Robert Louis Stevenson

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Robert Louis Stevenson Page 54

by Claire Harman


  ‘Skerryvore’ (Bournemouth) 275–7, 291

  Smeaton, John 4, 6

  Smith, ‘Captain’ Anson 182

  Smith, James 2, 5

  Smith, Jean (formerly Stevenson, née Lillie, second wife to Thomas Smith) 2, 3, 5

  Smith, Thomas 2–3, 3–4, 5

  Society for Psychical Research 291

  Southey, Robert: ‘The Inchcape Rock’ 8–9

  Spencer, Herbert 44, 72, 73, 365

  Spiritualist Society 74

  Stephen, (Sir) Leslie 107, 115, 152, 155

  Stevenson, Alan (RLS’s uncle) 12–13, 17, 27

  Stevenson, Charles Alexander (RLS’s cousin) 318

  Stevenson, David (RLS’s uncle) 13, 47, 93–4, 244

  Stevenson, David Alan (RLS’s cousin) 318

  Stevenson, Fanny (RLS’s wife) (formerly Osbourne, née Vandegrift): animosity towards by RLS’s friends 164, 169, 205, 239, 259

  appearance and temperament 126, 135, 136, 147, 201, 238–9, 288, 408, 448

  art studies 125, 135, 136, 154, 178

  attributes 148

  background 125–6

  Bright’s Disease diagnosis 448–9

  contributions to The Dynamiter 271, 273

  and Curtin family plan 320

  at Davos 208

  death 464

  and death of son (Hervey) 138–40

  decision to return to first husband 158–9, 164, 168–9

  delay in divorce 179–80

  diphtheria 198

  disintegration of first marriage and divorce 136–7, 139, 183, 190, 193

  dislike of England 275

  European travels 136–8

  false pregnancy 253–6

  first meeting with RLS 146–7, 148

  at Grezsur-Loing 140

  and Henley’s row with RLS over ‘The Nixie’ 341–2, 343, 345–6, 346–7

  illnesses and ailments 233, 447–9

  life after RLS’s death 459–60

  living in Bournemouth 275–6, 288–9

  living at Saranac 335

  marriage to Sam Osbourne and life in America 125, 126–34, 152

  mental state and nervous problems 137, 140, 233, 238–9, 346–7, 430, 431–2, 450

  in Monterey 177–8

  and mother-in-law 201, 236, 350

  and Pacific cruise 364, 371

  preface to A Child’s Garden of Verses 28

  and Prince Otto 250, 251, 294–5

  relationship with daughter Belle 135, 186–7, 254

  relationship with Henley 186, 205, 271, 342–3, 348–9

  relationship with Lloyd 180–1

  relationship with and marriage to RLS 150–1, 154–5, 157, 159, 179–80, 194–5, 220, 232–3, 234, 236, 282–3, 289, 347, 350, 432–3

  reunion with RLS in Monterey 178–9

  and RLS’s ill-health 21, 154, 239, 259, 262–3

  in Samoa 405, 407, 421

  smoking 130, 148

  strains in relationship with RLS 407, 430–3, 449–50

  and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 27, 295–6

  view of Fables 447

  writing career 271, 289, 334, 341, 404

  Stevenson, Jane (née Smith, RLS’s grandmother) 5–6, 10

  Stevenson, Katharine (RLS’s cousin) see de Mattos, Katharine

  Stevenson, Louisa (née Purland) (wife to Bob) 232, 349

  Stevenson, Margaret Isabella (née Balfour

  RLS’s mother) 15–16, 22, 322: in America with RLS 329

  background 15

  birth of RLS 17

  courtship and marriage 16

  death 459

  and Fanny 201 236, 350

  and Frances Sitwell 105

  and husband’s rages 93

  ill-health and hypochondria 16–17, 31

  nature and talents 15–16

  and Pacific cruise 355, 358–9, 363

  reaction to RLS’s declaration of non-belief in Christian religion 79–80

  relationship with RLS 76, 93, 105, 350

  return to San Francisco after Pacific cruise 375

  and RLS’s writing 99

  in Samoa 399, 419–20, 420–1, 424, 447

  view of RLS’s marriage to Fanny 200–1

  Stevenson, Robert (RLS’s grandfather) 2, 3, 4–8, 9, 10, 11, 17

  Stevenson, Robert Alan Mowbray (RLS’s cousin, ‘Bob’) 17, 27, 51, 74, 77–8, 95, 140: appearance and character 78

  and art history 291

  art studies 77–8

  education 37, 42

  and Fanny Osbourne 149

  and Henley’s row with RLS 349

  marriage 232, 349

  relationship with RLS 13, 76–7, 78, 349

  travels with RLS 119

  view of by RLS’s parents 92

  STEVENSON, ROBERT LEWIS BALFOUR (‘LOUIS’)

