Robert stevenson
Robert stevensonRobert Louis Stevenson began writing during the Victorian era. His style was unlike anyone else’s and his stories are still popular today. Robert Louis Stevenson was an author of many classic novels and his literary success became popular when he wrote the mystery called The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
in 1886 at the young age of thirty-six. He was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father Thomas, was a builder of lighthouses. His mother Margaret came from a family of lawyers and church ministers. Robert chose not to follow in either of his parent’s footsteps. Instead, writing became his passion. Robert’s childhood was plagued with sickness and fever with symptoms of tuberculosis. As a result, regular schooling became difficult, (Cyclopedia of World Authors, 1927). According to Magills Survey of World Literature Stevenson didn’t learn to read until he was 7 years old, but he enjoyed stories told to him by his father of adventure. This enabled Robert’s imagination to grow and he created his own tales. His father was proud of him, but afraid his only son would not succeed in life. His father suggested law school just incase his writing did not succeed. He graduated, but he never practiced law, (1854). Instead, he wanted to travel for adventure and to find good health.
Robert Louis Stevenson began his travels in 1870. In the Life and Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, written by Richard Dury, Dury claims Stevenson first went to France, where he met Fanny Osbourne, an American lady. Stevenson traveled all throughout France, which inspired him to write An Inland Voyage, his first published work. His career as a writer developed slowly, but he continued to have a keen eye for human observation. His own insight into the nature of mankind and human suffering are displayed in his works. The Amateur Emigrant (published in 1894) and The Silverado Squatters (published in 1883) were stories written as a result of his journey to California to marry Fanny. Stevenson traveled back to Scotland after suffering a near death illness in Monterey, (http://www.unibg.it/rls/bio.htm. pg. 1 of 5). It was in the year 1883, he wrote one of his greatest novels, Treasure Island, after playing an imaginary game with his stepson, (Cyclopedia of World Authors, 1928). Stevenson’s experiences and his imagination inspired his writings, but other writers also affected him.
Stevenson had many good friends who were influential in his life. Sidney Colvin was a critic and a mentor to Stevenson and would review his works with praise. Colvin reviewed Stevenson’s...
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