Robert Louis Stevenson: The Sickly Writer
Many well known pieces of literature were written by one, well-known man, who was this man? The man was Robert Louis Stevenson, an author of many books, poems, and several other pieces of literature. Despite declining health, Stevenson accomplished many great things in his short life. Robert Louis Stevenson's early years, middle years, and later years had a profound impact on many people around the world.
The early years of Robert Louis Stevenson were a large factor in determining the rest of his life. In the town of Edinburg, Scotland , on November 13,1850, a little boy was born. The little boy, who was born to Thomas and Margret Stevenson, was given the name Robert Louis Stevenson (biography.com).
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Although Robert was born healthy, he began to develop several breathing problems. Because of his breathing problems , Stevenson was thin and weak for most of his life (encyclopedia of the world). Despite wavering health, Stevenson determined to follow his father, by majoring in engineering, and help him design light houses. After a year of his studies in engineering, at Edinburg University, Robert changed his major to law. Once collage was done, in 1875, Stevenson decided to abandon law to follow his dream of writing (biography.com). Although Stevenson's early years where wavering, his middle years were very prosperous. A growing family and a strong, successful career gave rise to several prosperous middle years for Stevenson.
One day, in September of 1876, Robert met a lady that captured his attention, this lady was Fanny Osborn. Fanny was thirty six, and although she was married (but separated) with two children, she and Stevenson pursued a relationship. After two years Fanny divorced her husband to be with Stevenson ( encyclopedia Britannica). Although Robert was focused on his relationship, he also was working on his first book. An Inland Voyage , a book that came from a canoe trip through the Belgium and French canals ( encyclopedia of the world ) , was published in 1878 (bio.com). Around the same time that Stevenson published his first book, he also published his first collection of essays entitled Viginibus Presque ( encyclo Britannica). In 1880, after a four year relationship with Fanny, Stevenson was married. Once married, the happy couple took a three week honeymoon to California. The enjoyable vacation, to an abandoned gold mine, sparked the idea for another book titled The Silverado Squatters ( bio.com). After the honeymoon, the new couple decided to move their new family to Switzerland to help with Roberts health problems (encyclo Britannica). Following the Stevenson's move, in 1882, Robert his first book of short fictions titled New Arabian Nights (bio.com). Shortly after moving to Switzerland an epidemic erupted so Robert moved his family to England. Living in England was enjoyable for a period but after several years the climate caused Robert's health to decline. In August of 1887 the family yet again moved, this time to New York ( encyclopedia Britannica). Upon arriving in New York, Stevenson found himself to famous with several publishers and editors (encyclopedia Britannica). With his new found fame, Stevenson published several other books in the 1880's. Some of Roberts pieces where The Treasure of Franchard, published in 1883, and Treasure Island
and Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which were both published in 1886. Although Stevenson was successful in the 1880's, his health was rapidly diminishing. Robert developed hemorrhaging lings that forced him to be bed ridden (bio.com). Through all of his health problems Stevenson still managed to write his most notable piece of literature, Treasure Island. Robert acquired the idea for the book when he saw a treasure map that his twelve year old stepson had drawn. Even though Stevenson wrote the book in bed, by the end of the 1880's Treasure Island was one of the world's most widely spread books ( bio.com) . Strange Cass of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was another huge hit. This fiction book helped to secure Stevenson's reputation and provided ideas for multiple plays and over one hundred movies ( bio.com). The very serious book showed the path of Stevenson's later books ( encyclopedia of the world). Although Robert had a strong career in fictional writing, he decided to make a transition to a more dispassionate style of writing through the work, The Ebb-Tide ; although this piece of literature was never finished, Weir of Hermiston showed the transition vary well (encyclopedia Britannica). These pieces were examples of some of Robert's detective writings ( encyclopedia of world). Stevenson's prosperous middle years had to come to an end and that is when his short later years came about. Robert's later years where marked by tropical living, and sadly an early death. In 1888 the Stevenson family left from California to sail around the islands of the Pacific (bio.com). The traveling was enjoyable for the whole family, but the main purpose for this change was to understand the natives better, and to get more ideas for books (encyclopedia Britannica). Through traveling the Stevensons stopped in Hawaii and became friends with King Kalakaua. After sailing for a year the family settled in the Samoa islands (bio.com). On December 3, 1894, after six years of living and writing in Samoa, Robert died suddenly. Despite breathing problems he had for most of his life, Stevenson actually died from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage (encyclopedia Britannica). Although Robert had a short life, his early years , middle years, and later years have profoundly impacted people all around the world. Even through many health trials, Robert made many profound contributions the world. The pieces that Stevenson wrote are enjoyed today. Through these works Robert Louis Stevenson's legacy still lives on today.
How Robert Louis Stevenson Represents Evil in Jekyll and Hyde? Robert Louis Stevenson intended this tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a penny numbers story, which gave us the sense that this was a simple and cheap novel, yet, it is far more. sophisticated than its audience expected. Robert Louis Stevenson - "The 'Ro captive audience were the Victorians. They were zealots, repressed and highly moral but living through an age of change.
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Saposnik, Irving Robert Louis Stevenson Twayne's English Authors Series, Teas 167 p88-101 .Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1974. Print
Robert Louis Stevenson was an exceptional writer whose life and genius was tragically cut short. Stevenson was born November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His parents were Margaret Isabella Balfour and Thomas Stevenson. As a child, Stevenson was severely ill. “He had a bronchial condition like tuberculosis, which made him choke and hemorrhage, and turned ordinary colds and exhaustion into life-threatening illnesses” (Keen, 1995). He married Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne in 1880. Frank McLynn viewed Steve...
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Mrs. Stevenson, an invalid lady who is waiting at her home impatiently for her husband to come back home from work. Leona became querulous and demanding owing to the fact that she overheard a phone call as the operator accidentally dialed the wrong number and hears two men planning on murdering an unidentified, elderly woman. Becoming increasingly frantic and devastated about what had just happened, the operator will not seem to get her to reconnect the phone call of these two unsuspected men, she tries to call the cops, she tries to get that phone call reported. Mrs. Stevenson dejected and miserable, keeps wanting to trace that phone call but cannot happen because she has no evidence of the two men talking. Eventually, miss Stevenson is told
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