English Literature books summary

Kurtz telling the Manager that he is interfering with plans. The Manager

emerges. Taking Marlow aside, he says they have done all they can for

Kurtz, and that he did more harm than good to the Company. His actions were

too "vigorous" for the moment. Marlow does not agree that Kurtz's method

was unsound. To him, Kurtz is a remarkable man, and a friend in some way.

Marlow warns the Russian to escape before he can be hanged; he states that

he will keep Kurtz's reputation safe. It was Kurtz who ordered the attack

on the steamer‹he did not want to be taken away, and thought to fake his

death.

While Marlow dozes, drumbeats and incantations fill the air. He looks

into the cabin that holds Kurtz, and discovers he is missing. Marlow sees

his trail, and goes after him. The two men face one another. Kurtz pleads

that he has plans. Marlow replies that his fame in Europe is assured; he

realizes that this man's soul has gone mad. He is able to bring Kurtz back

to the cabin. The ship departs the next day amongst a crowd of natives.

Kurtz is brought into the pilot-house of the ship. The "tide of brown" runs

swiftly out of the "heart of darkness." The life of Kurtz is ebbing. Marlow

is in disfavor, lumped into the same category as Kurtz. The Manager is now

content. Marlow listens endlessly to Kurtz's bedside talk. He accepts a

packet of papers and a photograph that his friend gives him, in order to

keep them out of the Manager's hands. A few evenings later, Kurtz dies,

with one phrase on his lips: "The horror!"

Marlow returns to Europe, but is plagued by the memory of his friend.

He is disrespectful to all he encounters. The Manager demands the papers

that Kurtz entrusted to Marlow. Marlow relinquishes the technical papers,

but not the private letters and photograph. All that remains of Kurtz is

his memory and that picture of his Intended. Kurtz is very much a living

figure to Marlow. He goes and visits the woman in the picture. She embraces

and welcomes him. She has silently mourned for the past year, and needs to

profess her love and how she knew him better than anyone. Marlow perceives

the room to darken when she says this. She speaks of Kurtz's amazing

ability to draw people through incredibly eloquent speech. The woman says

she will be unhappy for life. Marlow states that they can always remember

him. She expresses a desperate need to keep his memory alive, and guilt

that she was not with him when he died. When the woman asks Marlow what

Kurtz's final words were, he lies and says it was her name. The woman weeps

in triumph. Marlow states that to tell the truth would be too dark. Back on

the Thames River ship, a tranquil waterway leads into the heart of

darkness.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

CHAPTER 1

The novel begins in England during the reign of King Richard I, also

known as Richard the Lion-Hearted (1157-1199). Scott provides some

historical background for the politics of the time and places the action

somewhere near the end of Richard's reign when he is returning from the

Crusades. England's Saxon population is under the control of Norman

royalty. French has become the forced official language, a fact which both

angers and demeans the Saxons, and many landowners have been forced to

give their lands to their Norman rulers. When the action of the novel

begins, the Norman King Richard I has been captured and held for ransom in

Europe. His brother John has assumed power.

Though both men are Norman rulers in Saxon populated England, Richard

is more popular among the people he rules, known as both fair and

courageous; John is aggressive, encouraging his men to steal or destroy

everything Saxon. John is content to rule, and even hopes his brother

remains imprisoned so that he can become king. Richard's loyal subjects

despair of ever seeing him again, and are angry that John and his greedy

nobles have been aggressive and relentless in seizing whatever Saxon land

they can. A swineherd named Gurth is talking with a jester, Wamba, about

the increasing hostility between the native Saxons and the Norman rulers.

Both servants work for a loyal Saxon named Cedric. When a storm approaches,

they head for home. On their way, they hear horsemen riding toward them.

CHAPTER 2

The Norman horsemen catch up with Gurth and Wamba. One of them is a

Cisterian monk dressed in fine clothes. The other is a Knight Templar. The

two, attended by several others, demand to know where they will be able to

stay for the night and ask where Cedric the Saxon lives. Knowing his master

Cedric's hatred of Normans, Wamba, with sheer mischief, gives them wrong

and confusing directions. However, they soon meet a Palmer, a holy man who

has traveled to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage, who takes them safely to

Cedric's mansion.

CHAPTER 3

Cedric is in his home, Rotherwood, impatiently waiting for his servants to

come home. He is also displeased that his ward Rowena is late for supper.

