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Why is Sir Walter Scott considered an inventor of the historical novel?

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“The Tyger,” anastatic print by William Blake — Romantic literature English Romantic poet and artist William Blake wrote and illustrated “The Tyger” and other poems in his book *Songs of Innocence and of Experience* (1794).

Sir Walter Scott is widely credited as the inventor of the historical novel due to his transformative approach to prose fiction, beginning with the publication of Waverley in 1814.12

Scott’s reputation as the founder of the genre stems from his ability to blend deep historical knowledge with vivid human drama. In his early works, such as the Waverley Novels, he masterfully portrayed the manners, speech, and customs of 17th- and 18th-century Scotland, capturing the complex transition from feudal traditions to the modern world.123

His innovation lay in his capacity to combine comic social observation with a Romantic sense of landscape and epic grandeur. As his work progressed, he expanded his scope beyond Scotland to include settings in medieval England, France, and Palestine, effectively establishing a template for the genre that influenced generations of writers. By grounding his narratives in specific historical periods and social conflicts, Scott elevated the novel, helping it become the dominant literary form of the later 19th century.312