SOURCE: "Scott and Progress: The Tragedy of 'The Highland Widow'," in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. XI, No. 1, Winter, 1974, pp. 11-16.

In the essay below, Cooney examines the blend of historical analysis and emotional engagement in "The Highland Widow" that combine to raise the story to the level of tragic art.

Lukacs's pages on Scott in The Historical Novel are unsurpassed for their sweep and insight. They were among the first criticism to take Scott's work seriously and to stimulate others to a like approach. But Lukacs was not primarily interested in detailed exegesis, and any reader of his chapter will have noticed the numerous inaccuracies and confusions of detail in his panoramic treatment. Forgiveable in themselves, such inaccuracies and the neglect of close analysis may be less trivial if they lead the commentator to undervalue some qualities of his author. It is my suggestion here that a...