  Early Years

  birth and naming of 17

  changes name from Lewis to Louis 43

  character as a child 26, 31

  childhood and upbringing 18–20, 54, 243

  confession to parents of non-belief in Christian religion 79–80, 92–3

  diving experience 49–50

  and drawing 26

  education 26–7, 31–2, 34–5, 37

  engineering apprenticeship in family firm 46–7, 48–51, 62–3

  engineering student at Edinburgh 42–3, 52, 53, 54–5, 60–1, 66–7, 70, 76–7

  friendship with cousin Bob 76–7, 78

  growing interest in writing 25–6, 33

  health tours with parents 31, 32

  holidays at Swanston 40–1

  ill-health in childhood 18, 20

  and Jenkins’ theatricals 71, 75

  law studies 68, 69, 111, 122

  lighthouse tours with father 35, 62

  looked after by ‘Cummy’ 19, 21–2, 25, 27

  love of Skelt’s Juvenile Drama 30

  melancholia 53, 59

  nightmares 22–3, 27, 61–2

  relationship with parents 33–4, 35–6, 40, 64–5, 93

  and religion 26

  stays at Cockfield Rectory 80–90

  visits grandfather and aunt Jane at Colinton Manse 27–30

  women and sexual experiences 56–9

  Health

  depression 141, 160, 164, 198

  develops ophthalmia 243, 261–2

  diagnoses 169–70, 262, 265, 332

  Fanny’s concern for 154, 239, 259, 262–3

  ’flu 266

  haemorrhages 193, 235, 243, 262, 265

  illnesses and ailments 169–70, 173, 181–2, 193, 239–40, 243, 259–63, 265–6, 368, 402

  improvement in Samoa 423

  migraines 451

  nervous symptoms and disorders 95–6, 97, 104, 119, 211

  Osler-Rendu-Weber Syndrome thesis 332–3

  parents’ concern for 75–6

  prescribed morphine 266–7

  spitting blood 193, 203, 224, 261, 262, 401

  susceptible to viruses 76

  thinness 76, 95, 189, 200, 239

  tubercular symptoms 193–4, 206–7

  Personal Life

  accusations of fathering illegitimate baby 189

  ancestry and lighthouse heritage 2–10

  appearance 52, 55, 63, 104, 213, 288, 395, 407

  attractiveness to other men 212, 213–14

  chain-smoking 207, 331, 427, 451

  characteristics and behaviour 40, 57, 73, 76, 83–4, 107, 145, 151, 209, 211, 213, 376, 408

  condemnation of Trudeau’s research 333–4, 446

  correspondence with Frances Sitwell 84, 85–6, 90–2, 94, 99, 102, 113, 141

  and death of Ferrier 257–8

  death and funeral 456–7

  and death of Jenkin 293

  ‘doubleness’ 305

  dress style 55, 56, 107, 211

  drug experiences 98–9

  family history 10–17

  and Fanny’s false pregnancy 253–6

  finances 165–6, 236<
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  generosity 165

  interest in evolutionary theory 72–3

  interest in South Seas and Polynesia 357–8, 433

  interest in the subconscious 298–300

  joins Savile Club 107

  law career 122–4

  letter criticising Revd Dr Hyde 399–401

  letter-writing 340, 411–12

  living in Bournemouth 275–7, 288–92, 317, 323

  marriage to and relationship with Fanny 194–5, 220, 232–3, 234, 236, 282–3, 289, 347, 350, 432–3

  nightmares 267

  plan to help Curtin family in Ireland 319–20

  political views 173, 274, 318–19

  portrait of by Sargent 277–8, 328

  quarrel with Henley 339–50, 368–9, 412, 413

  relationship with father 33–4, 35–6, 40, 56, 78–9, 94–5, 156–7, 275, 317–18

  relationship with Frances Sitwell 81, 82, 84, 85–6, 87–8, 90, 102–3, 106, 112–14, 218

  relationship with mother 76, 93, 105, 350

  relationship with parents 104, 105, 156, 170, 173–4

  relationship with stepdaughter Belle 429–30, 433

  relationship with stepson Lloyd 216, 309, 310, 311, 312, 351, 374

  and religion 70, 74, 79–80

  remains childless 217

  return to Scotland after living in America (1880) 199–203

  and Scottishness 201–2

  and spiritualism 74

  strains in relationship with Fanny 407, 430–3, 449–50

  view of women’s rights 59

  and war games 216, 230, 317

  Travels

  America (1887) 325–30

  Barbizon (France) (1875) 119–21, 122–3

  canoe holiday (1876) 142–5

  crosses America (1879) 170–90

  in Davos (1880–81) 203–10, 216, 219–20, 230, 233

  Gilbert Islands 378–84

  Hawaii 371–3

  house in Hyères-les-Palmiers (‘La Solitude’) 244, 257

  house in Saint Marcel 236, 238

  lives in Silverado (California) 196–9

  Marquesas Islands 360–7

  in Menton (1873) 96, 97–100

  Molokai 376–7

  in Montpellier (1882) 235–6

  in San Francisco (1879–80) 190–5

  South Seas cruise (1890) 402–42

  stays at Saranac Lake (New York State) 330–5

  in Sydney 398–9, 401, 404, 447–8

  Tahiti 367–71, 375

  walking tour through Cévennes (1878) 160–4

  yacht cruise to Pacific islands (1888) 352–7

  see also Samoa

  Writing Career

  apprenticeship 39, 46

  attempt at collaboration with friends 167–8

  and copyright 8

  descriptive technique 436

  determination to be an author 44, 51, 53

  earnings 165, 203, 215, 252, 329–30, 414, 452

  Edinburgh Edition of works 452

  and editors 418

  false starts and unfinished works 108–9, 153, 230–1, 238, 246, 434

  fame 426–7, 428

  first appearance in print 99–100

  influence of engineering experiences on 62, 63–4

  inhibitions about writing full-length novel 246–7

  literary projects during teens 44–5, 47–8, 51, 62

  pattern of collaborations 272

  pleasure in beginning stories 44

  popularity in America 327–8, 329, 354

  publication of first book 157

  representation of women 248, 309, 454

  reviews 145–6, 251, 384, 413, 414

  rewriting of The Wrong Box 153, 351, 373, 384

  and Scottishness/Scots language 42, 316, 367, 435

  suffers from writer’s cramp 429

  and Tahiti 370

  on theory of writing 279–80, 284

  variety of subject-matter 437–8

  view of by fellow writers 428–9

  writer’s block 443, 444

  Essays

  ‘An Apology for Idlers’ 145

  ‘A Ball at Mr Elsinare’s’ 151–2

  ‘A Chapter on Dreams’ 60–1, 168, 298–300, 332

  ‘Child’s Play’ 20

  ‘The Coast of Fife’ 62

  ‘The Education of an Engineer’ 62

  ‘El Dorado’ 164

  Familiar Studies of Men and Books (collection) 215

  ‘The Foreigner at Home’ 42–3

  ‘Forest Notes’ 119–20

  ‘The Genesis of the Master of Ballantrae’ 335–6

  ‘A Humble Remonstrance’ 279–80, 284, 435

  ‘John Knox and his Relations to Women’ 99

  ‘The Lantern-Bearers’ 332

  ‘Lay Morals’ 73, 167

  ‘A Letter to a Young Gentleman who Proposes to Embrace the Career of Art’ 310

  ‘The Manse’ 20

  ‘Memoirs of an Islet’ 62

  ‘Memoirs of Myself’ 27

  ‘My First Book’ 108, 225, 227, 229, 246

  ‘An Old Song’ 152

  ‘On the Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places’ 62

  ‘On Falling in Love’ 145, 150

  ‘Ordered South’ 98, 103

  ‘Pastoral’ 41

  ‘A Penny Plain and Twopence Coloured’ 255

  ‘Roads’ 84, 95, 99–100

  ‘Rosa Quo Locarum’ 62

  ‘A Studio of Ladies’ 151

  ‘Talk and Talkers’ 58, 78, 231, 232

  ‘Virginibus Puerisque’ 21, 141–2, 145

  Virginibus Puerisque (collection) 103, 215

  Non-Fiction and Travel Books

  Across the Plains 175, 176

  The Amateur Emigrant 172–3, 188, 215–16

  ‘An Appeal to the Clergy of the Church of Scotland’ (pamphlet) 110–11

  articles for Cornhill Magazine 191

  articles for Edinburgh University Magazine 65

  articles for Scribner’s Magazine 329, 330, 332

  Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes 155–6, 167

  Footnote to History: Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa 414, 441–2

