Reading, Language, and Literature, Part 1

Question 1: Discuss Robert Louis Stevenson and what he is famous for.

Answer 1: Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish essayist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. After writing for weeklies for a few years, his Treasure Island (1883) brought him acclaim and wealth. Stevenson followed this success with Kidnapped (1886), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), and The Master of Ballantrae (1889), all critical and financial successes. Stevenson also wrote a book of verse for children, A Child’s Garden of Verses (1885). His swashbuckling tales and colorful language engaged the fancy of the public, and he retired a wealthy man.Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and educated in law. His life was tainted by chronic tuberculosis, and he sought cures and more healthy climates all over the world. Stevenson finally found the relief he sought in Samoa, where he settled and lived the last years of his life. He died there in 1894, at the young age of 44.

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Question 2: Discuss the life and contributions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Answer 2: Conan Doyle’s contribution to literature was the enigmatic detective, Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle based his character on a former professor at the University of Edinburgh. Holmes first appeared in 1887 in “A Study in Scarlet,” and more stories of the master of deductive reasoning appeared in magazines of the day. These stories were collected and published as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1892. Most memorable among the Holmes novels include The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902), The Valley of Fear (1915), and The Sign of Four (1890). Conan Doyle also wrote a number of popular historical romances.Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 and educated at Edinburgh. He trained as a physician and practiced medicine in Southsea from 1882 to 1890. The success of his writing allowed him to largely retire from medicine.

Question 3: Discuss Thomas Hardy.

Answer 3: Hardy was an English novelist, playwright, and short-story writer. His dark works, often drawn from his own experience, include his first novel Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), a tale of a strong woman and her three lovers. Hardy followed this modest success with four powerful novels, Jude the Obscure (1895), The Return of the Native (1878), Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891), and The Mayor of Casterbridge (1896). All these volumes showcase Hardy’s skills as storyteller and creator of strong characters. Hardy’s poetry is also considered some of the best of his time.Hardy was born in Dorchester in southwest England in 1840. He was trained as an architect, which he gave up for writing when he achieved success. Following the death of his wife, Hardy was guilt-ridden, and his grief fueled the writing of his greatest poetry, Poems of 1912–13. Hardy married again and lived until 1928.

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