About the Author

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the only child of Margaret Balfour Stevenson and Thomas Stevenson, a lighthouse […]

Overview

Unlike most Victorians, Stevenson considered the romance a valid literary form. He claimed that the form provided mental relief from the pressures of everyday life […]

Setting

The story takes place in Scotland and the waters around it in the summer of 1751. David’s travels take him over much of the Scottish […]

Themes and Characters

In Kidnapped, more than in most romances, the characters personify the themes. The hero, David Balfour, illuminates the theme of a young man’s coming of […]

Literary Qualities

While Treasure Island benefits from being told mostly in the voice of the bright and observant young Jim Hawkins, it suffers from the fact that […]

Social Sensitivity

No social issues presented in this novel seem likely to prove controversial. The issue of rebellion, however, could be viewed as a sensitive subject. One […]