The Relationship between Scott and Narrator in Rob Roy

YI XIN-Hua

【Abstract】Based on the postcolonial theory， this thesis focuses on a close examination of the relationship between Francis the narrator of Rob Roy and Scott the author.This thesis hopes to provide readers and researchers with a new perspective to Rob Roy and reevaluate Scotts attitude towards England and Scotland.

【Key words】Walter Scott； Rob Roy； postcolonialism

1.Narrator as Scotts Speaker

In this article， the present author tries to prove that Francis， the narrator in Rob Roy， represents the attitude of Scott， the author.This argument will be supported in two ways： first， it will be shown that Scott deliberately establishes the narrator Francis authority； then， the narrators and the authors attitudes toward England and Scotland will be compared to reveal their striking resemblance.

1.1 Establishment of narrators authority

The present author finds Scotts establishment of the narrator Francis authority in two ways： careful choices of narrator and narratee.

In the writing of Rob Roy， Scott abolished the omniscient narrator he had previously favored， but used a first-person narrator.Unlike other historical narration， the historical context and significance of events are not told before the story.Without the privileged historical understanding， readers can only follow Francis in his adventure； Francis is entitled to legitimize his narration.Hence， Scott manipulates readers throughout the novel by narrating the events from Francis limited point of view.In other words， readers are totally in the hands of Francis in his narration.Thus the narrators authority is initially founded in the novel.

The narrators background also grants himself some privileges.Despite the thorough bourgeois background of the narrator， at the very beginning of the novel， Francis claims that he has very distant Scottish blood from his ancestor.In his childhood， his Scottish nanny Mabel Rickets “pours herself forth to my infant ear in descriptions of the scenes of her youth， and long narratives of the events which tradition declared to have passed amongst them”[1].As a result， he is very interested in the things in Scotland， as “from early period， they had occupied and interested my imagination”[1].Also as a young man with an inclination towards romance and poetry， Francis keeps at a respectful distance from the world of business， which helps to establish his image as having civic morality instead of commercial-oriented values.Francis rather complex background then apparently sets him in the neutral position between Scotland and England， and may cause readers to accept his voice as fair and unprejudiced and to be ready to consent to his views.

Moreover， in this novel， Scott applies the retrospective narrative method.Usually readers expect to find a clearly defined difference between the young experiencing self and the older recalling self： when the recalling self looks back on his young days， he will usually make different remarks from the experiencing self， or ironize the immaturity of the experiencing self.However， in Rob Roy， readers find continuity between them.The young Francis embodies the benevolent ideology of commerce that it will help the Scotland develop： he claims that the unification of Scotland and England will help Glasgow become a glamourous city.The older Francis also asserts that the commerce is an innocent activity： “trade has all the fascination of gambling without its moral guilt”[1].The continuity in their views helps to establish his authority as the narrator throughout the novel.Since Scott puts no other voice in the novel to challenge the narrators authority， to a certain degree， the narrator can be understood as the speaker of Scott.

As for the narrate， in this novel， instead of a public voice addressing an unknown public， the narrator is a voice speaking in private to a trusted friend， as he frequently calls on his “Tresham”， which indicates he can rely on this friends personal interest， sympathy， and perhaps indulgence.A pubic voice addressing an unknown public may arouse readers suspicion of its validity， while a voice speaking to a trusted friend prepares readers to fully accept what he says.Above all， Francis owns the priority to judge and legitimize some of the events he describes.Thus the authority of the narrator is established.

1.2 Correspondence between Scotts and narrators views

Having the same background with the narrator， an enlightened English citizen and Scottish descendant， Scott also shares the same views with the narrator in some aspects： the opinion on Scotland and colonialism.

On the issue of Scotland， Francis projects Scotts ideas.In the previous analysis， it is shown that Francis thinks of the Highlands as a primitive， uncivilized world.In Scotts letter written in 1815 to his friend David Wilkie， who is an artist visiting the Highlands， he writes， “I cannot， nowadays， pretend to point out any good Highland originals， to be rendered immortal on your canvas”[2].He continues the remarks as follows： “Of scenery we can boast but little”[2].

Scott does not acknowledge any good scenery in Scotland； neither does he have a high opinion of the Scottish people.In The Letters of Malachi Malagrowther， Scott talks about his countrymen and acknowledges that “my countrymen have their faults， and I am well aware of them…”[3].In his “Report of the Highland Society upon Ossian， etc.” he also comments on the Highlands as “almost a barbarous corner of Scotland”[4].Recognizing Scottish peoples faults and regarding the Highland as barbarous are also present in Francis narration in Rob Roy.

On colonialism， too， Francis reflects Scotts attitude.Scott uses the same preface in the whole series of Waverley Novels： “I…having traveled through most parts of Scotland， both Highland and Lowland； having been familiar with the elder as well as more modern race”[1].Like Francis， he also describes the Lowlands as the “modern race”， which reveals his approval of the English influence on the Lowlands.Thus his attitude towards his country is reflected in Francis attitude toward the Highlands and Lowlands： Francis treats the Highlands as uncivilized while the Lowlands as the one assuming the civilization.

In Scotts letter to Maria Edgeworth in 1815， he mentioned the change of the Loch of Derry： “I never was so much struck by the effects of verdure and cultivation …in the Loch of Derry with its banks richly fringed with cornfields & trees contrasted with the scenes of solemn and somber desolation which we had witnessed for some weeks before.”[2].“Somber desolation” shows exactly the same view Francis holds when he talks the uncivilized place.Scotts being amazed by the change of “somber desolation” into beautiful scenery reveals his satisfaction with the modernization progress of the Lowlands； such satisfaction is shared by Francis in the novel.

On the basis of the above evidence， it is clear to say that just as Ferguson argues about Waverley， the same is true in the Rob Roy： “ the fact that Scotts sense of historical determinism and his satisfaction with British historical progress…prevent him demonstrating much sympathy with the clansman …”[5].

Therefore， combined with earlier discussion， the correspondence between Scotts and Francis views leads to the conclusion that Francis is the speaker of Scott.

Reference：

[1]Scott， Walter.Rob Roy[M].London： Wordsworth Editions Limited， 1995.

[2]Scott， Walter.The Letters of Walter Scott： 1815-1817[M].Ed.H.J.Grierson.Vol.4.London： Constable & Co.Ltd.， 1937.

[3]Gottlieb， Evan.“To be at once another and the same”： Walter Scott and the End（s） of Sympathetic Britishness[J].Studies in Romanticism， 2004， （43.2）： 170-187.

[4]Scott， Walter.Report of the Highland Society upon Ossian， etc.[J].Edinburgh Review and Critical Journal 12 July 1805： 462.

[5]Ferguson， Stuart.At the Grave of the Gentile Constitution： Walter Scott， Georg Lukacs and Romanticism[J].Studies in Romanticism， 2005， （44.3）： 423-433.

【基金项目】本文系2012年湖南工学院科学研究项目“对《红酋罗伯》的后殖民研究”（项目编号 HY12022）研究成果。

作者简介：易欣华，（1986-），女，湖南湘潭人，讲师，研究方向：英语语言文学。