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Excerpt ​

Excerpt from The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson — Volume 1, by Robert Louis Stevenson

          STUDENT DAYS AT EDINBURGH<br />
            TRAVELS AND EXCURSIONS<br />

INTRODUCTORY 3
LETTERS:—
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 15
To the Same 17
To the Same 19
To the Same 20
To Mrs. Churchill Babington 24
To Alison Cunningham 26
To Charles Baxter 27
To the Same 29
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 30
To the Same 32
To the Same 33
To Thomas Stevenson 36
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 38
To Charles Baxter 40
II

           STUDENT DAYS—_continued_<br />
                ORDERED SOUTH<br />

LETTERS:—
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 48
To Mrs. Sitwell 49
To the Same 51
To the Same 53
To the Same 57
To the Same 61
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 62
To Mrs. Sitwell 65
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 67
To the Same 69
To Mrs. Sitwell 71
To the Same 73
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 74
To Mrs. Sitwell 75
To the Same 77
To the Same 79
To the Same 81
To the Same 83
To Sidney Colvin 84
To Mrs. Sitwell 85
To Sidney Colvin 87
To Mrs. Sitwell 88
To the Same 88
To the Same 91
To the Same 92
To the Same 95
To the Same 95
III

             ADVOCATE AND AUTHOR<br />
        EDINBURGH—PARIS—FONTAINEBLEAU<br />

LETTERS:—
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 104
To Mrs. Sitwell 104
To Sidney Colvin 106
To Charles Baxter 109
To Sidney Colvin 110
To Mrs. Sitwell 111
To Mrs. de Mattos 112
To Mrs. Sitwell 114
To Sidney Colvin 115
To the Same 115
To Mrs. Sitwell 116
To W. E. Henley 117
To Mrs. Sitwell 118
To Sidney Colvin 119
To Mrs. Sitwell 120
To A. Patchett Martin 121
To the Same 122
To Sidney Colvin 124
To the Same 125
To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 126
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 126
To the Same 127
To W. E. Henley 128
To Charles Baxter. 128
To Mrs. Thomas Stevenson 129
To W. E. Henley 129
To Edmund Gosse 130
To W. E. Henley 132
To Edmund Gosse 134
To Sidney Colvin 136
To Edmund Gosse 136
IV

Explanation ​

The excerpt you’ve provided is not a literary text in itself but rather a table of contents from The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson — Volume 1, a collection of Stevenson’s personal correspondence edited and published posthumously. Since there is no actual text to analyze (only a structural outline of letters), I’ll instead break down the context, themes, literary significance, and structural insights this table of contents reveals about Stevenson’s life, his epistolary style, and the broader implications of his letters.

1. Context: Who Was Robert Louis Stevenson? ​

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, best known for classics like Treasure Island (1883), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), and Kidnapped (1886). His letters, however, offer a more intimate portrait of the man behind the myths—his struggles with illness, his restless spirit, his relationships, and his evolution as a writer.

This volume covers three key phases of his early adulthood:

  • Student Days at Edinburgh (1867–1873): His time at the University of Edinburgh, where he studied engineering (under family pressure) before switching to law. This period was marked by rebellion, literary ambitions, and health crises (likely tuberculosis).
  • Ordered South (1873–1879): After a near-fatal hemorrhage, Stevenson was sent to warmer climates (France, Switzerland) for his health. This period saw his first published works and his bohemian lifestyle.
  • Advocate and Author (1875–1880s): Though he qualified as a lawyer, he never practiced, instead pursuing writing full-time. This section includes his time in Paris and Fontainebleau, where he mingled with artists and writers.

2. Themes in the Letters (Inferred from the Table of Contents) ​

While the table of contents doesn’t provide direct quotations, the recipients and frequency of letters hint at recurring themes:

A. Family and Filial Duty vs. Independence ​

  • Mrs. Thomas Stevenson (his mother): The most frequent recipient, suggesting a close but complex relationship. Stevenson’s letters to her often reveal guilt (for disappointing her by abandoning engineering/law), affection, and a desire for her approval.
  • Thomas Stevenson (his father): Far fewer letters, implying a more strained relationship. His father, a lighthouse engineer, embodied the practical, respectable path Stevenson rejected.
  • Alison Cunningham (his childhood nanny): A maternal figure who encouraged his storytelling. Her presence in the early letters suggests nostalgia for childhood.

Significance: Stevenson’s struggle between familial expectation and artistic freedom is a central tension in his life and work (e.g., Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a metaphor for duality).

B. Illness and Mortality ​

  • The section "Ordered South" reflects his lifelong battle with tuberculosis. Letters to Mrs. Sitwell (a family friend and confidante) and others during this period likely discuss his health, frustration, and the existential weight of being a "invalid."
  • His travels to warmer climates (France, Switzerland) were medical necessities, but they also shaped his writing (e.g., Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, 1879).

