Sir Walter Scott's Worldview

There are two kinds of people in the world – dog people and cat people. Anyone who says they are neither are either lying, or they’re cat people and are too ashamed to admit it. Just as one can tell a whole lot about a person by the said person’s dog, one can also tell a lot about an author by the book he writes. One such book that reflects the author’s beliefs is Ivanhoe. In this book, written by Sir Walter Scott, Scott’s worldview can be seen as playing a part in shaping the course of the story. There are few mentions of religion in Ivanhoe. Those few include mention of Jews, Catholics, and the Crusades ( in which many different religious denominations took place in). Scott starts off chapter eleven by describing a "Cistercian monk" with a "sly epicurean twinkle [ in his eyes] which indicates the cautious voluptuary" (34). While Scott's use of English is old and wordy, one can infer from this phrase that the monk was in no ways as

Brian Bois-Guilbert arrives at Cedric's home with his company. Cedric tells the servant girl that whether or not Rowena comes to dine with the men is her choice, to which the girl responds "But it will be her especial pleasure... for she is ever desirous to hear the latest news from Palestine" (Scott 53). Cedric is not pleased with this response. After the girl leaves Cedric begins angrily ranting about the Crusades saying "how many ears are turned to the tales which dissolute crusaders or hypocritical pilgrims bring.... millions [shape] the cross on their shoulder, [rushing] into excess and blood-guiltiness and [call] it an accomplishment of the will of God" (Scott 54). If Cedric's rant reflects even a small percentage of Scott's opinion of the Crusades, then it is safe to say that Scott in no way condoned the mass murder that occurred during the battles in