Bilhorn

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) The Victorian Era  By Calla Bilhorn  //Student, University of Wisconsin-Rock County //



Robert Louis Stevenson was raised the only child of a religious middle-class Scottish family. His father, an engineer, expected his son to follow in his footsteps; however, after studying engineering and law,Stevenson decided he would rather be a writer. Although he loved Scotland, Stevenson spent most of his life traveling due to his adventurous nature and to his need for a better climate for his tuberculosis-wracked body. In 1880, Stevenson acquired a traveling partner with his marriage to Fanny Osbourne, a recently-divorced American. Stevenson dedicated several of his books to her and often credited her constructive criticism. However, despite the couple’s devotion to each other, Fanny’s sometimes bizarre mannerisms and controlling nature would prove to be a strain on both their relationship and Stevenson’s other friendships. After years of wandering Europe, Stevenson and Fanny eventually found their way to Samoa, where Stevenson died of a stroke in 1894. The nomadic nature of Stevenson’s life is reflected in much of his writing; from //Kidnapped// to //Treasure Island// to the his many travelogues, most of Stevenson’s works involve journeys and foreign countries.

Stevenson was fascinated by the human struggle between good and evil natures. This idea of struggling between two opposite natures or personalities was largely inspired by late Victorian scientific ideas about the “double brain”- that the left half of the brain embodied logic and morality (good nature) while the right half embodied emotion and desire (evil nature). This theme is most apparent in //The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde//, in which Dr. Jekyll experiences a scientific experiment gone awry. Jekyll invents a potion that transforms him into Mr. Hyde, the embodiment of Jekyll’s evil nature. The entire book revolves around Jekyll, the good nature, struggling against the personification of his evil nature, Mr. Hyde. This same complexity of character can be seen to a lesser extent in //Treasure// //Island// in the character of Long John Silver. Long John Silver, although he is certainly the villain of the story, does possess a certain noble affection for Jim Hawkins and exhibits a respect for the noble and gentlemanly behavior of Dr. Livesey; these attributes, although contradicting Silver’s other evil actions, make the reader question whether he is whole-heartedly evil and establish him as a complex character who alternates between his evil and good natures.

Another theme apparent in Stevenson’s works is the theme of companionship. Stevenson was an only child and had few friends as a child, so it makes perfect sense that a friendship theme would be very important to him. In //Kidnapped//, David Balfour, a respectable lowland Scot, is forced for survival’s sake to travel with Alan Breck, a rapscallion Jacobite. Completely different from Breck in everything from ethics to politics, Balfour at first despises Breck, but eventually grows to appreciate him in spite of their differences. By the end of the book, Balfour is nearly in tears at the prospect of parting with Breck. Even in //Treasure Island//, there is certain element of friendship between Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins despite the fact that they are on opposite sides.

As literary techniques go, Stevenson often utilizes setting to its maximum effect. In //Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde//, polluted and cloying fog, dingy and muddy streets, cold moonlit nights, ramshackle houses, and the dim glow of streetlamps are all used to establish the proper mood for the story. Before the pirates raid the inn (chapter 4) in //Treasure Island//, a full red moon, the fog of a frosty winter night, and a night-time silence that is broken only by the wash of the ripples in the abandoned cove and the “croaking of crows in the wood” evoke a sense of supense and mysteriousness. This use of atmospheric setting gives the story life and makes it far more appealing to the imagination.

__Monographs: __ **Cairney, John. //In Quest of Robert Louis Stevenson//. 2004. Luath Press Limited:** **Edinburgh, 2007. Print.**

//__Introduction Summary__//. //The author first became interested in writing this biography when acting the part of Stevenson in a stage play, and he feels that he has a connection with Stevenson because of his Scottish ancestry and because he also lives in the South Seas. The author's goal in writing this book is to present Stevenson's life in a way that brings Stevenson to life rather then just spouting off dry accumulations of facts; one way the author accomplishes this is by frequently quoting Stevenson's own words.// While this book is obviously not an exhaustive source, it does appear to be an easy read that provides a good basic overview of Stevenson’s life. The basic framework that it provides could be useful as a starting point for further research with more detailed sources.


