[Julia Reid] Robert Louis Stevenson, Science, and the Fin de Siecle (Palgrave Studies in Nineteenth-Century Writing and Culture)(pdf){Zzzzz}[BЯ]

In the first book about Robert Louis Stevenson and evolutionary science, Julia Reid argues that a fascination with 'primitive' life lies at the heart of his work. Reid demonstrates that Stevenson engaged critically with evolutionary science and unsettled evolutionist assumptions about progress from 'savagery' to 'civilization'. The book offers original readings of a wide range of his writings, from Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Treasure Island to previously unpublished archival material. It provides a new understanding of the relationship between Stevenson's Scottish and Polynesian work, exploring the ambivalence about evolutionary psychology and anthropology which unites his diverse oeuvre. Reid's interdisciplinary study illuminates the complex traffic of ideas between late-Victorian literature and science, and suggests that Stevenson radically questioned contemporary notions of 'savage' life.

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Review


'Reid's outstanding cultural research illustrates how science and literature in the late-Victorian period were mutually imbricated… One of the most compelling threads in Stevenson, Science, and the Fin de Siècle is its close attention to literary form in the late-Victorian period.' - Renata Kobetts Miller, Journal of Victorian Culture

'One of the many strengths of this volume is how its discussion of evolution, degeneration and anthropology affords us a clearer picture of Stevenson's development as a writer, and as a serious critic of cultural conflict and change... Robert Louis Stevenson, Science and the Fin de Siècle is a welcome addition to Stevenson studies.' - Linda Dryden, Journal of Stevenson Studies

'Reid's critical faculties are sharp and original, and her research is judicious, wide-ranging and deftly - almost weightlessly - deployed... Reid's book succeeds remarkably at deepening our understanding and appreciation of Stevenson and a broad spectrum of his works.' - Thomas L. Reed, Review of English Studies

'Julia Reid's Robert Louis Stevenson, Science and the Fin de Siècle - the latest in Palgrave's impressive and fast-growing Studies in Nineteenth-Century Writing and Culture series - is a very strong entry in [the] newly emerging canon of Stevenson criticism. Reid's study is the first, moreover, to give extensive treatment to Stevenson's complex and shifting relationship to fin-de-siècle science.' - Oliver S. Buckton, Nineteenth-Century Literature

'Robert Louis Stevenson, Science and the Fin de Siècle is a welcome addition to Stevenson studies, for it opens up for scrutiny some of the interstices between disciplinary fields, as well as the transactions between them, and makes a persuasive case for the relevance of this interdisciplinary approach to Stevenson's remarkably diverse and seeming inchoate œuvre.' - Shafquat Towheed, ELT

'[An] excellent addition... to the burgeoning corpus of Stevenson studies.' - Christine Ferguson, Victorian Studies

'The book … reaches beyond Stevenson aficionados to offer an astute take on the ways scientific discourse was implicated in battles over literary and generic value. …[It] reveal the value of more historicised and nuanced accounts of primitivism, and suggest that our understanding of literary debates might be revitalised if we attend to the creative relationships between literature and science'

Caroline Sumpter, Literature and History

'fascinating study of Robert Louis Stevenson's attitude to evolution and degeneracy … revelatory material … Though a serious and academic book, this also has a great deal to offer fans of Stevenson's fiction as well as those interested in the science of his time. A truly rewarding read.'

Lesley McDowell, Herald ('Paperback of the Week', 15 Aug. 2009)
Book Description
This book examines Robert Louis Stevenson's writings in the context of late-Victorian evolutionist thought, arguing that an interest in 'primitive' life is at the heart of his work

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (25 June 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0230230326
ISBN-13: 978-0230230323