Article #471-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Bride of Lammermoor, by Walter Scott

The author, on a former occasion, declined giving the real source from
which he drew the tragic subject of this history, because, though
occurring at a distant period, it might possibly be unpleasing to the
feelings of the descendants of the parties. But as he finds an account
of the circumstances given in the Notes to Law’s Memorials, by his
ingenious friend, Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq., and also indicated
in his reprint of the Rev. Mr. Symson’s poems appended to the Large
Description of Galloway, as the original of the Bride of Lammermoor,
the author feels himself now at liberty to tell the tale as he had it
from connexions of his own, who lived very near the period, and were
closely related to the family of the bride.

It is well known that the family of Dalrymple, which has produced,
within the space of two centuries, as many men of talent, civil and
military, and of literary, political, and professional eminence, as any
house in Scotland, first rose into distinction in the person of James
Dalrymple, one of the most eminent lawyers that ever lived, though the
labours of his powerful mind were unhappily exercised on a subject so
limited as Scottish jurisprudence, on which he has composed an
admirable work.

He married Margaret, daughter to Ross of Balneel, with whom he obtained
a considerable estate. She was an able, politic, and high-minded woman,
so successful in what she undertook, that the vulgar, no way partial to
her husband or her family, imputed her success to necromancy. According
to the popular belief, this Dame Margaret purchased the temporal
prosperity of her family from the Master whom she served under a
singular condition, which is thus narrated by the historian of her
grandson, the great Earl of Stair: “She lived to a great age, and at
her death desired that she might not be put under ground, but that her
coffin should stand upright on one end of it, promising that while she
remained in that situation the Dalrymples should continue to flourish.
What was the old lady’s motive for the request, or whether she really
made such a promise, I shall not take upon me to determine; but it’s
certain her coffin stands upright in the isle of the church of
Kirklistown, the burial-place belonging to the family.” The talents of
this accomplished race were sufficient to have accounted for the
dignities which many members of the family attained, without any
supernatural assistance. But their extraordinary prosperity was
attended by some equally singular family misfortunes, of which that
which befell their eldest daughter was at once unaccountable and
melancholy.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott**

1. Context of the Excerpt

This passage is the prefatory note to Walter Scott’s 1819 historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor, the third installment in his Tales of My Landlord series. The novel is a tragic romance set in late 17th-century Scotland, loosely based on a real-life scandal involving the Dalrymple family. Scott, a master of historical fiction, often drew from Scottish folklore, legal history, and family legends to craft his narratives.

The excerpt serves as a frame narrative, where Scott justifies his use of a real historical incident while distancing himself from potential offense to the descendants of those involved. He cites prior publications (Law’s Memorials, Symson’s poems) as evidence that the story is already in the public domain, allowing him to proceed with his version—one derived from oral family traditions passed down through his own connections.

2. Summary of the Excerpt

Scott begins by explaining why he initially withheld the true source of his story: to avoid offending living descendants of the families involved. However, now that the tale has been documented in other works (notably by Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe), he feels liberated to tell it as he heard it from relatives closely tied to the bride’s family.

He then introduces the Dalrymple family, a powerful and intellectually distinguished Scottish clan whose rise to prominence began with James Dalrymple, a brilliant lawyer. Dalrymple married Margaret Ross of Balneel, a woman of ambition, political cunning, and rumored occult ties. Folklore suggests she made a Faustian bargain—trading her family’s prosperity for an eerie postmortem condition: that her coffin remain upright in the family church, ensuring the Dalrymples’ continued success.

While Scott rationalizes the family’s achievements as the result of natural talent, he acknowledges their uncanny misfortunes, particularly the tragic fate of their eldest daughter—the titular "Bride of Lammermoor." Her story, he hints, is both inexplicable and sorrowful, setting the tone for the novel’s gothic and fatalistic themes.

3. Key Themes in the Excerpt

A. Fate vs. Free Will

The Dalrymples’ success is supernaturally tinged—Margaret Ross’s alleged pact suggests their prosperity is predestined but cursed.
The upright coffin symbolizes defiance of natural order, reinforcing the idea that their fate is sealed by forces beyond human control.
The "unaccountable and melancholy" misfortune of the daughter foreshadows the novel’s tragic inevitability.

B. Superstition and Rationalism

Scott contrasts the rational (the Dalrymples’ legal and political brilliance) with the supernatural (Margaret’s rumored necromancy).
The upright coffin is presented as folklore, yet its existence in the church ("it’s certain her coffin stands upright") blurs the line between myth and reality.
This duality reflects the Enlightenment-era tension between reason and superstition, a recurring theme in Scott’s work.

C. Family Legacy and Inherited Doom

The Dalrymples’ rise is matched by their fall—their "extraordinary prosperity" is counterbalanced by "singular misfortunes."
The eldest daughter’s tragedy suggests a generational curse, a common Gothic trope where past sins haunt descendants.
The bride’s fate (later revealed in the novel to involve madness and death) becomes a symbol of inherited suffering.

D. Historical vs. Literary Truth

Scott plays with authenticity, presenting his story as part history, part legend.
By citing real sources (Law’s Memorials, Symson’s poems) while also relying on oral tradition, he blurs the line between fact and fiction, a hallmark of his historical novels.

4. Literary Devices & Stylistic Features

A. Frame Narrative & Authorial Intrusion

Scott directly addresses the reader, explaining his sources and motivations—a technique that creates verisimilitude (the appearance of truth).
The preface-style introduction was common in 19th-century novels (e.g., Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights), grounding fantastical tales in pseudo-historical context.

