Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Dynamiter, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Something, however, was amiss. His vast and accurate calculations on the
fly-leaves of books, or on the backs of playbills, appeared to have been
an idle sacrifice of time. By these, he had variously computed the
weekly takings of the house, from sums as modest as five-and-twenty
shillings, up to the more majestic figure of a hundred pounds; and yet,
in despite of the very elements of arithmetic, here he was making
literally nothing.
This incongruity impressed him deeply and occupied his thoughtful leisure
on the balcony; and at last it seemed to him that he had detected the
error of his method. ‘This,’ he reflected, ‘is an age of generous
display: the age of the sandwich-man, of Griffiths, of Pears’ legendary
soap, and of Eno’s fruit salt, which, by sheer brass and notoriety, and
the most disgusting pictures I ever remember to have seen, has overlaid
that comforter of my childhood, Lamplough’s pyretic saline. Lamplough
was genteel, Eno was omnipresent; Lamplough was trite, Eno original and
abominably vulgar; and here have I, a man of some pretensions to
knowledge of the world, contented myself with half a sheet of note-paper,
a few cold words which do not directly address the imagination, and the
adornment (if adornment it may be called) of four red wafers! Am I,
then, to sink with Lamplough, or to soar with Eno? Am I to adopt that
modesty which is doubtless becoming in a duke? or to take hold of the red
facts of life with the emphasis of the tradesman and the poet?’
Pursuant upon these meditations, he procured several sheets of the very
largest size of drawing-paper; and laying forth his paints, proceeded to
compose an ensign that might attract the eye, and at the same time, in
his own phrase, directly address the imagination of the passenger.
Something taking in the way of colour, a good, savoury choice of words,
and a realistic design setting forth the life a lodger might expect to
lead within the walls of that palace of delight: these, he perceived,
must be the elements of his advertisement. It was possible, upon the one
hand, to depict the sober pleasures of domestic life, the evening fire,
blond-headed urchins and the hissing urn; but on the other, it was
possible (and he almost felt as if it were more suited to his muse) to
set forth the charms of an existence somewhat wider in its range or,
boldly say, the paradise of the Mohammedan. So long did the artist waver
between these two views, that, before he arrived at a conclusion, he had
finally conceived and completed both designs. With the proverbially
tender heart of the parent, he found himself unable to sacrifice either
of these offsprings of his art; and decided to expose them on alternate
days. ‘In this way,’ he thought, ‘I shall address myself indifferently
to all classes of the world.’
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Dynamiter by Robert Louis Stevenson
Context of The Dynamiter
The Dynamiter (1885) is a collaborative novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepdaughter, Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson. It is a collection of interconnected stories centered around anarchist conspiracies in late 19th-century London. The novel blends dark humor, satire, and social commentary, particularly on the rise of advertising, capitalism, and the absurdities of modern commercial culture.
This excerpt focuses on a character (likely Zero, one of the novel’s eccentric anarchists) who is frustrated by his failure to attract lodgers to a boarding house despite his meticulous financial calculations. His realization leads him to adopt aggressive, sensationalist advertising—mirroring the real-world rise of garish commercial promotion in Victorian England.
Themes in the Excerpt
The Power of Advertising and Commercial Vulgarity
- The passage critiques the shift from refined, understated marketing (symbolized by Lamplough’s pyretic saline) to loud, obnoxious, and omnipresent advertising (exemplified by Eno’s fruit salt).
- The narrator contrasts genteel modesty (Lamplough) with brash commercialism (Eno), suggesting that in the modern age, vulgarity sells.
- The character’s dilemma—whether to embrace aristocratic restraint or tradesman’s boldness—reflects broader anxieties about the commercialization of society.
The Illusion of Rational Calculation vs. Irrational Consumer Behavior
- The character’s mathematical precision ("vast and accurate calculations") fails because he underestimates the psychological and emotional aspects of advertising.
- His initial approach (a "few cold words" and "four red wafers") is too rational; he realizes that imagination and sensation (not logic) drive consumer decisions.
The Duality of Human Desires
- The character debates between two advertising strategies:
- Domestic tranquility ("sober pleasures of domestic life, the evening fire, blond-headed urchins")
- Sensual indulgence ("the paradise of the Mohammedan")
- This reflects Victorian hypocrisy—public morality vs. private desires—and the way advertisers exploit both respectability and hedonism.
- The character debates between two advertising strategies:
Satire of Modern Capitalism
- Stevenson mocks the absurdity of consumer culture, where gaudy spectacle (not quality) determines success.
