The Antiquary

Description

The significant components of the novel written both by Sir Walter Scott and Andrew Lang, is insolvency, false identity, and illegitimacy. The setting took place during the period of the French Revolution, the main character Edie Ochiltree, endeavors to have a good reputation and proposes to his beloved in spite of his unsure lineage. He became friends with the antiquary, Jonathan Oldbuck, who refers to Ochiltree as a supporter to his scholastic studies and a fatal acquaintance in his own discouragement. Will Ochiltree’s heroism and courage finally earn him the fortunes of being virtuous?

Edie Ochiltree has once been a soldier, ballad-singer, traveling meddler, and now a legit beggar of the loyal class known as the Blue-gowns of beadsmen, who follows a standard routine around the Scottish hometown of Fairport. The author based Edie’s character on a real beggar in his younger days, whose name was, Andrew Gemmels. The original beggar was a young boy in Kebo, where Scott often encounters. Gemmels came from the church of old Cummock in Ayrshire, and he was similar with Ochiltree, a veteran army who scuffled at the battle of Fontenoy. Scott described the beggar in his introductory part of the novel as a remarkably fine old man, very tall, in good shape and maintaining a military profile. He possesses great wit and expresses sarcasm mostly.”

Andrew Gemmels’ humor made him feel good everywhere he goes. He advanced better than the other beggars and died at the age of 105. He left a small inheritance to his nephew.

Edie’s great admiration and creativity of the old songs and customs also repeats Jonathan’s more scholarly antiquarian anecdote. They both have high regard and preference for each other, they solve each of their problems and concludes the novel delightfully. They are described as clumsy and perfectionists.
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