Waverley · Chapter
Waverley explained
The opening chapter of 'Waverley' introduces the eponymous hero, Edward Waverley, a young man of romantic temperament and desultory education, caught between the influences of his Jacobite uncle Sir Everard and his Hanoverian father Richard
What happens
The opening chapter of 'Waverley' introduces the eponymous hero, Edward Waverley, a young man of romantic temperament and desultory education, caught between the influences of his Jacobite uncle Sir Everard and his Hanoverian father Richard. The narrative establishes the historical backdrop of 1745 and sets the stage for Waverley's journey into the Scottish Highlands, where he will encounter conflicting loyalties and the allure of a vanishing world.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Self-Development
Edward's desultory education and romantic reading habits leave him ill-equipped for practical life, highlighting the theme of self-development through experience.
Identity and Belonging
Edward is torn between the Jacobite loyalties of his uncle and the Hanoverian allegiance of his father, foreshadowing his struggle to define his own identity.
Characters to notice
- Edward Waverley
Introduced as the protagonist, a romantic and impressionable young man whose education and upbringing have left him ill-prepared for the realities of the world.
- Sir Everard Waverley
Edward's uncle, a Jacobite sympathizer whose influence and stories of chivalry shape Edward's romantic ideals.
- Richard Waverley
Edward's father, a pragmatic Hanoverian politician whose ambitions contrast with his brother's Jacobite leanings.
- Aunt Rachel
Sir Everard's sister, a gentle and affectionate presence in Edward's early life.
- Mr. Pembroke
Edward's tutor, a learned but impractical clergyman who contributes to Edward's desultory education.
Key passages
“Waverley Or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since Part I”
The novel is set sixty years before its publication, looking back at the Jacobite rising of 1745.
The subtitle establishes the historical distance and the novel's retrospective perspective.