Pan Daijing (2019)

Ivanhoe (A Historical Romance) by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1819 (my copy printed in 1943)

You might think that I knew what this book was about before I read it, but all I knew was that there was an incredible Delacroix painting at the MET depicting a beautiful Jewish woman (Rebecca) being absconded on horseback by two Arab men, with a knight and a burning castle in the background. Little did I know what TREMENDOUS delights awaited me between the covers of this book! Good Lord all mighty!

THIS is THE original tale, set in the year 1199, of the heroic adventures of the brave knight, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, with Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and the bold King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England! I simply could NOT put this book down once I began!

Yes, it IS a romance! Yes, it IS an adventure! Yes, on almost every page someone is declaring their chivalrous vows, fighting valiantly, riding a horse, running a lance through some knave, or hacking someone down with an axe. It’s the most violent adventure (as such is the history of England), filled with romance for two women, the Saxon Lady Rowena, and the black-haired Jewess with healing powers, Rebecca.

This book is the home of chivalry, treachery, love, devotion, sacrifice, religion, politics, history, it’s a lot to travel through on your way through Sherwood Forest. In the pages, I fell in love with Rebecca, the way she covered her face with a veil of silver silk, the way she showed devotion to Ivanhoe and healed his wounds, the way she defended herself brilliantly at her trial from the treachery of Brian Bois-Guilbert, The Templar Knight.

There were so many favorite moments, like when The Black Knight is nicknamed “The Sluggard” by the crowd at the first jousting tournament, simply just because he is reluctant to fight, how he effortlessly lays flat two of the conniving Prince John’s best knights to protect Ivanhoe, how he fights valiantly against the knight Front-de-Bœuf at his castle, with sword and axe to slay him, and how he is finally revealed as the noble and powerful crusader, Richard the Lion-Hearted, King of England himself! What a character!

So much attention must be given to the character of Rebecca, the black-eyed Jewish woman who saves Ivanhoe with her healing skills, shows him the deepest bravery and devotion and who is ultimately saved by Ivanhoe himself when he duels as her champion with the Templar Knight, Brian Bois-Guilbert for her freedom. Every detail about her beauty, her wisdom, her grace, her skill, her ability to cross religions, cultures and even timelines, became reasons to love her even more. I felt that if I were a knight, I too would fight for Rebecca.

I still don’t know how I didn’t know this book before I read it. It’s one of the pillars of English literature and central to the history of the Middle Ages. It’s an absolute must read, for adventure and romance.

Eugène Delacroix, The Abduction of Rebecca, 1846, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Eugène Delacroix, Rebecca and the Wounded Ivanhoe, 1823, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

PS: I found a broken toothpick on page 188, no doubt marking the illustration of Rebecca and the Templar Knight, Brian Bois-Guilbert. The pages were stained by time and I bet this toothpick, and the words of this epic story, haven’t seen the light of day or the heart of a keen reader in over fifty years. Such an antique! I left the toothpick where it was.