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I have to admit that the first few days I was reading this I had it completely confused with the movie Shipwrecked that I watched as a kid on the Disney Channel, and I was waiting the whole time for David Balfour to land on the coast of North Carolina to find a bunch of treasure. I was sorely mistaken, probably to my benefit.
Balfour and Alan Breck are a timeless pair, and like other seafaring adventure stories (i.e. Master and Commander (film)) serves as an experience in exploring masculinity almost as much as an adventure narrative. The whole novel reads like some sort of upper class Odyssey, and more than a few times I was reminded of Frodo and Sam's adventures through Middle Earth to Mordor. I can see explicitly in this story line how Tolkien borrowed from Stevenson's tone in galavanting over moor and mountain to reach some restful landing place.
Overall, this book seems more of an exercise in disseminating gentlemanly manners than actually reveling in adventure. It seems class conscious at times, particularly in that it looks down on the un-mannered commoner, but it treats the Scottish Highlander with more respect than I would except at the time it was published. Given my ancestors actually fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the mid-18th century uprising, Stevenson manages to hit a nerve at the value of a righteous outlaw on the run.
Balfour and Alan Breck are a timeless pair, and like other seafaring adventure stories (i.e. Master and Commander (film)) serves as an experience in exploring masculinity almost as much as an adventure narrative. The whole novel reads like some sort of upper class Odyssey, and more than a few times I was reminded of Frodo and Sam's adventures through Middle Earth to Mordor. I can see explicitly in this story line how Tolkien borrowed from Stevenson's tone in galavanting over moor and mountain to reach some restful landing place.
Overall, this book seems more of an exercise in disseminating gentlemanly manners than actually reveling in adventure. It seems class conscious at times, particularly in that it looks down on the un-mannered commoner, but it treats the Scottish Highlander with more respect than I would except at the time it was published. Given my ancestors actually fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the mid-18th century uprising, Stevenson manages to hit a nerve at the value of a righteous outlaw on the run.