The Lady of the Lake
by Walter Scott
In a stormy spirit, Scott wrote The Lady of the Lake, and her extraordinary success lived up to expectations. Speaking of the poem, Scott says, "The ancient etiquette, habits and traditions of the Aboriginal race that lived in the highlands of Scotland always seemed to me to be adapted in a way that was unique to the poem. The change in etiquette also occurred almost in my time, or at least from the elderly I learned a lot of details about the former state of the highlands until the last generation. I also read a lot, saw a lot, and heard more about the romantic country, which I have a habit of spending every fall; and the landscape of Loch Catherine was associated with the memories of many dear friends and married discoveries of the old days. This poem, so beautiful between scenes and so deeply etched in my memory, was a work of love; and it was no less to remember the introduced etiquette and events. The fact that James IV, and especially James V, walked the kingdom in disguise, often tradition gave me a hint of an opportunity that would never cease to be interesting when ruled by the slightest address or dexterity. "
