The Scottish Chiefs

Description

“The Scottish Chiefs” was published in 1809 and it is an epic story based on the legend of Sir William Wallace and his patriotic crusade, in the 14th century, to deliver the Scottish people from the English. With this novel, Jane Porter became a precursor to the historical romances of Walter Scott and made a valuable contribution to women’s literature. Besides patriotism, masculinity, civic duty, heroism and gender warfare, the author also presents the role played by women in the history of national identity, as national heroines or temptresses, fully capable of showing spirited initiative and resourcefulness.

The historical accuracy is quite low, but the book was written to be a romance, not a historic document. Jane Porter creates some really exquisite descriptions throughout the book that bring sheer enjoyment to the readers who allow themselves to get swept away in the story. Besides descriptions, the excitement is brought by the heroic deeds and the overall tragedy, the battles and the emotions.

William Wallace is presented as manly, handsome, virtuous, faithful, motivated by the power of his grief after the brutal death of his wife, fully loyal to his country and able to make very rousing speeches. We do not know if the real William Wallace used to speak like this, but if he did, no wonder that his people were so willing to follow him. He may seem old-fashioned today, but he was crayoned exactly as real heroes used to be in the days when the book was so popular.

The other characters are somehow painted only in black and white; the allies of Wallace and Scotland are the good guys, while the others are the bad guys. There is no real challenge to discover some shades of gray in between.

All in all, the book is certainly a good read, and the story had the power to influence many people.
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