Writer Robert Stevenson: biography, works

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

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

Scot by birth, Scot by upbringing and Scot by national spirit - these are the characteristics that very accurately describe a man 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 a person. The future writer was born in Edinburgh, the cultural and political capital of Scotland.

The author's father's ancestors were farmers, millers, gardeners, and his grandfather was a famous engineer who built bridges, lighthouses and breakwaters. Stevenson's grandfather's business was continued by his father and brothers.

On the mother's side, the future writer belonged to the old and famous family of Balfour, who came from the noble clans of the border and plains of Scotland.

Family history, pedigree, deep roots - these are the things that Robert Stevenson was keenly interested in. The biography indicates that, wherever he was, he always remained a true Scot. Even though he was in Polynesia, where the temperature never dropped below 40 degrees, he built a typical Scottish fireplace in his house.

Childhood and youth

Robert Louis Stevenson was an only child. As a child, he suffered a serious illness, which subsequently affected him until the end of his days. Luis often had a fever, he constantly coughed, he did not have enough air. All common biographies point to pulmonary tuberculosis or very severe bronchial problems. Sickness, pallor, weakness and thinness are things that Robert Stevenson suffered all his life. The photo of the author clearly confirms this.

The author remembers his childhood and youth as endless periods of heat, pain and insomnia. The boy was sent to school at the age of six, but due to his condition, his studies were not successful. Lewis changed several schools, personal teachers, for some time studied at a prestigious school for children of famous and we althy parents - the Edinburgh Academy. In obedience to 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 were the things Robert Louis Stevenson was really interested in. Biography indicatesto the fact that he willingly engaged in the practical part of the study, which was carried out on construction sites. The program also included diving into the seabed in a spacesuit, where you could study the underwater terrain and the rocks that served as the basis for the construction of the lighthouse.

After a while, Lewis applied for participation in the competition at the Royal Scottish Society of Sciences, where he presented his poem "A new kind of flashing light for lighthouses", for which he received a silver medal. Two weeks later, in a serious conversation with his father, Stevenson declares that he wants to quit engineering. The father was against literature, so it was decided that the son would become a lawyer. Louis was fine with that. Firstly, being a lawyer gave him more free time, and secondly, Stevenson's well-known countryman, W alter Scott, was also a lawyer, which did not prevent him from becoming a famous writer later. Lewis passed all the exams and received the title of a lawyer, but this was only confirmation that he was in fact a writer.

The beginning of literary activity

For the first time, writer Robert Stevenson announced himself at the age of sixteen. At the expense of his father, a small booklet “The Pentland Rebellion. A Page of History, 1666. Here the young author described two hundred years of peasant uprisings in Scotland. This essay was not known, but already here one could see the author's interest in national history, as well as the desire to be objective and accurate.

The first serious work was the novelRobert Stevenson Roads. The name is very symbolic, because, despite the fact that Stevenson was sickly and weak, his vital necessities and spiritual impulses made him travel a lot.

First trips

In 1876 Stevenson and his friends made a kayak trip along the rivers and canals of France and Belgium. The final destination was Paris, but friends also stayed in riverside 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 inland", and also influenced his subsequent work.

The author describes the process of travel itself, a variety of funny and ridiculous situations that happened during the trip, describes people, their characters and customs. At the same time, he does it easily and unobtrusively, allowing the reader to form his own opinion about everything. It was during this journey that Robert Stevenson met Fanny Osborne, who later became Fanny Stevenson.

Fanny

Frances Mathilde Osborne 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 seclusion after the death of her youngest child. They talked a lot, spent time together, and afterpartings 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 to America, where Fanny lived at that time. The journey was long and difficult.

After arriving in America, he took the long immigrant train from New York to San Francisco. However, Fanny was not there, she moved to Monterrey. Lewis went on another journey. He rode alone on horseback. 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 obstacles, in 1880 Stevenson married Fanny Osborne and returned home with his wife, her children and a we alth of knowledge, impressions and life experience. Fanny and her children accompanied Stevenson on his travels and were with him until his last days.

Stevenson's type of traveler

Traveling played a huge role in the author's work. This theme was not new in literature, but other writers saw the traveler hero differently than Robert Stevenson did. Author's worksdescribe a traveler who behaves illogically and inconsiderately. Such a traveler was most often an artist or a writer. He does not seek any benefits, refuses rewards or additional privileges.

Travel writing Stevenson started traditionally. The journey was portrayed as a short and simple walk, during which all the idiocy of a layman is revealed. Later, other famous writers, including K. Jerome, used this idea in their work.

The experience gained on the first and subsequent travels influenced the author's literary activity, including his most famous work, the novel Treasure Island.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island is undoubtedly Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous novel. The still unfinished work was published in a well-known children's magazine under a pseudonym, but did not bring popularity. Moreover, negative and even indignant responses often came to the editorial office of the magazine. A separate book and with the real name of the author, the novel came out a year later. This time, the novel was a definite 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 by a detailed description of everyday situations, but by the very form of narration. Stevenson makes extensive use of dialogue, which gives the story a more active and dramatic feel.

Despite the fact that the novel is considered youthful and romantic, it is basedthere are serious problems and themes. In particular, we are talking about the problem of the contrast of characters, emotional experiences and the confrontation between good and evil.

Cursed Janet

Robert Louis 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 to turn to what has always been dear to him - Scottish traditions and motives. Despite the fact that the work is relatively small, in it the author managed to very deeply show the human soul, its fears and experiences.

Thanks to a special form of narration, the author managed to make everything real in the story seem fantastic, and everything fantastic - real. At the same time, the story itself is completely logical and believable. The problem of emotional experiences became so interesting to the author, he continues to reveal it further, in particular in the famous story "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".

The Strange Case 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 and morality were presented in a new way. The hero of the story - a smart, respectful, respectable Dr. Jekyll - as a result of an unsuccessful experiment, splits his personality and releases his ugly and evil counterpart, 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 thatexpected from Stevenson, and caused general delight.

The Possessor of Ballantra novel

This work of Lewis is considered one of the darkest, but it was in it that Stevenson reached the pinnacle of his skill. It was in this novel that he connected the two most important themes of his work: the confrontation between good and evil and an 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 the 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.