Robert Louis Stevenson
Page 54
‘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