Waverley/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Black Hole Sue: Waverley is a non-Fanfic example. Random Scottish strangers invite him into their homes and swear love and loyalty to him, in spite of the fact he works for George of Hanover. These same strangers are willing to carry his suitcases all over the countryside, nurse his injuries, and risk their lives rescuing him. He is repeatedly described as handsome, athletic, and stunningly intelligent by other characters, as well as the narrator. Bonnie Prince Charlie makes time to hang out with Waverley and swoon over him, in spite of having other (clearly minor) demands on his time. All of his mistakes are forgiven by the Scots and the English, even after several people die because of his screw-ups.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: Waverly takes relationship advice from Charles Edward Stuart. This Wikipedia entry is fairly terse and limited on the topic, but the point remains. If you have a sick sense of humor, this is possibly Hilarious in Hindsight.
  • Purity Sue: Rose is made of this trope.
  • Relationship Sue: Rose, as she serves no other purpose in the plot except to act as an appropriate love interest for the main character.
  • Seinfeld Is Unfunny: Because the novel was the first historical adventure novel, it created many of the tropes of the genre.
  • Values Dissonance: There are a lot of Unfortunate Implications, especially for Celtic readers.