Masquerade 3

Thirds 

I’ve encountered elements of Sir Walter  Scott three times.

Firstly at the Wallace National Monument in Stirling, secondly at Scott’s View between Melrose and Dryburgh, and finally at Scott’s burial place at Dryburgh Abbey.

Scott’s bust in the Hall of Heroes at the National Monument 

Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh on 15 August 1771. As a child he was raised listening to the stories of the people and histories of the Scottish Borders, a voracious reader he enjoyed historical, romantic, poetical and prose works. Walter also explored his natural environment, developing a lifelong appreciation of the natural beauty of the countryside and its role in the struggles of the Scottish people.

‘Scott’s View’ Lookout overlooking the River Tweed valley

His early life laid the basis for his poems and novels. His best remember poem "The Lady of the Loch" of Ellen Douglas. &While among the favourites of his novels are "Rob Roy", "Ivanhoe" and "The Waverley novels. all heavily influenced by his Scottish heritage.

Sir Walter Scott died at his home Abbotsford near Melrose on 21 September 1832, and was buried with other members of his family in a chapel of Dryburgh Abbey. It was said that as the funeral procession passed his favourite lookout, his horse paused for one final time.

Masquerade 2

 

A second bite.

Dublin and Trinity College are both associated with literature.

It is the home of the Long Room - the grand library with its barrel vaulted ceiling and shelves of historic Irish literature bookended with busts of literary greats. The room has been an inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts, and used as the Jedi Library in Star Wars.

The most famous book at Trinity though is The Book of Kells, the Medieval monastic manuscript of the four gospels. Transcribed on the island of Iona, it was transported to Kells for safety and later gifted to Trinity.

Oliver Goldsmith’s statue in a poppy field beside the main entrance to Trinity College. Oliver was born in Lissoy County Westmeath. He studied at Trinity as did his brother Henry. A writer and poet, he is best known for his novel “The Vicar of Wakefield”.

Always known for its strong musical traditions Ireland has supported many musical forms from folk to rock, and one of her sons Phil Lynott, the lead singer of Thin Lizzy, and the voice of the parson on Jefff Wayne’s musical version of “The War of the Worlds”.

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Our first stop - London, home to many literary references/places, here are just a few.

I still remember the demand for library copies of Alan Sillitoe’s “Loneliness of the long distance runner”, he was born in 1928 and died in 2010 and his headstone is in Highgate East Cemetery.

The headstone of author Alan Sillitoe

 Douglas Adams most famous for the Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy series. People who visit leave pens, plus some ‘42’ references (Deepthought’s answer to the ultimate question) & there was also a towel, now somewhat weathered. 

Highgate is also the resting place of Mary Ann Evan’s, known more famously as George Eliot. She was a female novelist of the Victorian era who wrote “The Mill on the Floss”, “Silas Marner”, “Adam Bede” and more.

Masquerade

While the Bibliophile blog has been in recess for some time, now is an ideal opportunity to bring it out of semi-retirement, masquerading as a literary travel blog.

Hopefully In the next few posts will be some photographs and a small amount of information on locations real & imagined as seen in books and films & tv.

Posts will be authored in the field on a phone - so no levels of sophistication or formatting, and subject to varying or non-existent connectivity.

Stay tuned...