Bid to reintroduce readers to Scotland's 'forgotten bestseller'

Scotland's "forgotten" bestselling author could be introduced to a new audience thanks to a new teaching project.

Novels and epic poems by Sir Walter Scott were hugely popular throughout his lifetime, and influenced generations of writers from around the world.

While statues, street names and even bank notes act as a constant reminder of his prominence and importance, the Abbotsford writer's works fell out of fashion several decades ago.

An online teaching resource now aims to return Scott's work to mainstream education and rekindle wider interest in his stories of valour and vengeance

Prof Ali Lumsden said: "Scott was Scotland’s greatest best seller and left a prolific legacy across the globe.

“Yet many Scottish schoolchildren are never introduced to his work – or even his name – and we want to change that."

During his lifetime, novels such as Waverley, Rob Roy and The Bride of Lammermoor helped forge Scotland as an early tourist hot-spot for international visitors.

Scott's epic adventures are also credited with reinventing Scottish identity.

While his books continued to enjoy significant sales long after his death in 1832, and were eventually turned into scores of films and television dramas the following century, more recently Scott has fallen out of fashion.

And his books, ballads and poems are no longer read or studied in Scottish schools.

Prof Lumsden hopes the new teaching resources will turn the tide for the Lady of the Lake author.

She added: "It now seems the right time to reintroduce Walter Scott to children in Scotland.

“He had a significant influence on our understanding of Scottish culture through his literary works, particularly through his depictions of Scottish landscapes and history, and Scottish folklore.

"Scott's writings, which often incorporated vivid descriptions of Scotland's natural beauty and its rich historical tapestry, captured the imaginations of readers both within Scotland and around the world.

“This, in combination with his understanding of issues such as nationhood, belonging and conflict, mean he is as relevant today as he was when first published in the early 19th Century."

The Scott for Schools teaching materials were developed at the University of Aberdeen as part of a UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) project.

Aimed at upper primary to lower secondary pupils, the resources include digital maps, board games and story cards, and are seen as a gentle introduction to the writer and his work.

Dr Anna Fancett, who helped develop the teaching pack, said: "Our Walter Scott resource offers an innovative approach to bringing his legacy to a new generation but we also hope the activities are relevant and fun.

"Everything available ties in with the Curriculum for Excellence but although the resources are focused on the Scottish curriculum, they are open to teachers around the world.

"By showing in an age-appropriate way that Scott’s poetry and fiction confronts many of the issues that are relevant today, we want to help expand knowledge of Scott and move learning away from the idea that he can’t be included in work for schools."

An earlier attempt to introduce the writer to a new audience by academics at the University of Aberdeen's Walter Scott Research Centre led to over 7,000 learners from 120 different countries completing a four-week online course.

Throughout this year, Scott's former home at Abbotsford, near Galashiels, is hosting a series of events to mark the 200th anniversary of the historic house being completed.