His thoughts are interrupted by the blast of a horn. Then the gatekeeper

announces that Prior Aymer of the Abbey of Jorvaulx, Brian de Bois-

Guilbert, and a small party of men are on their way to the royal tournament

at Ashby-de-la- Zouche and want to lodge at Rotherwood for the night.

Cedric does not want to entertain these Normans, but his Saxon pride

demands that they be offered hospitality; however, he clings to his dignity

by refusing to go out to welcome them. Only when they come to him in his

hall does Cedric reluctantly welcome them.

Cedric counsels Rowena against appearing before the guests. He does not

trust the Knight Templar and does not want anything to interfere with his

plans to marry Rowena off to the right gentleman. She, however, is keen to

hear the latest news from the Holy Land from the Palmer, since she is in

love with Ivanhoe, whom she thinks is still fighting in the Crusades.

CHAPTER 4

When the richly dressed guests enter Cedric's hall, he receives them

politely but without any warmth. He then scolds Gurth and Wamba for being

late. When Rowena enters to join in the meal, Bois-Guilbert stares at her

beauty. In response, she draws a veil over her face. Cedric notices the

interchange and is annoyed with the Templar. The chapter ends with the

announcement of a stranger at Cedric's gates.

CHAPTER 5

The stranger at Cedric's gate is Isaac of York. Although he is a Jew,

Cedric refuses to turn him away into the stormy night. The Norman guests

protest at his being admitted and Cedric makes him sit at a separate table.

Only the Palmer takes pity on the drenched and exhausted Jew.

The Palmer names five knights who have displayed great courage during the

Crusades. He also mentions a sixth knight, a great competitor, whose name

he cannot remember, though he is actually speaking about himself. The

Templar vows to challenge this sixth and unknown Knight at the forthcoming

Ashby tournament.

CHAPTER 6

On his way to bed, the Palmer is asked to accompany Cedric's servants to

the kitchen for more drink and gossip. A message is sent to him by Lady

Rowena, demanding his presence. She wants more news of Ivanhoe since she

heard the Palmer mention Ivanhoe's courageous exploits. All that the Palmer

tells her is that Ivanhoe, having fought bravely, is on his way home.

Before going to bed, the Palmer warns Isaac that he has overheard Bois-

Guilbert ordering his Moslem slaves to follow Isaac and rob him. Isaac is

grateful to the Palmer, and before he escapes, rewards the Palmer with a

favor. He sends a letter to his Jewish kinsman asking him to give the

Palmer a horse and armor so that he can participate in the Ashby

tournament.

CHAPTERS 7-9

These chapters are largely descriptive and do little to advance the plot of

the story. The busy arena where the knights will display their skill is

brilliantly described. The challengers, Bois-Guilbert, Front-de-Boeuf,

Grantmesnil, Malvoisin, and Ralph de Vipoint, are introduced and described

as seasoned Norman knights. Isaac's daughter Rebecca is also introduced.

A stranger, beautifully attired in steel and gold armor, arrives at the

arena, challenges Bois-Guilbert, and emerges victorious; Bois- Guilbert

feels disgraced. The mysterious knight also wins on the second day of the

tournament and crowns Rowena as the Queen of Love and Beauty.

CHAPTER 10

As soon as Ivanhoe, in the guise of the Disinherited Knight, reaches his

tent on the first day of the tournament, he is presented with the rich

armor, weapons, and horses of the knights he has defeated. He accepts his

rewards from four of the five knights. He refuses the gifts of Bois-

Guilbert, however, and sends a message that he will meet the Templar Knight

again in combat on the following day.

With some of the money from his rewards, Ivanhoe sends Gurth, who is now

his confidante, to Isaac to pay for the horse and armor which he so

generously loaned to him for the tournament. Isaac takes the money, but

Rebecca secretly sends it back, adding twenty gold coins as a tip for

Gurth.

CHAPTER 11

On his way back to Ashby, poor Gurth is attacked by four men who steal the

money he carries, both his gold coins and that belonging to Ivanhoe. The

thieves question him about where he got the money. When Gurth tells about

Rebecca's kindness, the thieves

refuse to believe that any Jew would return a payment on a loan. Gurth

fights with his attackers. When he shows his courage in the conflict, the

robbers surprisingly give him back his money and escort him to Ashby.

