What one reviewer at amazon said about Ivanhoe:
Wilfred of Ivanhoe is the son of a proud Saxon franklin named Cedric. Wilfred has been banished by his father for taking a liking to Cedric's ward, the Lady Rowena. Cedric has engaged Rowena to Athelstane of Coningsburgh, the last of the royal Saxon lineage. He intends Athelstane and Rowena's marriage to signal the return of Saxon rule to England.
Sir Walter Scott, the author of "Ivanhoe", is considered the father of historical fiction. Scott made his name writing tales of Scottish history like "Rob Roy". "Ivanhoe" was Scott's attempt to write a fictional history of England.
"Ivanhoe" takes place in the late 12th-century reign of Richard I. At this point in England's history there was still much animosity between England's "original" inhabitants, the Saxons, and its "conquerers", the Normans. The Normans spoke French, conducted themselves by the code of chivalry, and looked down upon the Saxons. The Saxons spoke Saxon, conducted themselves much as their ancestors had done, and resented Norman rule.
In "Ivanhoe", Wilfred has not only been cast out by his Saxon father but has taken up allegiance to King Richard during his Crusade in Palestine. As the book opens, Richard is still held captive in foreign lands and is being betrayed by his treacherous brother John. Much of the story of "Ivanhoe" revolves around the intrigue of John against his brother.
Herein lies my greatest problem with this novel. Wilfred is the title character of the book and yet he is not even the story's most important character. What's more, he's not even the story's second or third most important character. It's as if Scott intended this story to be about Wilfred but, as he was writing it, other characters came to the forefront and he didn't want to change the title because it just sounded so Saxon.
There are no great lessons to be learned from "Ivanhoe" except maybe one about the stupidity of prejudice. Throughout the book, the Jew, Isaac of York, and his daughter Rebecca are treated with nothing but contempt and scorn even though they are quite honorable people. Isaac has certainly been borne down with the weight of his oppression and he often seems the stereotypical Jewish merchant. I felt he acted this way though as a means of avoiding persecution. By fitting what the English mind considered to be a Jewish mold, Isaac was able to get along with his changeable hosts. Rebecca though was a much more generous person who almost pays the ultimate price for her kindness.
The lesson about prejudice aside, "Ivanhoe" is supposed to be a story about English history and romance. Scott does an adequate job in instructing his reader on English history but the adventure-romance angle of his book comes up short. There are far too many nicely tied bows and wrapped packages for the story to be truly satisfying. The ending with Athelstane, Wilfred, and Rowena is particularly tedious. I felt that Scott was beginning to tire of his chosen subject and just decided to wrap it up at that point any way he could.
"Ivanhoe" does provide some good page-turning action at times, especially the siege of Front-de-Boeuf's castle. There aren't enough of these periods though for the book to fly by. Scott created better action with the stories he set in Scotland.
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