B. Gothic & Supernatural Imagery

Margaret Ross’s necromancy and the upright coffin evoke Gothic horror, suggesting unnatural forces at work.
The coffin’s physical defiance of burial norms mirrors the family’s defiance of natural moral order.
The vague, ominous phrasing ("unaccountable and melancholy") builds dread before the main narrative even begins.

C. Irony & Understatement

Scott downplays the supernatural: "The talents of this accomplished race were sufficient to have accounted for the dignities which many members of the family attained, without any supernatural assistance."
- This is dramatic irony—the reader knows the family’s fate is anything but natural.
The matter-of-fact tone when describing the coffin ("it’s certain her coffin stands upright") makes the supernatural seem ordinary, heightening the eerie effect.

D. Foreshadowing

The bride’s "unaccountable and melancholy" fate is hinted at but not revealed, creating suspense.
The upright coffin symbolizes unstable foundations—both literally (a coffin that won’t lie flat) and metaphorically (a family whose success is built on a cursed bargain).

5. Significance of the Excerpt

A. Sets the Novel’s Tone

The passage establishes The Bride of Lammermoor as a tragic, supernatural-tinged romance, blending history, folklore, and Gothic elements.
The doomed atmosphere prepares the reader for a story of love, madness, and fatalism.

B. Reflects Scott’s Historical Method

Scott mythologizes real history, a technique that defined Romantic-era historical fiction.
By weaving fact and legend, he explores how stories shape national and family identity.

C. Explores Scottish Cultural Identity

The Dalrymples represent Scotland’s legal and aristocratic elite, but their story is also one of superstition and ancestral guilt.
The upright coffin can be read as a metaphor for Scotland’s uneasy relationship with its past—both proud and haunted.

D. Influences Later Gothic & Historical Fiction

The cursed family trope (seen later in Rebecca, The Fall of the House of Usher) owes much to Scott’s blending of genealogy and horror.
The unreliable narration (is Margaret’s pact real, or just folklore?) influences modern psychological and historical novels.

6. Connection to the Full Novel

The excerpt foreshadows the novel’s central tragedy:

The "Bride" is Lucy Ashton, the Dalrymples’ eldest daughter, who is forced into a loveless marriage with the Master of Ravenswood’s enemy.
Her descent into madness and death fulfills the "melancholy" fate hinted at here.
The feud between the Ashtons (Dalrymples) and Ravenswoods mirrors the cursed prosperity—wealth and power come at the cost of personal happiness and moral integrity.

The upright coffin becomes a symbol of the family’s hubris—their refusal to "lie down" (accept humility) leads to their downfall.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

This passage is more than just a preface—it is a microcosm of Scott’s genius. By layering history, superstition, and literary artifice, he:

Hooks the reader with mystery and dread.
Establishes themes of fate, inheritance, and the supernatural.
Blurs reality and fiction, making the story feel both legendary and true.

The Bride of Lammermoor is not just a tragic love story; it is a meditation on how the past—whether through bloodlines, curses, or historical forces—shapes the present. The excerpt’s chilling ambiguity ensures that the reader approaches the novel with a sense of inevitable doom, a hallmark of Scott’s most enduring works.

Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s decision to disclose the tragic history of the Dalrymples is primarily framed as an act of:

A. scholarly rigor, prioritising historical accuracy over familial sensitivity.
B. narrative opportunism, exploiting a scandalous tale for literary sensation.
C. cultural preservation, ensuring a fading oral tradition is immortalised in print.
D. contingent liberation, justified only by the prior public dissemination of the story.
E. moral obligation, rectifying a long-standing injustice through full disclosure.

Question 2

The description of Margaret Ross’s alleged necromancy serves chiefly to:

A. undermine the Dalrymples’ legitimate achievements by attributing them to occult intervention.
B. illustrate the credulity of the "vulgar" classes in contrast to the enlightened narrator.
C. introduce a motif of preternatural agency that complicates the family’s rational self-image.
D. satirise the Scottish legal profession’s reliance on superstition rather than jurisprudence.
E. foreshadow the bride’s madness as a hereditary consequence of Margaret’s pact.

Question 3

The upright coffin functions most significantly as a:

A. Gothic prop, designed to evoke visceral horror in the reader.
B. historical artefact, corroborating the veracity of the family legend.
C. symbol of Margaret’s defiance of ecclesiastical authority.
D. metaphor for the Dalrymples’ social ascent through unorthodox means.
E. narrative crux, embodying the tension between human agency and predestined doom.

Question 4

The phrase "the talents of this accomplished race were sufficient to have accounted for the dignities which many members of the family attained, without any supernatural assistance" is best described as:

A. a concession to sceptical readers who reject folkloric explanations.
B. an ironic understatement that underscores the family’s hubris.
C. a deliberate ambiguity that neither confirms nor denies the supernatural.
D. a transition pivoting from myth to the empirical focus of the novel.
E. a rebuttal of Sharpe’s earlier account, which overemphasised the occult.

Question 5

The "unaccountable and melancholy" misfortune of the eldest daughter is presented as:

A. a cautionary tale about the dangers of female ambition in a patriarchal society.
B. an anomaly that disrupts the otherwise logical trajectory of the family’s prosperity.
C. the inevitable manifestation of a curse that transcends generational boundaries.
D. a tragic consequence of the Dalrymples’ political machinations.
E. a narrative device to heighten suspense before the novel’s central romance.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The narrator explicitly states that his reticence was due to potential offense to descendants, but "as he finds an account of the circumstances given in the Notes to Law’s Memorials... the author feels himself now at liberty to tell the tale." This framing positions the disclosure as contingent on prior publication—a liberation granted by external circumstances rather than an independent choice. The emphasis is on permissibility ("now at liberty") derived from the story’s pre-existing public domain status.