CHAPTER 12

After the combats of the first day at Ashby, the crowds eagerly await the

events of the next day. The excitement reaches a fever pitch when the

Disinherited Knight is attacked simultaneously by Athelstane, Front-de-

Boeuf, and Bois-Guilbert. With the help of another mysterious character,

the Black Knight, who comes to his aid, Ivanhoe overcomes his challengers,

emerging the victor once again. After the victory, the Black Knight

disappears. Rowena crowns the Disinherited Knight, who is now forced to

raise his visor and show his face. He is revealed to all as Ivanhoe,

Cedric's son. Severely wounded, he faints at Rowena's feet.

CHAPTERS 13-15

The revelation that Ivanhoe is the disguised winner of the tournament

causes a great commotion and some fear in the minds of the Norman nobles. A

castle once belonging to Ivanhoe that John had given to Front-de-Bouef is

now the object of much speculation, for many think that Ivanhoe will demand

it back.

Prince John himself is a bit worried about a confrontation until his

advisor Fitzurse informs him that Ivanhoe is severely wounded and probably

incapable of protest.

When Prince John receives a message that says, "Take heed to yourself, for

the Devil is unchained," he turns pale. He guesses that the message means

his brother Richard is free, and his own corrupt reign is nearing its end.

At the same time, many of his supporters begin to falter in their support

of him, and Fitzurse busies himself trying to rally them back to John.

The tournament ends with an archery contest, which introduces Robin of

Locksley (Robin Hood). Locksley easily defeats Hubert. John is enraged at

both Locksley's skill as an archer and his unswerving loyalty to Richard.

Cedric also offends John in his surprising expression of support for

Richard when he drinks to missing king's health.

Prince John has planned to marry Rowena to De Bracy, who is pleased with

the idea. Now De Bracy is determined to force the marriage whether Richard

has returned or not. He makes plans to ambush Cedric's party as they travel

home from the tournament. He will take Rowena and make her his unwilling

bride.

CHAPTERS 16 & 17

This chapter introduces Friar Tuck, the jolly priest who is one of Robin

Hood's men. Earlier in the novel, King Richard proved his valor at Ashby

disguised as the Black Knight. After the victory, he quickly disappeared

before his identity was questioned. In this scene, he is traveling in the

forest when he meets the Clerk of Copmanhurst, who is actually Friar Tuck.

The two trust one another; they eat and drink in great companionship. The

king and the fat priest get on so well that after supper they decide to

sing together. Each chooses a song that makes fun of the other; the priest

pokes fun at Crusaders and Richard mocks the priest.

CHAPTERS 18 & 19

When Cedric first sees his son wounded, his natural paternal love is

revived, but not wishing to reveal this to the spectators at Ashby, he

keeps quiet. Later he learns that Ivanhoe is being taken care of by Rebecca

and is relieved. Discovering that his swineherd Gurth has been helping

Ivanhoe, Cedric has him bound with rope as a punishment.

Cedric and Athelstane take their group to Prince John's palace where they

have been invited to a banquet. On the way to Prince John's, the group

encounters the dog, Fangs, howling. Cedric throws his javelin at it,

wounding the dog. Saxons are a superstitious lot, and Cedric believed this

howling was a sure sign of an impending danger. Gurth is upset to see the

dog wounded and manages to escape his bonds.

At Prince John's, Rowena refuses to attend the banquet, which annoys

Cedric. He and Athelstane discuss matters of land. Then Cedric broaches the

subject of Athelstane's marriage to Rowena.

CHAPTERS 20 & 21

As they make their way through the woods, Cedric and his party come upon

Isaac and Rebecca accompanying a sick man. Rebecca is crying out loudly for

help. Their bodyguard has deserted them in sheer fear of the outlaws who

are known to inhabit the woods.

Rebecca begs Rowena to help the sick man. The entire party is then attacked

by De Bracy and his men, impersonating outlaws. They kidnap the group and

take them to Front-de-Bouef at Torquilstone Castle, which once belonged to

Ivanhoe until John gave it away. Except for Wamba, who escapes, they are

all taken prisoners.

Wamba meets Gurth, and they go to find Locksley (Robin Hood). Gurth, Wamba,

Locksley, and his men meet up with the disguised King Richard and Friar

Tuck. All of them proceed to Torquilstone Castle to aid the prisoners.

CHAPTER 22

Isaac of York has been thrown into a dark dungeon in Torquilstone Castle.

