Recent reading

[regshoe]

Edward Thring, Headmaster of Uppingham: Life, Diary and Letters by George R. Parkin, volume 1 (1898). Read for Raffles and wider Hornung fandom reasons. Hornung attended Uppingham School in the 1880s, and this inspired Fathers of Men as well as the school backstory of the Raffles books. I was looking for historical sources on what Hornung's, and hence Raffles's and Bunny's, schooldays might have been like, and found this. Uppingham in the 1880s, it turns out, was no ordinary 19th century public school: its headmaster, Edward Thring, was a determined and brilliant reformer who built Uppingham from a small country grammar school into a famous and influential public school, all based on his own daringly novel ideas about how school and education ought to work, and apparently became very famous and successful. Lots of interesting historical side-paths to wander down. I especially enjoyed the early parts about Thring's own schooldays at Eton (more or less exactly what you'd expect from Eton in the 1830s). The later diaries about day-to-day life at Uppingham were certainly interesting from a historical and fandom research point of view, although sometimes irritatingly vague on the details. But it has given me some ideas to mull over about Raffles.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886). More romantic and slashy Jacobite-themed adventure novels! This one kind of approaches the Jacobites at a tangent: the main plot is about our hero David Balfour's quest to thwart the schemes of his evil uncle, a very appropriate adventure novel story, but after David is kidnapped on board a ship, he meets the historical Jacobite Alan Breck Stewart, who's travelling back and forth between France and the Appin Stewarts' lands in the Highlands, and much of the rest of the book is taken up with Alan and the other Stewarts' Jacobite drama. This is actually the first book of Stevenson's that I've read, and I found the prose and story much less engaging than e.g. Flight of the Heron (well, it's not everyone who can write like Broster...), but it was entertaining, and the relationship between David and Alan (within a few hours of first meeting, after they fight side by side against the sailors who've kidnapped David and are threatening to murder Alan: He came up to me with open arms. 'Come to my arms!' he cried, and embraced and kissed me hard upon both cheeks. 'David,' said he, 'I love you like a brother.') was good fun.

The historical parts of the plot involve the Appin murder—the murder, in 1752, of Colin Roy Campbell, government factor on the forfeited Jacobite estates in Appin. Alan Breck Stewart was the main suspect; the novel establishes his innocence! Eventually a relation, James Stewart of the Glens, was tried very unfairly indeed and executed as an accessory to the murder (these events are mentioned in The Gleam in the North), but who actually dunnit has apparently never been established, and the book doesn't clear that up either. Now, there's another mystery here: Stevenson sets the book in 1751, moving the actual date of the murder by a year; he points out the anachronism in the preface, and I was expecting that there'd be some important reason why the events of the novel had to take place in '51, but... there isn't? Unless I've missed something, there was no reason not to set the fictional plot in the right year for the real murder. Very odd.

I read this illustrated edition on Project Gutenberg. The back of the ebook, after the main text, has all the illustrations repeated at full size, and not realising this going in I thought the book was going to be about 50% longer than it actually was and was somewhat surprised when it suddenly ended. Perhaps that's why I found the ending very abrupt, but it did seem that things weren't really tied up as much as they could have been—in particular, the Appin murder and who's going to hang for it is still unresolved at the end. One final point—lovely as the illustrations are, the text describes David as being a foot taller than Alan, but the illustrator consistently depicts them as about the same height. I think this is cowardly and I'm glad this illustrator never got their hands on Flight of the Heron.

Er, altogether this was a good one!

Comments

[starshipfox]

I enjoy Stevenson a lot, but I think "Catriona" is one of his weakest novels. Nowhere near as fun or well thought-out as "Kidnapped". I really liked Stevenson's "South Sea Tales": they give an interesting insight into the Pacific Islands, and were unpopular with Victorian readers because they are so critical of empire and give the indigenous Pacific Islanders such full characterization. That being said, it's still a product of its time, but it's interesting to see how much Stevenson develops as a thinker.

[regshoe]

Oh, that's a shame—well, I might read it to find out what happens next but I won't get my hopes up, then! South Sea Tales does sound good, however. Empire is an ever-present topic in Victorian fiction, of course (and not totally irrelevant to Jacobite stories, really), but I've not read many 19th century books set directly in the relevant parts of the world, and I'd like to explore the subject further at some point—I'll keep that one in mind.

[starshipfox]

You might enjoy "Catriona" more than I did, to be fair! Stevenson considered it his best work. "South Sea Tales" was recommended to me in the Writers' Museum in Edinburgh -- it's a bit esoteric, but I was please to have read it.

[luzula]

Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I agree that the prose and plot can't measure up to Broster, but it's a fun adventure.

Now you can check out this fic, which I found delightful, though I did have some qualms about the age difference between David and Alan.

James Stewart of the Glens is the one who was disgracefully in his shirtsleeves without a neckcloth or even a proper waistcoat in the movie I watched. When receiving guests, even! He's supposed to be one of the highest ranking Stewarts, too.

[regshoe]

Haha, oh dear. I suppose the scene where we meet James is a bit of a distressed and chaotic moment for him, so perhaps one might excuse him a certain amount of dishevelment, but that does sound implausible for a high-ranking Stewart laird. (Indeed—he bears a king's name, as Alan keeps reminding us!).

