Robert Louis Stevenson

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About this book

Walter Alexander Raleigh considers how a writer earns a reputation and what readers can judge in the work before them. His essay on Robert Louis Stevenson grew largely from a lecture given in 1895, and treats the Scottish author's books as examples of literary craft. Raleigh discusses the appeal of the early essays and travel writing, the popularity of Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the energy that runs through Stevenson's varied work.

Admiration here leaves room for disagreement. Raleigh questions one of Stevenson's public letters, weighs the value of playful invention, and argues that restraint can strengthen a rich imagination. His discussion of romance considers how a striking action or image can express feelings that resist direct explanation. Readers interested in criticism will find an account of style, artistic discipline and the pleasure of making stories.

About the author

Walter Alexander Raleigh

Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh (1861-1922) was an English scholar, critic, and essayist who became the first Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford in 1904, after earlier chairs at Liverpool and Glasgow.