Significance: Illness fueled his urgency to write and his fascination with death (seen in Jekyll and Hyde and The Master of Ballantrae).

C. Literary Ambition and Creative Struggle ​

  • Sidney Colvin (a mentor and later biographer) and W.E. Henley (a poet and collaborator) appear frequently in the later sections, indicating Stevenson’s immersion in literary circles.
  • Charles Baxter (a lifelong friend and later his financial agent) was a sounding board for his creative and personal dilemmas.
  • Edmund Gosse (a critic and friend) suggests Stevenson’s engagement with the London literary scene.

Significance: The shift from family-dominated correspondence to letters with writers/editors marks his transition from a struggling student to a professional author.

D. Wanderlust and Escape ​

  • The geographic headings (Edinburgh → Paris → Fontainebleau) mirror Stevenson’s restlessness. His letters often describe landscapes, cultures, and the romantic allure of travel.
  • His later works (Kidnapped, Treasure Island) reflect this love of adventure.

Significance: Travel was both a physical necessity (for health) and a metaphorical escape from Victorian constraints.

3. Literary Devices and Epistolary Style ​

While we can’t analyze specific passages, Stevenson’s letters are known for:

  • Vivid Imagery: Even in personal correspondence, he painted scenes with novelistic detail (e.g., describing the French countryside or his sickroom).
  • Wit and Irony: His humor often masked deeper anxieties (e.g., joking about his "lung troubles" while fearing death).
  • Dialogic Intimacy: Letters to his mother are tender; those to Henley or Colvin are more intellectual and playful.
  • Self-Deprecation: He frequently downplayed his talents, calling his work "trash" even as he sought validation.

Example (from a later letter not in this excerpt):

"I have been ill again… but I have written a little, and what is more, I have enjoyed life like a child." —This blends pathos, resilience, and joy, typical of his style.

4. Significance of the Letters ​

A. Biographical Insight ​

  • The letters humanize Stevenson, countering the "adventure writer" myth. They reveal his vulnerabilities, financial worries, and the effort behind his "effortless" prose.
  • His relationship with his mother (both nurturing and stifling) is a recurring motif.

B. Literary Influence ​

  • His letters influenced later writers (e.g., Henry James admired their "charm and spontaneity").
  • They provide context for his fiction. For example, his fascination with duality (seen in Jekyll and Hyde) is echoed in his letters about his own "split" life (sickly invalid vs. adventurous spirit).

C. Victorian Epistolary Culture ​

  • Letter-writing was an art form in the 19th century, and Stevenson’s letters exemplify how personal correspondence could be literary.
  • They also reflect the gendered dynamics of the time: letters to women (e.g., Mrs. Sitwell) are often more emotional; those to male friends are more intellectual or humorous.

D. Posthumous Legacy ​

  • Stevenson’s wife, Fanny Osbourne, and Colvin edited these letters, shaping his public image. Some scholars argue they omitted more controversial passages (e.g., his bohemian lifestyle in France).

5. Structural Observations from the Table of Contents ​

  • Chronological Progression: The sections mirror Stevenson’s life stages, from student to invalid to author.
  • Shifting Recipients: Early letters are family-heavy; later ones include literary figures, showing his expanding world.
  • Repetition of "To the Same": Highlights his deep reliance on a few key relationships (e.g., Mrs. Sitwell, Colvin).
  • Geographic Headings: Emphasizes how place shaped his identity and work.

6. Key Takeaways from the Excerpt (Table of Contents) ​

  1. A Life in Letters: Stevenson’s correspondence is as vital to understanding him as his fiction. The table of contents acts as a "map" of his emotional and professional journey.
  2. The Burden of Heritage: The tension between his family’s expectations (engineering/law) and his artistic calling is a central drama.
  3. Illness as a Catalyst: His health crises forced him into travel and writing, ironically making him one of the most adventurous writers of his time.
  4. The Writer’s Network: His relationships with editors, mentors, and friends were crucial to his development.
  5. Duality: The contrast between his public persona (adventurer) and private struggles (invalid) mirrors themes in his fiction.

Final Thought ​

This table of contents is a skeleton key to Stevenson’s early life. While it lacks the flesh of his actual words, it reveals the rhythm of his relationships, the arc of his ambitions, and the geography of his soul. To fully grasp his genius, one must read the letters themselves—but even this outline tells a story of a man torn between duty and desire, sickness and vitality, Edinburgh and the wide world.

Would you like an analysis of a specific letter from this collection? I could provide a deeper dive into one of the actual texts!