And thanks for the fic rec—that does look good :D

[theseatheseatheopensea]

After re-reading "Kidnapped" as as an adult, I appreciated how slashy it is! <3 And it's actually rather meaningful! Davy and Alan are so different, and yet become loyal friends, and it's lovely, and also you get to see both sides of the conflict, which is always interesting. Also, it's *so much fun*--little me and grown up me totally agree about this! :D

I don't know if the change of year is fully explained anywhere, but knowing RLS, he probably did it to remind the reader that this is alternate history, which is something that I've seen in lots of his books! So he was basically writing RPF! XD

the text describes David as being a foot taller than Alan, but the illustrator consistently depicts them as about the same height. I think this is cowardly and I'm glad this illustrator never got their hands on Flight of the Heron.

XD I totally agree! Let Alan be little but fierce! It's such a shame when illustrations, film adaptations and even statues make him tall and conventionally handsome! Sure, Davy thinks he is dashing and impressive <3 but also he's a short, pockmarked guy, and super vain and Dramatic as well! XD There's that part where Davy is tired of walking and Alan (even though he is much smaller than him) offers to carry him! And when they are fighting and Alan just throws down his sword, it's all very extra and adorable! XD And I also like how they basically kiss and cuddle moments after they first meet, and how they have their own song (the Highland melody that Alan teaches Davy so he can whistle it to let him know he's near?) and ohh, their farewell scene--so quietly sad... my heart!

You're totally right--the sequel starts exactly where this one ends, so they flow together very nicely, and the story ends in a satisfying way (it's too heterosexual for my liking, but still...) The sequel is less action-based (except for the last part, I guess?) but it's worth reading too--there's a trial, and more kidnapping, of course! XD

If you ever feel like more of Stevenson's adventure stories, one of my favourites is the "New Arabian nights" series (some of the stories were written with his wife Fanny) which features a prince and his sidekick having exciting adventures, solving crimes, and being very slashy. Also, Broster pokes fun at it in her Sherlock Holmes parody! :D

[regshoe]

Yes, I enjoyed the contrast for David, having grown up taking Whiggism for granted (he'd have been what, eleven, when the Rising actually happened? I wonder what his memories of it are like) and then meeting Alan and travelling in the Highlands and upending some of his expectations. And it certainly is good fun :D

he probably did it to remind the reader that this is alternate history

Huh—that seems a strange choice. Yeah, with historical Alan as a main character I think this definitely counts as RPF. I wonder what he and EPS would have made of each other's historical RPF Jacobite fanfic.

Oh, I love Alan and his over-dramatics :D (I wonder how much of that was historical vs Stevenson's invention?). And you're totally right about all those extra and emotional moments—very good stuff.

A trial and some more drama do sound good. I appreciated this one's lack of canon romance, but never mind, and I'm glad the ending is satisfying. And thanks for the rec of New Arabian Nights, that sounds good too.

(Oh, the mention of Fanny made me remember something else—she wrote a preface to Kidnapped, in which she explains that she supplied the receipt for 'Lily of the Valley Water' which appears in the first chapter, and the way it was described there made me think it was going to turn out to be pivotal later on in the plot—but, like the importance of 1751, it never turns up again! Does it appear in the sequel?).

[theseatheseatheopensea]

Hehe, the lily of the valley thing doesn't come up again (unless I missed it?) but in the sequel, some stomach home remedies are mentioned XD Also, David has a Very Dramatic moment involving a flower--Alan's personality was a big influence on him, apparently! <3

I could have done with the het romance in the sequel, but it's still a satisfying ending! (I liked the main female character, which might have something to do with this. But, to no one's surprise, I kind of ship her with another female character...)

I wonder what he and EPS would have made of each other's historical RPF Jacobite fanfic.

XD I like to imagine that EP-S read "Kidnapped" and then thought "*Surely* I can make it gayer"... and did, right away! And he also used the kidnapping trope, in his other novel "Left to themselves", which is possibly even more sentimental than "White cockades", but still worth reading--it's a fun adventure, and basically an ode to m/m romantic friendship! Because of it, I kind of think of EPS as the grandad of LGBT+ YA novels! <3

[regshoe]

Aww, well, that sounds fun. Of course Alan was a big influence :D

I like to imagine that EP-S read "Kidnapped" and then thought "*Surely* I can make it gayer"... and did, right away!

xD

Oh, yes, I must read Left to Themselves some time. More sentimental than White Cockades, that does sound promising...

[lilliburlero]

I can't really be reasonable about Kidnapped, it's one of those books I read too early on - or, to be more precise, I can't really be reasonable about Alan Breck. He was actually 5'10" or thereabouts (we know from the description issued by the authorities hunting him after the murder) but mere primary evidence cannot displace the higher poetic truth of Stevenson's Tiny Alan. I was bitterly disappointed in Catriona as a kid, for being full of soppy boy/girl stuff, but it has its moments.

[regshoe]

Aww, I know that feeling—there have been a few children's books that I kind of regret not reading earlier, because I know it could have been that way, but reading them as an adult isn't the same. But this was still a good one!

mere primary evidence cannot displace the higher poetic truth of Stevenson's Tiny Alan.

Quite right! :D (I mean, a description by the authorities might not have been very accurate, right...?)