Lady of the Lake

Eventually recognized as the author who single-handedly brought about a revival of medieval literature, lore and culture in the 1800s, Walter Scott started his Middle Ages canon with The Lady of the Lake in 1810. Based on an Arthurian character, The Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem set in Scotland and written in six distinct cantos. The poem follows three story lines: a love affair, a conflict between King James V of Scotland and James Douglas, the once-Earl of Bothwell and mentor of the King, and the war between the lowland Scots and the highland clans. While the poem was largely forgotten by the late 1900s, the work had many interesting influences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1840, Gioachino Rossini composed a famous opera, La Donna del Lago, based on the poem, and famous author and social reformer Frederick Douglass noted that his last name had been chosen based on the major characters in the poem, Ellen and James Douglas.