- The character’s decision to alternate advertisements is a comic solution, suggesting that capitalism thrives on contradiction—appealing to both puritans and libertines.
Literary Devices & Stylistic Analysis
Irony & Satire
- The character’s serious financial calculations are undermined by the absurdity of his advertising epiphany.
- The comparison between Lamplough (genteel but forgotten) and Eno (vulgar but successful) is a satirical jab at Victorian commercialism.
- The phrase "the paradise of the Mohammedan" is a deliberately provocative way to describe hedonistic advertising, playing on Orientalist stereotypes for comic effect.
Juxtaposition & Contrast
- Lamplough vs. Eno → Old-world refinement vs. new-world brashness
- Domestic vs. Sensual advertising → Victorian morality vs. hidden desires
- "Modesty of a duke" vs. "emphasis of the tradesman and the poet" → Class pretensions vs. commercial reality
Hyperbole & Exaggeration
- "the most disgusting pictures I ever remember to have seen" → Emphasizes the shock value of modern ads.
- "an ensign that might attract the eye and directly address the imagination" → Mocks the grandiosity of advertising claims.
Stream of Consciousness & Internal Monologue
- The passage mimics the character’s thought process, moving from frustration to epiphany to action.
- His self-questioning ("Am I, then, to sink with Lamplough, or to soar with Eno?") makes the satire more personal and relatable.
Symbolism
- Lamplough’s pyretic saline → Fading tradition, gentility, and obscurity
- Eno’s fruit salt → Aggressive modernity, mass marketing, and vulgarity
- The two advertisements → The dual nature of human desire (respectability vs. indulgence)
Significance of the Passage
Critique of Victorian Consumer Culture
- Stevenson highlights how advertising manipulates desires, reducing human experience to commodified fantasies.
- The character’s shift from logic to spectacle mirrors the rise of mass marketing in the late 19th century.
The Anarchist as a Capitalist Satirist
- Though The Dynamiter deals with anarchist plots, this passage suggests that true rebellion in modern society is commercial—subverting norms through advertising rather than bombs.
- The character’s advertising scheme is a comic form of sabotage, exposing the absurdity of capitalism.
The Artist’s Dilemma
- The character sees himself as both a poet (creative) and a tradesman (practical), reflecting Stevenson’s own dual role as a literary artist and a popular storyteller.
- His inability to choose between the two ads suggests that modern life demands contradiction.
Predicting Modern Marketing
- Stevenson anticipates the 20th-century advertising boom, where emotion and spectacle dominate over reason and quality.
- The passage is remarkably prescient about how capitalism thrives on manufactured desire.
Line-by-Line Breakdown (Key Moments)
"His vast and accurate calculations... appeared to have been an idle sacrifice of time."
- Introduces the failure of rational economics—his math doesn’t match reality.
"This is an age of generous display: the age of the sandwich-man, of Griffiths, of Pears’ legendary soap..."
- Catalog of vulgar advertising—Stevenson names real brands (Pears’ soap was famous for its sentimental ads, Eno’s for aggressive marketing).
- "Generous display" is ironic—it’s not generosity, but shameless self-promotion.
"Lamplough was genteel, Eno was omnipresent; Lamplough was trite, Eno original and abominably vulgar."
- Key contrast: Refinement loses to brutality in the marketplace.
- "Abominably vulgar"—Stevenson’s disdain for modern commercialism.
"Am I, then, to sink with Lamplough, or to soar with Eno?"
- Existential question: Adapt or die in the new economic order.
- "Soar with Eno" implies vulgarity is the path to success.
"Something taking in the way of colour, a good, savoury choice of words, and a realistic design..."
- Blueprint for modern advertising: Visuals + emotional language + fantasy.
"the paradise of the Mohammedan"
- Orientalist fantasy—exotic, sensual, taboo for Victorians.
- Shows how ads exploit forbidden desires.
"In this way, I shall address myself indifferently to all classes of the world."
- Capitalist logic: Appeal to everyone by being everything.
- "Indifferently"—no moral stance, just profit-driven flexibility.
Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters
This excerpt is a brilliant satire of Victorian commercialism, advertising psychology, and the hypocrisies of capitalism. Stevenson uses humor and exaggeration to expose how modern life rewards vulgarity over virtue, spectacle over substance, and desire over reason. The character’s advertising scheme is both absurd and prophetic, foreshadowing the 20th century’s consumer culture, where image and emotion dominate economics.
Ultimately, the passage asks: In a world where Eno’s crude ads outshine Lamplough’s refinement, what does it mean to succeed—and at what cost?