Tuesday 19 March 2019

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON - YER AYE LEARNIN'

Young Alastair, now 11 years old, has been coming to us after school recently.  It all started when we got Alastair a wireless radio kit from Waterstones for his birthday.  They are trying to get all the widgets together for putting it together.

It was at this time that he asked Grandpa to help him with his school project to do with 'Inventions'.  He chose to write about the Steam Engine.

While the subject is related in science and engineering, and Alastair was quite happy to learn about pistons and governors, it really is not something that he is wildly passionate about.... which is fair enough.

So... we asked Alastair (now that we are getting to know him a little better simply because we can talk without being constantly interrupted!)... what is it that you really, really like to do e.g. a hobby?  He is not interested in football, para regiment stuff, chess, Boy Scouts etc but he is really interested in ... reading.

He loves books and is a voracious reader. At school he learned to read quickly and continues to read beyond his years.  And like his siblings, he has a broad vocabulary.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed he brought a book with him. “What are you reading just now?”  “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Well, I was very impressed and said so.  “Have you ever read it, Grandma?”  “Yes, I had to read it at school but I did not like it and never finished it.”  Then and there I decided to get a copy (could not find our copy) so bought one.
 

We now compare notes on our progress and discuss some words that are difficult.  It has long sections relating to the schooner ‘Hispaniola' in which they sail to the Caribbean. Also there is lots of description of drunken pirates fighting in pubs or on board ship, etc.  It was originally written as a weekly serial  in a magazine for boys.  It did not do well but once put together into a book it became very popular.  

I finished the book but I am very puzzled about the size of the ‘Hispaniola'.  In the story the main character, Jim Hawkins, is able to steer the ship by himself… really?!!!… and this helps to save the men on the island.  Yes, I understand that it is ‘a tale’ but I am afraid my credibility was stretched too far in this part of the story!   I thought that next I might try “Kidnapped’ as it is set in Scotland.

Here is a drawing of the schooner ‘Hispaniola’  in the background and below that is a 'coracle' both which feature in the story.





Speaking of RLS ...

In Scotland we have 2 national newspapers: The Herald (Glasgow) and The Scotsman (Edinburgh). In The Scotsman an Edinburgh author called Alexander MacCall Smith writes a daily serial called ’44 Scotland Street’.  It is about life on a street in Edinburgh. (Scotland Street numbers from No 1 to 43; No 44 is fictitious.)   He created a number of (fictitious) residents on this street and uses them to tell his little stories of their life in No 44 Scotland Street.  These daily stories (5 every week) are eventually put together into a book… much like Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’. McCall-Smith has written many and they are very popular.

Now Iain’s sister lived for about 40 years in No 11 Scotland Street and, with her permission, she was once included as a (real life) character in his story.  She was a lexicographer (someone who writes dictionaries) and worked on the production of The Scottish National Dictionary. McCall-Smith used this fact in his story.

This week a friend gave us a copy of The Scotsman (Monday, March 4, 2019) and showed us how McCall-Smith has, again, written Iseabail (who died one year ago) into his current story.  This is the relevant section:

[Beginning]  Stuart (male character) is talking to Katie (female character):  Katie is invited in to Stuart’s flat [apartment] in 44 Scotland Street. "She looked about. She said, ‘These flats are really pretty. I’ve always liked Scotland Street. He said “I’ve lived here for ages…. Kate said “I know somebody who lived on the other side of the street… and I knew Iseabail Macleod, who used to work on ‘The Scottish National Dictionary’ and lived on this side of the street.  “Dear Iseabail” says Stuart “everybody like her. “Yes. Edinburgh is like that”, says Katie. [end]

We were really touched to read this! I showed this article to Alastair.  He knows Auntie Iseabail’s flat.  And after reading the article he said to me “That’s really interesting.  Did you know that Robert Louis Stevenson lived just around the corner in Heriot Row?! " 

Ahem... No!... I did not know that!