The second of Tales of the Crusaders, The Talisman is set in Palestine during the Third Crusade (1189 - 92). Scott constructs a story of chivalric action, apparently adopting a medieval romance view of the similarities in the values of both sides. But disguise is the leading theme of the tale: it is not just that characters frequently wear clothing that conceals their identity, but that professions and cultures hide their true nature. In this novel the Christian leaders are divided by a factious criminality, and are contrasted to the magnanimity and decisiveness of Saladin, the leader of the Moslem armies. In a period when the west was fascinated with the exotic east, Scott represents the Moslem other as more humane than the Christian west. The Talisman is one of Scott's great novels. It is a superb tale. It is also a bold departure as, for the first time, Scott explores not cultural conflict within a country or society but in the opposition of two world religions.

About the Author
J. B. Ellis is a retired lecturer in English Literature, the University of Edinburgh. J. H. Alexander is Reader Emeritus in English at the University of Aberdeen. P. D. Garside is Professor of Bibliography and Textual Studies, University of Edinburgh and editor of James Hogg's A Queer Book and Walter Scott's Guy Mannering and Waverley. David Hewitt was Regius Chalmers Professor of English Literature at the University of Aberdeen and is Editor-in-chief of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley Novels.


Book Information
ISBN 9780748605828
Author Sir Walter Scott
Format Hardback
Page Count 448
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press