 * Callow, Philip. //Louis: A Life of Robert Louis Stevenson//. Ivan R. Dee, Publisher:** **Chicago, 2001. Print.**

__Introduction Summary__: //Many books have been and continue to be written about Robert Louis Stevenson. Perhaps part of this fascination with Stevenson is due to his romantic and bohemian lifestyle. Traveling the world and sailing the seas in an attempt to find freedom from his hampering Presbyterian upbringing and his sickly body, Stevenson led an adventurous life which has been romanticized into the stuff of legend by his followers. Others have reacted severely against this over-blown romanticism. The author, although admiring Stevenson, has tried to avoid both of these extremes, which tend to block full appreciation of Stevenson and his work. Wanting this book to be readable by any intelligent reader whether they are acquainted with Stevenson's writings or not, the author has steered away from literary analysis of Stevenson's works, and, while he has relied heavily on scholarly work, he has avoided cluttering the book with notes and with an extensive bibliography of Stevenson's writings.// The author states that he has relied on the work of scholars, and a look at the book's bibliography indicates that this is a well-researched biography. As a more detailed account of Stevenson's life, this book would serve well as supplement to //The Quest for Robert Louis Stevenson// and certainly appears to be a good biographical source for scholarly research.

__Three Peer-Reviewed Articles: __ 

**Harris, Jason Marc. “Robert Louis Stevenson: Folklore and Imperialism.” //English//** **//Literature in Transition// 46.4 (2003): 382-396. Humanities International Complete. Web. 10 May 2011.**

This article examines how Stevenson juxtaposed “primitive” superstitions of folklore (especially the folklore of Scotland and the South Seas) and “civilized” British rationality and morality in order to examine the morality of British economic imperialism and to debunk the idea of British superiority. Focusing specifically on “Isle of Voices,” “The Beach of Falesa,” and //The Master of Ballantrae//, the article gives a thorough analysis on how these themes of folkloric superstition and imperialism exhibit in some of Stevenson’s later works, making it an interesting piece of literary criticism for those studying Stevenson’s writing. **Stiles, Anne. "Robert Louis Stevenson's //Jekyll and Hyde// and the Double Brain."** **//Studies// //in English Literature// 46.4 (2006): 879-900. //Humanities Full Text//.** **Web. 29 April 2011.**

This article discusses how //The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde// resembles late Victorian medical case-studies in both its structure and its ideas. Stiles explains late Victorian beliefs about the "dual-brain," discusses how these beliefs are reflected in Jekyll and Hyde, shows how Stevenson combined the language and form of a scientific case study with the genre of Gothic romance, and suggests scientific sources that possibly influenced Stevenson. Whether or not one agrees with all of Stiles' literary criticism, her arguments are well-written, reasonable, and rich with examples from //Jekyll and Hyde//. For those researching Stevenson's works, this article provides a good explanation of certain aspects of Victorian psychology and the influence it had on Stevenson's work.

**Zlosnik, Sue. “‘Home is the Sailor, Home from Sea’: Robert Louis Stevenson and the End of Wandering.” //Yearbook of English Studies// 34 (2004): 240-252. Literary Reference Center. Web. 10 May 2011.**

Although Stevenson is best remembered as a writer of Gothic romance, he also wrote many travelogues. This article examines how undercurrents of Gothic themes such as death, suffering, and superstition can be seen in Stevenson’s travelogues. The article suggests that Stevenson’s early travelogues (//An Inland Voyage// and //Travels with a Donkey//) house themes that anticipate his later Gothic fiction, discusses how //The Amateur Emigrant// dwells in a very Gothic manner on the wretchedness of humanity, and examines the Gothic treatment of Polynesian superstition and tradition in //In the South Seas//. For those studying Stevenson’s works, this article offers some interesting ideas about a fairly large but little-known portion of Stevenson’s writings. __ Websites: __

