Robert Louis Stevenson and the elements of adventure

This thesis explores Robert Louis Stevenson’s re-imagining of adventure narrative through the development of a unique aesthetics of adventure across his oeuvre. From a methodological perspective, it approaches a wide range of Stevenson’s work—manuscripts, letters, and essays in addition to the fiction—through an initial framework of adventure theory. Analysis of individual adventure archetypes within Stevenson’s writing is further enriched through interaction with a wide variety of secondary critical sources. The Introduction commences the investigation of Stevenson’s conceptualisation of the term adventure, with subsequent chapters considering the author’s re-casting of specific topoi central to the tradition of literary adventure. Although every chapter makes reference to a variety of the author’s works, close readings are limited to one text per chapter in which the trope under discussion is employed in an especially compelling manner. Chapter One considers Stevenson’s exploration of chance within adventure and focuses on the opposition between chance and Providence found throughout The Master of Ballantrae. Chapter Two examines the role of Stevenson’s protagonists, an investigation which culminates in the assessment of Jim Hawkins’ ethical agency in Treasure Island. Chapter Three contemplates Stevenson’s extrapolation of the darker elements of adventure narrative, probing his representation of villainy as portrayed in The Ebb-Tide. Chapter Four looks at the author’s frequently subversive manipulation of traditional adventure landscapes and maps out his presentation of the ethical connotations associated with place in The Black Arrow. Chapter Five investigates the destination of adventure, with particular attention placed upon the author’s conceptualisation of homegoing and the essence of home in Kidnapped.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo