Robert Louis Stevenson Part I

Stevenson’s works have remained popular in the 20th century. Some have been adapted more than once as films. The most famous are of course Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He had a talent for adventure writing but this took its toll on his reputation, making him seem a lightweight writer and children’s writer. He was born in 1850 in Edinburgh, and his family were middle class, lighthouse designers and engineers. He himself was a delicate child. His weak chest did not react well to the damp of Scotland, and he was frequently ill during his school days. His family were Presbyterians, and so was his nanny, Alison Cunningham whom he loved dearly though some of her tales scared him. But she loved him devotedly. Louis as he was called went to school but at times, due to illness he was taught privately. He had a passion for stories, especially about Scottish history. He went to university in Scotland, studying engineering but he had no interest in his work, and did not want to join the family trade of lighthouse design. He wanted to be a writer. He upset his parents by becoming radical in politics and rejecting Christianity… and dressing in a bohemian manner. His family realised he would never make an engineer, and though they were bothered by his student rebellion, they agreed to his trying his hand at writing, though his father wanted him to study Law as a fall back.