Robert Louis Stevenson Day - Evening Lecture

Robert Louis Stevenson Day - Evening Lecture
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This is a past event

Derek F. Stewart, a second year PhD candidate at the University of Aberdeen will explore the rise of the theatrical imagination within the Victorian popular novel.

Reflecting on the life and writings of Robert Louis Stevenson presents a paradox for readers and scholars alike: he is amongst the most famous of late nineteenth-century writers, but also one of the least well known. Although descended from a family of famous Scottish lighthouse engineers, Stevenson chose to embark upon a literary career that was interspersed, and influenced, by his travels across the globe – the latter more than the former being an activity which has made Stevenson a household name. Treasure Island and the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde can, perhaps, be considered as the narratives which Stevenson is most celebrated for; however, some critics have noted that, whilst these two texts have been reinterpreted and reconfigured through a multitude of film and theatre adaptations, biographical studies of Stevenson’s adventurous life have essentially served to detach the author from his creations. This paper will seek to trace the emergence of Stevenson’s theatrical imagination, an aspect of his writing that functions to undermine this notion that the author’s life and writings are so fundamentally disparate. As well as renegotiating Stevenson’s literary reputation by examining the author’s literal theatrical activity, the first part of this paper will suggest that film and stage adaptations of Stevenson’s work have already partly served to facilitate this process. The second section will examine the sense of theatricality that imbues both Stevenson’s buccaneering adventure story and his gothic novella.Derek F. Stewart's thesis focuses on the writings of Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Charles Reade.

Admission free, no booking required.

Venue
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses
Contact

The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses
Kinnaird Head
Stevenson Road
Fraserburgh
AB43 9DU

Tel: +44 (01346) 511022
Fax: +44 (01346) 515879