Most of the original reviewers gave Ivanhoe an enthusiastic or broadly favourable reception.[25] As usual, Scott's descriptive powers and his ability to present the matters of the past were generally praised. More than one reviewer found the work notably poetic. Several of them found themselves transported imaginatively to the remote period of the novel, although some problems were recognised: the combining of features from the high and late Middle Ages; an awkwardly created language for the dialogue; and antiquarian overload. The author's excursion into England was generally judged a success, the forest outlaws and the creation of 'merry England' attracting particular praise. Rebecca was almost unanimously admired, especially in her farewell scene. The plot was either criticised for its weakness, or just regarded as of less importance than the scenes and characters. The scenes at Torquilstone were judged horrible by several critics, with special focus on Ulrica. Athelstane's resurrection found no favour, the kindest response being that of Francis Jeffrey in The Edinburgh Review who suggested (writing anonymously, like all the reviewers) that it was 'introduced out of the very wantonness of merriment'.
Letitia Elizabeth Landon, who was a devotee of Scott's, wrote a poetical illustration to a picture of The Tournament. by Thomas Allom in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838.[26]
The Eglinton Tournament of 1839 held by the 13th Earl of Eglinton at Eglinton Castle in Ayrshire was inspired by and modelled on Ivanhoe.
On November 5, 2019, the BBC News listed Ivanhoe on its list of the 100 most influential novels.[27]