**Dryden, Linda, Richard Dury, David Benyon, and Hilary Grimes. //The Robert Louis//** **//Stevenson Website//. Edinburgh Napier University, 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 May** **2011.** **<**[]**>.**

**"Robert Louis Stevenson." National Library of Scotland. 2007. Web. 5 May 2011. <** []**>.**

__Chronology:__ ﻿  ** 1850 ** Stevenson is born on November 13 in Edinburgh. for //Travels with a Donkey.// Fanny Osbourne returns to America. ** 1879 ** Writes play //Deacon Brodie//. //Travels with a Donkey// published. Leaves for America and meets Fanny again in California.  ** 1880 ** May 19, marries the recently-divorced Fanny in San Francisco and returns to England. **//An Inland Voyage //** (1878) - a travelogue that recounts Stevenson's 1876 European canoe trip.
 * 1867 ** Stevenson enters Edinburgh University to study engineering
 * 1871 ** Changes field of study to law.
 * 1873 ** Meets Fanny Sitwell and Sidney Colvin
 * 1875 ** Meets W.E. Henley; is admitted to the Scottish bar; visits France, where he meets and falls in love with the already married Mrs. Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne.
 * 1876 ** Embarks on European canoe trip, the subject matter of //An Inland Voyage//.
 * 1878 ** His first book, //An Inland Voyage//, published. Cevennes walking tour, the basis
 * 1881 ** Publishes //Virginibus Puerisque//. While in Scotland, begins //Treasure Island//.
 * 1882 ** Moves to Southern France with Fanny.
 * 1883 ** // Treasure Island // published.
 * 1885 ** Moves to the house Skerryvore in Bournmouth, England. //A Child’s Garden of// //Verses// is published.
 * 1886 ** // Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde // and //Kidnapped// are published
 * 1887 ** Father dies; Stevenson, his mother, Fanny, and his stepson Lloyd sail to New York.
 * 1888 ** Embarks from San Francisco on his first South Seas Voyage.
 * 1889 ** // The Master of Ballantrae // is published; buys Vailima in Samoa.
 * 1890 ** Embarks on an eight-month cruise to Australia and to various South Seas islands; returns to settle in Samoa.    ** 1894 ** Dies of a stroke on Dec. 3 at Vailima, with //Weir of Hermiston// unfinished.    __Major Works:__

**//Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes //** (1878) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**//Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes//** (1879) - describes Stevenson's hiking trip through the Cevennes mountains in France, accompanied only by a stubborn donkey. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">**//Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers//** (1880)

**//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Familiar Studies of Men and Books //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (1882)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**//New Arabian Nights//** (1882)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**//Treasure Island//** (1883)


 * //The Silverado Squatters//** (1884)

**//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">A Child's Garden of Verses //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> (1885)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**//More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter//** (1885)

<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">**//The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde//** (1886) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**//Kidnapped//** (1886)
 * //Prince Otto//** (1885)

<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">**//Memories and Portraits//** (1887) **//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Underwoods //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (1887)
 * // The Merry Men //** (1887)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**//The Black Arrow//** (1888)

**//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> (1888)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Master of Ballantrae //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (1889)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Wrong Box //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (a collaboration with his stepson Lloyd, 1889)
 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ballads //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">(1890)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Father Damien //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> (1890)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">A Footnote to History //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> (1892)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Three Plays //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (1892)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Wrecker //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (collaboration with Lloyd, 1892)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Across the Plains //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> (1892)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">Island Nights' Entertainments //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;"> (1893)


 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Catriona //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">(1893)
 * //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Ebb-Tide //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> (collaboration with Lloyd, 1894)

<span style="background-color: #fbfb98; color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">__ Works Published Posthumously: __ <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">**//The Amateur Emigrant//** <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: small;"> (1895) - Describes Stevenson's 1879 visit to America.

