his days with precision and consistency. He and Lyon write in their diaries on the same day, at opposite ends of knowing one another. Scott writes of the experience in court in Edinburgh on January 24, 1826, saying:
"I went to the Court for the first time to-day and like the man with the large nose thought everybody was thinking of me and my mishaps. Many were undoubtedly and all rather regrettingly, some obviously affected. It is singular to see [the] difference of men’s manner whilst they strive to be kind or civil in their way of addressing me. Some smiled as they wished me good day as if to say ‘Think nothing about it my lad; it is quite out of our thoughts—’ Others greeted me with affected gravity which one sees and despises at a funeral. The best-bred, all I believe meaning equally well, just shook hands and went on." (Scott 67-68)
These are proceedings which Lyon—fresh from his own financial turbulence—must have watched. Was he one of the best-bred sort of fellows, nodding politely and moving on to his own quiet thoughts? Or did he address Scott with polite contempt? Either way, Lyon’s remarks about Scott are fears echoed in Scott’s own diary entry. Scott, whose financial woes were perhaps a serendipitous foreshadowing of Lyon’s later troubles, knew he was being measured.
Abbotsford in Scotland, formerly the home of Sir Walter Scott.
The question then becomes, why did Lyon go to the court that day? Was it to see Scott? If so, does that explain why everyone Scott identifies as a spectator to his experience is there? This suggests a culture of celebrity that permits strangers to be publicly privy to otherwise private affairs.
Scott was a known and celebrated figure at the time, an important and successful Scottish writer. Even his home, Abbotsford, seen to the left, attracted tourism (Boyce). Privacy was, perhaps, hard to come by, although Scott did not seem overly keen on being alone. Years later, on March 18, 1829, Scott writes “Solitude is only agreeable when the power of having society is removed to a short space and can be commanded at pleasure. It is not good for man to be alone. It blunts our faculties and freezes our active virtues” (Scott 535). Regardless of Scott’s sentiments on his treatment as a celebrated figure, his home became a tourist trail destination along with the homes of other celebrities like Byron and the Brontës. This practice is reflective of the pastime of visiting and touring aristocratic estates, a common occurrence, especially when traveling.
CONSIDER: How would you feel if you ran into one of your favorite writers or artists in public? Would you write about meeting them in a diary, journal, blog, or on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter? Would you try to meet them, shake their hand? Could Lyon's diary entry on Scott fit into 140 characters?