Originally published in 1890, The Journal of Sir Walter Scott spans seven eventful years of the author’s life where he attempts to reclaim his good standing. It’s a revealing look at the highs and lows of one of the greatest novelists of all-time.The Journal of Sir Walter Scott starts in 1825 when the author is 54 years old. It recounts a seven-year stretch of financial strain caused by failed business ventures and defaulted loans. Scott details his struggle to maintain his dignity, while losing his status and possessions. He recounts personal traumas linked to the death of his wife in 1826, as well as his own declining health. It is a riveting exploration of the author’s final years. The Journal of Sir Walter Scott is considered a masterpiece of candid writing. Scott bares his soul as he navigates several unexpected obstacles. In the midst of his anguish, he maintains a sincerity that makes for a refreshing and reflexive read. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Journal of Sir Walter Scott is both modern and readable.

This is a comprehensive collection devoted to the work of Sir Walter Scott, drawing on the innovative research and scholarship which have revitalised the study of the whole range of his exceptionally diverse writing in recent years.

Harry Shaw’s aim is to promote a fuller understanding of nineteenth-century historical fiction by revealing its formal possibilities and limitations. His wide-ranging book establishes a typology of the ways in which history was used in prose fiction during the nineteenth century, examining major works by Sir Walter Scott—the first modern historical novelist—and by Balzac, Hugo, Anatole France, Eliot, Thackeray, Dickens, and Tolstoy.

THE EXISTENTIAL DREAD OF MAKING (OR NOT MAKING) ART TAKES CENTER STAGE IN THIS TRENCHANT SATIRE OF MFA CULTURE Wendy is an aspiring contemporary artist whose adventures have taken her to galleries, art openings, and parties in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Toronto. In Wendy, Master of Art, Walter Scott’s sly wit and social commentary zero in on MFA culture as our hero decides to hunker down and complete a master of fine arts at the University of Hell in small-town Ontario. Finally Wendy has space to refine her artistic practice, but in this calm, all of her unresolved insecurities and fears explode at full volume—usually while hungover. What is the post-Jungian object as symbol? Will she ever understand her course reading—or herself? What if she’s just not smart enough? As she develops as an artist and a person, Wendy also finds herself in a teaching position, mentoring a perpetually sobbing grade-grubbing undergrad. Scott’s incisively funny take on art school pretensions isn’t the only focus. Wendy, Master of Art explores the politics of open relationships and polyamoury, performative activism, the precarity of a life in the arts, as well as the complexities of gender identity, sex work, drug use, and more. At its heart, this is a book about the give and take of community - about someone learning how to navigate empathy and boundaries, and to respect herself. It is deeply funny and endlessly relatable as it shows Wendy growing up from Millennial art party girl to successful artist, friend, teacher—and Master of Art.