Does the author use language of a time other than his own?
Does he use dialect? Compare in this respect with some of his Scotch stories in prose.
Do the characters all talk alike, or as we should expect of persons differing in birth and education?
Does Scott use simple or unfamiliar language?
Find a vivid picture (for example, Canto I, stanzas 11, 12), and examine the language to see what kind of words are most effective: specific or general, concrete or abstract, figurative or literal.
Do the same with some passage that presents an impression of sounds (as in Canto I, stanza 3).
Can you see any difference between this poem and a prose story in language, thought, beauty of description, or any other respect except metrical form?
The Life and Character of the Author.—Was Scott a Highlander or a Lowlander?
What do we know of his father and mother? of his earlier ancestors? of his childhood? of his boyhood interests? of his education and training? What profession did he enter? How successful was he in it? What was his reputation? What was his first literary venture? Name his great poems in the order in which they appeared. Give some idea of their success. Why did he stop writing poetry? Compare his success as a novelist with his success as a poet.
How did he change his manner of living as he became increasingly successful?