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">//**Songs of Travel and Other Verses**// (1895)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">//**Fables**// (1896)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">//**Weir of Hermiston**// (1896)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">//**In the South Seas**// (1896)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">//**St. Ives**// (1897)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">//**Letters**// (1898)

<span style="background-color: #fbfb98; color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Friends and Family Members:__

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">**Thomas Stevenson (1818-1887) -** Father; a civil engineer who specialized in building light houses.

**Margaret Isabella Balfour (1829-1897) -** Mother

**Thomas Graham Balfour (1858-1929) -** Cousin; wrote //The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson// (1901). <span style="background-color: #fbfb98; color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> **Frances (Fanny) van de Grift Osbourne (1840-1914) -** Wife; an American, and previously married to Samuel Osbourne, whom she divorced in 1880.

**Samuel Lloyd Osbourne (1868-1947) -** Stepson; Frances' son by a former marriage.

**Belle Osbourne Strong (1858-1953)** - Stepdaughter; Frances' daughter by a former marriage.

**Alison Cunningham (1822-1913) -** Nurse; although not technically family, "Cummy" (as Stevenson called her) was a major influence in Stevenson's childhood.


 * Bob Stevenson (1847-1900)** - cousin and lifelong friend.


 * Sidney Colvin (1845-1927)** - Critic and scholar; close friend of Stevenson, who he first met in 1873.


 * Sir Edmund William Gosse (1849-1928)** - Critic, poet, and author. First met Stevenson in 1877 on a ship bound for Erraid, Scotland, where Stevenson, and engineering student, was going to study light house construction.


 * William Ernest Henley (1849-1903)** - writer and critic who first met Stevenson in 1875 while recovering from surgery in the Edinburgh Infirmary. They were excellent friends as young men, but their relationship fell apart as they grew older.


 * Fanny Sitwell (1839-1924)** - Stevenson met and fell in love with Sitwell in 1873. Nothing came of the romance but a lifelong friendship.

__<span style="background-color: #fbfb98; color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">﻿ __ __<span style="background-color: #fbfb98; color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Stevenson's Homes: __

Stevenson moved about most of his life, seldom staying in one place for more than a few months and spending much of his life in hotels. For this reason, I have only included the few places that Stevenson abided in long enough to be considered a home.

**8 Howard Place, Edinburgh** – Stevenson’s birthplace, where he and his parents lived from 1850-1853.

**1 (now 9) Inverleith Terrace, Edinburgh** – Stevenson’s family lived here from 1853 to 1857.

**17 Heriot Row, Edinburgh –** Stevenson’s family moved here in 1857.

**Swantston Cottage** – Located just outside of Edinburgh, this cottage was acquired by Stevenson’s father in 1867 and was used as a holiday home by the Stevenson’s.

**Chalet la Solitude, 4 Rue Victor Basch, Hyeres, France** – Although this is a hotel and not properly a home, Stevenson stayed longer at the Chalet than most other places (from March 1883 to June 1884). He stayed here because of his frail health, but he was forced to return to England when a cholera outbreak in the area proved to be more a threat to his health than the damp of England.

**Skerryvore, 61 Alum Chine Road, Bournemouth, England** – Stevenson lived here from 1885 to 1887 with his wife Fanny. The house was a gift from Stevenson’s father, who was probably attempting to keep his wandering son closer to home.

**Vailima, Samoa** – The house in Samoa that Stevenson built in 1890 and lived in until his death in 1894.



//<span style="background-color: #e2e2b6; color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Five Study Questions // <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">1) How do late Victorian ideas about science and psychology play into //Jekyll and Hyde//?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">2) How are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson similar? How do they differ?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">3) How does Stevenson use setting to create an appropriate atmosphere for the story?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">4) How does Stevenson create and maintain suspense throughout the story? Are there any instances where the reader suspects the truth behind the mystery?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">5) Discuss the theme of the struggle between good and evil. What other themes about human nature can be drawn from the story?