Front-de-Boeuf demands a ransom of a thousand silver pounds, to which Isaac

protests. The Normans threaten him with physical torture, so Isaac requests

that his daughter Rebecca be sent with an escort to York to get the money.

He is deeply upset when he learns that she has been given to Bois-Guilbert

as his own personal captive. Isaac is willing to give up whatever wealth he

possesses if only he can get Rebecca back. As his captors begin

preparations for torture, the sound of a bugle is heard outside the castle,

and Isaac is saved for the moment.

CHAPTER 23

Elsewhere in Front-de-Boeuf's castle, De Bracy tries his best to persuade

Rowena to marry him. He threatens that if she does not accept him, the

lives of Ivanhoe and Cedric will be forfeited. In the conversation, she

learns that Ivanhoe is a prisoner in the same castle and breaks down. The

bugle call interrupts this scene as well.

CHAPTER 24

Rebecca meets the old hag, Urfried, in the little tower where she is

imprisoned. Urfried makes the most frightening forecast for Rebecca,

recounting her own terrible fate at the hands of Front-de- Boeuf's father.

Urfried, however, had submitted to the elder Front- de-Bouef's molestation,

accepting the subsequent shame and dishonor. The brave Rebecca looks around

for some escape, but finds none. Musing over her fate, she hears footsteps

on the stairs.

A tall man stands at the door. She offers her jewelry to the man who takes

off his cap and reveals himself as Bois-Guilbert. He makes advances at her,

which she refuses. Rebecca threatens to kill herself. She would rather die

than be dishonored as the old woman Urfried has been. The trumpet call also

saves Rebecca, for it summons Bois-Guilbert, who promises to visit her

again.

CHAPTERS 25-27

The occupants of Torquilstone receive a letter signed by Gurth and Wamba,

but sent by the mysterious Black Knight and Locksley; the letter demands

the release of the prisoners. Front-de-Boeuf responds to the letter by

asking that a priest be sent to hear the confessions of the prisoners

before they are put to death. Wamba, dressed in Friar's robes, enters the

castle "to hear the confessions of the condemned". When he reaches the

place where Cedric and the others are imprisoned, he and Cedric exchange

their clothes and Cedric is able to leave the dungeon undetected.

Thinking Cedric to be the priest, Front-de-Boeuf gives him a message for

Philip Malvoisin. Cedric rejects Front de Boeuf's payment and joins the

party outside. Subsequently, Wamba's disguise and Cedric's escape are

discovered. It now seems that a clash is inevitable between the Normans

inside and the besiegers outside, now joined by Cedric.

CHAPTER 28

Using flashback, Scott supplies the necessary information to link various

events that have happened. Ivanhoe's actual whereabouts since being injured

at the tournament have never been explicitly stated. But here it is

revealed that Rebecca took the invalid Ivanhoe on as a charge, promising to

use her powers of healing. It is made clear that the sick man she and her

father were accompanying when they were kidnapped is Ivanhoe.

CHAPTER 29

As the besiegers attack the Castle, Rebecca stands at the window to relate

to Ivanhoe the exact sequence of events. He soon falls asleep. Rebecca,

left to her own thoughts, tries to sort out her feelings for him. She

realizes that she is beginning to love him.

CHAPTERS 30 & 31

The battle rages on, with both parties fighting intensely. Front-de- Boeuf

is seriously wounded in the battle. As he lies dying, the old hag Urfried

accuses him of all kinds of sins, the worst being the murder of his own

father. Hungry for revenge for wrongs done to her by his family, she sets

fire to the castle. Both she and Front-de- Boeuf die in the flames. The

Black Knight saves Ivanhoe and captures De Bracy. Everyone manages to

escape to freedom except Rebecca, who is carried away by Bois-Guilbert, the

Knight Templar who wants to defile her. In attempting to stop Bois-

Guilbert, Athelstane is hit on the head and falls down, apparently dead.

CHAPTER 32

Early next morning the freed prisoners and their rescuers, the outlaws,

meet in the forest. Robin of Locksley places Cedric on his left and the

Black Knight on his right. The booty plundered from the castle is shared

equally. Cedric refuses his share, saying that Rowena and he are grateful

to Locksley for his help. He offers his share to the Black Knight, who also

refuses to take any of the plunder. In gratitude to him for his help,

Cedric frees his slave Gurth.

De Bracy, now a prisoner, attempts to speak to Rowena but is insulted by

Cedric. Athelstane's body is carried in on a stretcher. Then Friar Tuck

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