Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)The Victorian EraBy Calla BilhornStudent, University of Wisconsin-Rock County
Robert Louis Stevenson by John Singer Sargent
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 TreasureIsland 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."Studiesin 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 LouisStevenson Website. Edinburgh Napier University, 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 May2011.<http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/>.
Chronology:1850 Stevenson is born on November 13 in Edinburgh. 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. 1878His first book, An Inland Voyage, published. Cevennes walking tour, the basis 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. 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 ofVerses 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. 1894Dies of a stroke on Dec. 3 at Vailima, with Weir of Hermiston unfinished.Major Works: An Inland Voyage (1878) - a travelogue that recounts Stevenson's 1876 European canoe trip.
Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes (1878) 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.
N.C. Wyeth, illustration for Kidnapped
Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers (1880)
Familiar Studies of Men and Books (1882)
New Arabian Nights (1882)
Treasure Island (1883)
The Silverado Squatters (1884)
A Child's Garden of Verses (1885)
More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter (1885)
Prince Otto (1885) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
First American edition
Kidnapped (1886)
The Merry Men (1887) Memories and Portraits (1887) Underwoods (1887)
The Black Arrow (1888)
Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin (1888)
The Master of Ballantrae (1889)
The Wrong Box (a collaboration with his stepson Lloyd, 1889)
Kidnapped, first edition
Ballads (1890)
Father Damien (1890)
A Footnote to History (1892)
Three Plays (1892)
The Wrecker (collaboration with Lloyd, 1892)
Across the Plains (1892)
Island Nights' Entertainments (1893)
Catriona (1893)
The Black Arrow, first edition
The Ebb-Tide (collaboration with Lloyd, 1894)
Works Published Posthumously: The Amateur Emigrant(1895) - Describes Stevenson's 1879 visit to America.
Songs of Travel and Other Verses (1895)
Fables (1896)
Weir of Hermiston (1896)
In the South Seas (1896)
St. Ives (1897)
Letters (1898)
Cover illustration by N.C. Wyeth
Friends and Family Members:
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).
Frances van de Grift Osbourne
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.
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.
N.C. Wyeth, Illustration for The Black Arrow
The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Five Study Questions
View Image
1) How do late Victorian ideas about science and psychology play into Jekyll and Hyde?
2) How are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson similar? How do they differ?
3) How does Stevenson use setting to create an appropriate atmosphere for the story?
4) How does Stevenson create and maintain suspense throughout the story? Are there any instances where the reader suspects the truth behind the mystery?
5) Discuss the theme of the struggle between good and evil. What other themes about human nature can be drawn from the story?
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. <http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/>.
"Robert Louis Stevenson." National Library of Scotland. 2007. Web. 5 May 2011. <http://digital.nls.uk/rlstevenson/index.html>.
Chronology:1850 Stevenson is born on November 13 in Edinburgh.
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
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.
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:
An Inland Voyage (1878) - a travelogue that recounts Stevenson's 1876 European canoe trip.
Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes (1878)
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.
Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers (1880)
Familiar Studies of Men and Books (1882)
New Arabian Nights (1882)
Treasure Island (1883)
The Silverado Squatters (1884)
A Child's Garden of Verses (1885)
More New Arabian Nights: The Dynamiter (1885)
Prince Otto (1885)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
Kidnapped (1886)
The Merry Men (1887)
Memories and Portraits (1887)
Underwoods (1887)
The Black Arrow (1888)
Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin (1888)
The Master of Ballantrae (1889)
The Wrong Box (a collaboration with his stepson Lloyd, 1889)
Ballads (1890)
Father Damien (1890)
A Footnote to History (1892)
Three Plays (1892)
The Wrecker (collaboration with Lloyd, 1892)
Across the Plains (1892)
Island Nights' Entertainments (1893)
Catriona (1893)
The Ebb-Tide (collaboration with Lloyd, 1894)
Works Published Posthumously:
The Amateur Emigrant(1895) - Describes Stevenson's 1879 visit to America.
Songs of Travel and Other Verses (1895)
Fables (1896)
Weir of Hermiston (1896)
In the South Seas (1896)
St. Ives (1897)
Letters (1898)
Friends and Family Members:
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).
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.
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.
The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Five Study Questions
2) How are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson similar? How do they differ?
3) How does Stevenson use setting to create an appropriate atmosphere for the story?
4) How does Stevenson create and maintain suspense throughout the story? Are there any instances where the reader suspects the truth behind the mystery?
5) Discuss the theme of the struggle between good and evil. What other themes about human nature can be drawn from the story?