Introduction Summary

"Wandering Willie's Tale" is a short story written by Sir Walter Scott, which was included as a chapter in his later novel, Redgauntlet. The short story begins with the author introducing Wandering Willie, in an epistle to a friend. He says that the old man has an odd way of speaking. At times he uses colorful adjectives, and at others his words are stilted and common. If the narrator did not know better he would believe that the man was out of his mind. However, the man, who is blind, is well known as an excellent storyteller, and so the author believes his odd way of speech to be part of his storytelling skill and asks if he will tell him a tale. The old man agrees to do so and says that he will tell a true story about his grandfather.

Introduction Analysis