The Last Minstrel: Sir Walter Scott and the Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders
Exhibit by Posner Center intern Sheila Liming
Spring 2012
Failed as a playwright, and a mediocre legal scholar, Walter Scott was yet determined to succeed. In 1802, he convinced a publisher to publish The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Growing from a planned “slim volume, “ the final book was a three-volume set, containing traditional Scottish folk ballads, war epics, romantic sagas, and new works emulating the diction of Scottish folk balladry. The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border was a hit, and earned Scott wealth and prestige. This exhibit explores the early nineteenth century literary network and Scott’s rise to unprecedented, international literary fame.
Images: National Galleries of Scotland, Posner Memorial Collection