LIFE & BACKGROUND
In quale città è nato Robert Louis Stevenson?
Edimburgo
What social value was considered proof of moral goodness in Victorian society?
respectability
Where does Stevenson believe moral conflict truly exists?
inside the individual
Which novel created the modern pirate myth?
Treasure Island
What nickname did the Samoan people give Stevenson?
Tusitala (Teller of Tales)
What serious health problem influenced Stevenson’s childhood and imagination?
chronic lung disease
What aspect of human nature did Victorian society strongly repress?
instinct, desire, and emotion
How does Stevenson describe human identity?
unstable and divided
What type of story is Treasure Island beneath its adventure surface?
a coming-of-age moral story
What modern psychological idea does Stevenson anticipate in his works?
the divided self
How did Stevenson’s illness influence his relationship with reading and writing?
that reading became an emotional escape and writing a form of resistance to limitation
What contradiction in Victorian society does Stevenson often expose?
the gap between public appearance and inner moral truth
Complete the idea: “Man is not truly one, but truly…”
two
Which novel is set in post-Jacobite Scotland and is based on real events?
Kidnapped
Why is Stevenson considered a bridge between Victorianism and Modernism?
his focus on psychological complexity and moral ambiguity
Which inner conflict did Stevenson experience because of his family background?
the conflict between duty and freedom
Why were double lives tolerated in Victorian England?
because they were hidden behind polite and respectable behaviour
What Victorian belief does Stevenson reject about morality?
the belief in fixed and absolute moral identities
Which novel presents a violent rivalry between brothers and offers no moral resolution?
The Master of Ballantrae
Which two modern phenomena parallel Stevenson’s idea of social masks?
digital identities and online avatars
How did Stevenson’s parents represent opposite forces in his moral development?
his father symbolised discipline and duty, while his mother encouraged imagination and creativity
According to Stevenson, what dangerous effect does repression have on evil?
that repression strengthens evil instead of eliminating it
Why does Stevenson consider moral rules insufficient to define good and evil?
because ethics are situational and depend on personal responsibility
Which work shows that separating good and evil is impossible and leads to destruction?
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Why is Stevenson still relevant for readers today?
because he explores identity crises, moral ambiguity, and social hypocrisy