  An Inland Voyage 142–5, 145–6, 157

  In the South Seas 360, 376, 380, 382–3, 388, 404, 414

  ‘Memoirs of Himself 192

  ‘The Pentland Rising: A Page of History’ 37–40

  planned biography of Duke of Wellington 230

  planned book on Act of Union 202–3, 210, 215, 222

  Records of a Family of Engineers 5, 9–10, 35, 367, 423

  The Silverado Squatters 202, 231

  ‘The South Seas: A Record of Three Cruises’ 414

  Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes 162–3, 165, 167

  Novels

  The Black Arrow 245, 252, 253, 329

  Catriona 42, 367, 434–6

  The Ebb-Tide 46, 367, 387, 404, 443–6, 454

  ‘The Hair Trunk’ (unfinished) 357

  St Ives 434, 453

  Weir of Hermiston 42, 367, 434, 453–5

  The Wrecker 121, 192, 385, 386–91, 401, 404

  ‘The Young Chevalier’ 419, 434

  see also Kidnapped, The Master of Ballantrae, Prince Otto, The Strange Case of Dr jekyll and Mr Hyde, Treasure Island, The Wrong Box

  Plays

  Admiral Guinea 265, 268–70

  Beau Austin 265, 268, 412–13

  collaboration with Henley 245, 265, 267–8, 270, 271

  fails to witness performances of 270

  ideas for 291–2

  Macaire 267–8

  ‘Monmouth: A Tragedy’ 45, 48, 51

  see also Deacon Brodie

  Poetry

  Ballads 413–14

  A Child’s Garden of Verses 3, 20, 25, 28, 240–3, 254–5, 291

  early verses 55–6, 57–8

  ‘The Feast of Famine’ 367

  ‘Foreign Lands’ 20

  ‘God gave to me a child in part’ 255–6

&nbs
p; ‘In Memoriam F.A.S.’ 218–19

  ‘The Last Sight’ 321

  ‘The Mirror Speaks’ 281

  ‘My Kingdom’ 20

  ‘Requiem’ 182

  ‘The Song of Rahéro’ 367

  Underwoods 315–16

  ‘Voces Fidelium’ 47–8

  ‘The Woodman’ 409

  Stories

  ‘The Beach of Falesá’ (novella) 381, 387, 404, 415, 416–19, 437

  ‘The Body Snatcher’ 221, 284, 295

  ‘The Bottle Imp’ 415–16

  The Dynamiter 271–2, 272–5, 291, 390

  Fables 109–10, 446–7

  ‘The House of Eld’ 109

  ‘A Lodging for the Night’ 152, 153

  ‘Markheim’ 145, 284–8

  ‘The Merry Men’ 62, 203, 221–2

  New Arabian Nights 77, 153, 157–8, 160, 231

  ‘Olalla’ 151, 308–9

  ‘The Pavilion on the Links’ 62, 167, 187, 188

  ‘The Persons of the Tale’ 446–7

  ‘Providence and the Guitar’ 167

  ‘The Sire de Malétroit’s Door’ 153

  ‘The Song of the Morrow’ 109, 110

  ‘The Story of a Lie’ 167, 173–4, 187

  ‘Thrawn Janet’ 62, 203, 221, 435

  ‘The Touchstone’ 109, 110

  ‘The Travelling Companion’ 258

  ‘The Treasure of Franchard’ 418

  ‘The Two Falconers of Cairnstane’ 109

  ‘Will o’ the Mill’ 153

  Stevenson, Thomas (RLS’s father) 8, 10, 224: beliefs 14

  business problems 244, 318

  character 13–14

  childhood and education 11–12

  concern over RLS’s American travels 185, 193

  courtship and marriage 15–16

  criticism of Admiral Guinea 270

  and death of father 17

  death and funeral 321

  deterioration of health 275, 317

  engineering career 3, 12, 35

  essays published 43–4

  ill-health and hypochondria 111–12

  initial opposition to RLS marrying Fanny 185–6

  and Kidnapped 313

  rages and mood swings 93–4

  reaction to RLS’s confession of non-belief in Christian religion 79–80, 92

  relationship with RLS 33–4, 35–6, 40, 56, 78–9, 94–5, 156–7, 275, 317–18

  RLS’s obituary tribute to 14

  and RLS’s writing 38, 39–40, 67–8

  sets up Magdalen Mission 14–15

  takes RLS on lighthouse tours 35, 62

  and Treasure Island 225

  view of Bob Stevenson 92, 92–3

  view of evolutionary theory 72

  view of own shortcomings 14

  view of women 14–15, 56

  wants RLS to join family firm 35, 38

  will 321–2

  Stoddard, Charles Warren 134, 178, 358

  Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The 61, 145, 167, 214, 157–8, 295–308, 323: composition 295–7

 

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