Nature: Travel Literature
Genre: Lyrical Poem
Sub-genre: - Autobiography
Nationality: - British / Scottish
Time Period: - 19th Century
First read by Dr. Rearick: Fall 2005
Rated: A+
Location: - Dr. Rearick's Office and Online E-text
Used for: Introduction to Literature
Scripture which Comes to Mind:
Comments: My examination of these poems began when a colleague of mine, David Lyles, in the School of Arts (Music Department) approached us in the English Department about doing a joint presentation about Robert Lewis Stevenson's Travel Poems. David's interest drew from the fact that Vaughn Williams set several of these works to music.A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up angerProverbs 15:1
Two points hit me after just a preliminary examination of Stevenson's life. The bold independent narrator of the travel poems can not be Stevenson as he was since from his earliest years, Stevenson was medically fragile. So fragile was he in fact that during some times of his life he did not dare wear a coat fearing that the weight might cause hemorrhaging in the lungs.
On the other hand, because of his life long struggle with Turburculousis Stevenson was in fact a life long traveler. In fact he died not in Britain or Scotland but in the South Sea Islands.