Robert Stevenson is one of the most famous writers who is often considered the author of one book, the novel Treasure Island, a romantic and youthful work. Despite this, Stevenson was a controversial man, and his most famous novel is actually deeper than it might seem.
The influence of national culture on the future writer
A native Scot, a Scottish parent, and a Scottish national - these are characteristics that very accurately describe a person like Robert Lewis Stevenson. The biography of the writer confirms that Scottish culture and history had a huge impact on the formation of Stevenson as an individual. The future writer was born in Edinburgh - the cultural and political capital of Scotland.
The ancestors of the father of the author were farmers, millers, gardeners, and his grandfather was a well-known engineer who was engaged in the construction of bridges, lighthouses and breakwaters. The business of Grandfather Stevenson was continued by his father and brothers.
On the mother's side, the future writer belonged to the old and famous family of Belfurs, who came from the noble clans of the border and plains of Scotland.
Family history, its own pedigree, deep roots - these are the things that Robert Stephenson was keenly interested in. A biography indicates that wherever he is, he always remained a true Scot. Even while in Polynesia, where the temperature never dropped below 40 degrees, he built a typical Scottish fireplace in his house.
Childhood and youth
Robert Lewis Stevenson was the only child in the family. As a child, he suffered a serious illness that subsequently affected him until the end of his days. Louis often had a fever, he coughed constantly, he ran out of air. All common biographies indicate pulmonary tuberculosis or very severe bronchial problems. Soreness, pallor, weakness and thinness are the things that Robert Stevenson suffered all his life. The author’s photo clearly confirms this.
The author recalls his childhood and youth as endless periods of heat, pain and insomnia. The boy was sent to school at the age of six, however, due to his condition, studies were not successful. Lewis replaced several schools, personal teachers, for some time he studied at a prestigious school for children of well-known and wealthy parents - the Edinburgh Academy. Obeying his father, he decides to continue the family business and enters the University of Edinburgh, where he studies engineering, in particular the construction of lighthouses.
Interest in literature
Engineering and building lighthouses are things that Robert Lewis Stevenson was really interested in. Biography indicates that he was willingly engaged in the practical part of the study, which was carried out at construction sites. The program also included lowering in a spacesuit to the seabed, where it was possible to study the underwater topography and rocks, which served as the basis for the construction of the lighthouse.
After some time, Lewis applies for participation in the competition at the Royal Scottish Society of Sciences, where he presented his poem “A New Type of Flashing Light for Lighthouses,” for which he received a silver medal. Two weeks later, in a serious conversation with his father, Stevenson says that he wants to quit engineering. The father was against literature, so it was decided that his son would become a lawyer. Louis was comfortable with that. Firstly, the practice of bar gave him more free time, and secondly, the famous fellow countryman Stevenson, Walter Scott, was also a lawyer, which did not prevent him from becoming a famous writer. Lewis passed all the exams and received the title of lawyer, but this was only confirmation that he was actually a writer.
The beginning of literary activity
For the first time, writer Robert Stevenson made himself known at the age of sixteen. At the expense of his father was issued a small book "Pentland Uprising. Page of history, 1666. " Here, the young author described the bicentennial uprisings of peasants in Scotland. This work was not known, however, the author’s interest in national history was already visible here, as well as the desire to be objective and accurate.
The first major work was Robert Stevenson’s novel, Roads. The name is very symbolic, because, despite the fact that Stephenson was painful and weak, his vital necessities and emotional outbursts made him travel a lot.
First travels
In 1876, Stevenson and his friends traveled kayaking along the rivers and canals of France and Belgium. The final destination was Paris, but friends also stayed in riverine villages rich in history. This journey had a huge impact on Stevenson. Returning home, he immediately began work on a description of his journey, which later turned into the work “Journey Into the Country,” and also influenced his subsequent work.
The author describes the travel process itself, a variety of funny and ridiculous situations that happened during the trip, describes people, their characters and mores. At the same time, he does it easily and unobtrusively, allowing the reader to make up his own opinion about everything. It was during this journey that Robert Stevenson met Fanny Osbourne, who later became Fanny Stevenson.
Fanny
Frances Matilda Osbourne Lewis met in one of the French villages at a time when she was fond of painting. Almost all biographers claim that this meeting was love at first sight. Fanny was ten years older than Lewis, married to a loser, had two children, and sought solitude after the death of her youngest child. They talked a lot, spent time together, and after parting, they constantly corresponded.
A few years later, in 1879, Robert Stevenson received a letter from Fanny, the contents of which remained unknown to history. Presumably she was talking about her serious illness. Lewis's condition at that time was difficult: a protracted illness, financial problems, a quarrel with his father, the words of friends who said that Fanny was a married woman. All this did not stop Lewis. He quickly packed up and went back to America, where Fanny lived at that time. The journey was long and difficult.
After arriving in America, he traveled for a long time with an immigrant train from New York to San Francisco. However, Fanny was not there, she moved to Monterrey. Lewis went on another trip. He rode alone riding a horse. On the way, his condition worsened and he lost consciousness. He was found by a local bear hunter who nursed Lewis, who was on the verge of life and death for several days. Having gained strength, Stevenson still got to Fanny.
Despite all the barriers, in 1880, Stevenson married Fanny Osbourne and returned home with his wife, her children and a huge store of knowledge, impressions and life experience. Fanny and her children accompanied Stevenson on his travels and were with him until his last days.
Type of traveler in Stevenson's works
Travel took a huge role in the work of the author. This topic was not new in literature, but other writers did not see the traveler hero as Robert Stevenson did. The works of the author describe a traveler who behaves illogically and indiscreetly. Such a traveler was most often an artist or writer. He does not seek any benefits, refuses rewards or additional privileges.
Stevenson traditionally started traveling essays . The journey was depicted in the form of a small and simple walk, during which the whole idiocy of a layman is revealed. Later, other famous writers, including K. Jerome, used this idea in their work.
The experience gained in the first and subsequent travels had an impact on the literary activity of the author, including his most famous work - the novel “Treasure Island”.
"Treasure Island"
Treasure Island is undoubtedly the most famous novel of Robert Lewis Stevenson. The unfinished work was published in a well-known children's magazine under the pseudonym, but it did not bring popularity. Moreover, the editorial staff of the magazine often received negative and even indignant responses. A separate book and with a real name of the author, the novel was released a year later. This time, the novel received undoubted success.
Despite the fact that the novel has a fairly simple plot and plot, like any adventure novel, it contains moments of tension. The author creates the overall picture not with a detailed description of everyday situations, but with the very form of the narrative. Stevenson actively uses dialogue, which gives the plot a more active and dramatic look.
Despite the fact that the novel is considered youthful and romantic, it is based on serious problems and themes. In particular, we are talking about the problem of the contrast of characters, emotional experiences and the opposition of good and evil.
"Cursed Janet"
Robert Lewis Stevenson embodies his interest in the soul and essence of man in the work “Cursed Janet”. In this story, the author decided to combine the real and the fantastic, as well as turn to what was always dear to him - Scottish traditions and motives. Despite the fact that the work is relatively small, in it the author was able to very deeply show the human soul, its fears and experiences.
Thanks to the special form of the narration, the author was able to make everything real in the story seem fantastic, and everything fantastic was real. Moreover, the story itself is completely logical and believable. The problem of emotional experiences became so interesting to the author, he continues to disclose it further, in particular in the famous story "The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."
“The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
The impetus for writing the story was Stevenson's acquaintance with Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, where the problems of human morality were presented in a new way. The hero of the story - the clever, respectful, respectable doctor Jekyll - as a result of an unsuccessful experiment, splits his personality and reveals his ugly and evil double, Mr. Hyde.
Stevenson raises the problem of the purpose of life, the problem of freedom, choice, inner composure and lightness. The story was written in a form that was not expected from Stephenson, and caused general delight.
Novel "Lord of Ballantre"
This work of Lewis is considered one of the darkest, but it was in him that Stevenson reached the pinnacle of his skill. It was in this novel that he combined the two most important themes of his work: the confrontation of good and evil and the appeal to Scottish traditions and history. In the novel, he describes two brothers whose characters vividly embody these problems. The author tried to find the roots of these problems deeply, starting from a national character and ending with puritanism in the country.
Robert Stevenson is a unique author who owes his popularity not only to his works, but also to his biography. Readers are attracted by the integrity of his character, courage and drama of fate.