“The Talisman” Historical Novel by Walter Scott Essay
One of the most important subjects raised in “The Talisman” by Walter Scott is the differences between Islam and Christianity and the confrontations between the followers of these two religions in the times of King Richard of England and the Crusades. In the first chapters of “The Talisman,” Walter Scott vividly emphasizes the clash between the Muslim and Christian people, their traditions and beliefs. During the first peaceful interaction between Kenneth the knight and the Muslim emir, both men face notions and behaviors they cannot understand or accept; due to this, both participants of the never ending discussions constantly argue and judge each other. For example, emir does not appreciate the food his Christian rival eats because it contains pork; at the same time, Kenneth tries to explain to emir the meaning of monogamous relationships widely preferred in the West (Scott par. 23).
The confrontation and its descriptions continue in the conflict between Richard and Saladin. The two rulers consider each other’s traditions and beliefs wrong, and disrespect each other’s cultures and spend lives trying to change each other’s practices and rules. Scott uses very descriptive language in his works; they contain a lot of metaphors and epithets, which make the story deeper and more colorful. The key of the author’s narration is rather calm; the author does not pick sides but instead tries to present the points of view of each character from their own unique perspective making the reader understand that all of the opinions have the right to exist.
Works Cited
Scott, Walter. The Talisman. 2013. Web.
