Product Description

William Wallace (c. 1274-1305) is a legend. The champion of the independence of Scotland, defeated by Edward I and eventually hung, drawn and quartered in London, he is revered to this day as Scotland's foremost patriot. Since his death, the Wallace story has been one to inspire, and the cult of Wallace has travelled far beyond Scotland itself, helped by Hollywood. Yet Wallace's life is still a mystery. The sources are few and have been grossly distorted over seven centuries through ballads, penny histories and poems This book, based on the original research by Scottish historian Graeme Morton, is the first to fully examine both the contemporary sources that are available and the way the many strands of the Wallace myth have been constructed, communicated and appropriated from his death right up to the present day

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #391345 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

Not a Classic, but a Step Forward
First of all, Graeme Morton's book is NOT a biography, as rightly pointed out by the previous, rather scathing review. If you're seeking a biography, there are several on the market, although I wouldn't credit any of them particularly highly.

Rather "William Wallace: Man and Myth" brings a vital truth to light - a biography of the actual William Wallace, as he appears in chronicles and sources contemporary to his time, would fill all of three pages. Any book purporting to be a biography of the enigmatic Scot is actually a collection of "Wallaciana" - compendeum of 700 years of reconstruction and downright fictionalisation. The truth is very simple: Wallace has become a myth almost as potent (and controversial) as Arthur, and it is this Wallace, the man made out of myth, that Graeme Morton's book sets about deconstructing.

He provides a sequence of chapters comparing the Wallace myth with a)the actual sources b)subsequent literary and cinematic adaptations (like Blind Harry's 15th century epic "Wallace" and its glory-child of the 1990's "Braveheart") c)localised/national legends of Wallace. He follows up with an analysis of why and how an obscure medieval rebel leader has become a national (and international) symbol of identity and independence, including an interesting examination of the connection between Wallace and the ex-pat Scots communities of North America.

Overall, a tolerably written study, although it lacks some relevant scholarship and, like its recent counterparts, is born out of popular Wallace history rather than academic texts. Certainly worth it for those interested in the connection between the real Wallace and the Wallace we now know.

excellent historical account
an excellent account of the mystery that surrounds the life of William Wallace. This book deals carefully with the myths that have persisted since Wallace's era. It aknowledges the different ways that Wallace has been represented through history and used for different purposes.

a rare honest study of 'braveheart'
This is one of the only practical looks at the context of and historical facts behind William Wallace. I it a difficult pill to swallow for those wanting to know only what Mel Gibson and Randall Wallace have to teach the world. This is a suprisingly lighthearted academic study that will help anyone who is evolved enough to care get to the bottom of William Wallace as well as the perpetual Scottish obsession with its nationalist-mutated history.