Mottoes in the Waverley Novels

Mottoes in the Waverley Novels

THE CHAPTER MOTTOES IN THE WAVERLEY NOVELS

Format: The first column gives the continuous chapter number and the volume.chapter number. In the case of Quentin Durward and Saint Ronan’s Well the chapter title is given, with an indication in square brackets of its appearance using the symbols as in the final column, listed below.

The second column gives the author, and the ᴇᴇᴡɴ page number.

The third column gives the reference to the work, with the speaker in a play, and an indication of the context where this might be helpful. If the motto reproduces the original accurately this is indicated by ‘√’. Where there is variation the original reading is given between |bars|. There is also an indication as to the appearance of the motto in the manuscript or proofs and other pertinent information.

The fourth column provides a very brief note of the main relationship between the motto and the chapter, or occasionally indicates that no relationship has been discerned. In many cases this note could be substantially expanded, even into an essay. For examples of helpfully extended notes one may consult Fiona Robertson’s edition of The Bride of Lammermoor in the World’s Classics series and Tony Inglis’s edition of The Heart of Mid-Lothian in Penguin.

The final column uses a set of symbols to indicate at a glance where the motto first appears:

r                    The motto appears in the main text on the recto

v                   The motto is inserted on the facing verso, either on its own or as part of a longer insertion

mg                 The motto is inserted in the margin of the recto

pf                  The motto is inserted by Scott in a surviving proof

pf                  The motto is conjectured to have been inserted in a proof which does not survive

pp                 The motto is present in the proof print but not the manuscript

0                   The manuscript is missing and there are no extant proofs

00                 The chapter does not have a motto in the first edition

*                   Draws attention to an unusual feature included in the third column

This listing (which is not designed to be sortable) has been compiled by Dr J. H. Alexander, Honorary Reader in English at the University of Aberdeen. It may be freely used, with or without acknowledgment.

Readers are invited to send corrections, or suggestions for enhancing the material in the fourth column, to send a note to one of the directors of the Walter Scott Research Centre, a.lumsden@abdn.ac.uk or david.hewitt@abdn.ac.uk.