# Introductory explained — Waverley

> Chapter companion for Waverley by Walter Scott.

## What happens

The author explains his choice of setting the story 'Sixty Years Since' (around 1745), deliberately avoiding both antiquated chivalric romance and contemporary fashionable tales. He emphasizes that his focus is on universal human passions rather than mere manners, and justifies his selection of the uncontaminated name 'Waverley' for his hero, while playfully critiquing the clichés of various novel genres.

## Themes in this chapter

### Romanticism vs. Reality

The author contrasts the romanticized expectations of chivalric or Gothic tales with the more realistic portrayal of human passions he intends to present.

### Change and Transition

The choice of an era 'Sixty Years Since' highlights a period of transition between old feudal manners and modern society.

## Character check-ins

### Edward Waverley

Introduced as the hero of the tale, bearing an uncontaminated name.

## Key lines

> It is from the great book of Nature, the same through a thousand editions, whether of black-letter, or wire-wove and hot-pressed, that I have venturously essayed to read a chapter to the public.

The author claims to draw his story from universal human nature, which remains constant across different eras and formats.

_This expresses the author's intent to focus on timeless human passions rather than superficial manners._

> I have, therefore, like a maiden knight with his white shield, assumed for my hero, Waverley, an uncontaminated name, bearing with its sound little of good or evil, excepting what the reader shall hereafter be pleased to affix to it.

The author chose the name Waverley because it lacks preconceived associations, allowing the reader to form their own opinion of the hero.

_This highlights the author's deliberate departure from conventional romantic naming._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/waverley_se/chapters/part-i-i-introductory
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/waverley_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/waverley_se/chapters