Literature: The Fables of Robert Louis Stevenson

Over the twenty years of his writing career, Robert Louis Stevenson created twenty-two short pieces of fiction that he called fables, though some are more properly fairy tales. They address issues of what is valuable in life, how to live in the moment, how to deal with self-righteous, narrow-minded religious doctrine, where to find certainty in an uncertain world. The stories include an incident with Long John Silver between chapters of Treasure Island, a sick man stuck in a burning house, a mysterious wizard who gobbles like a turkey, a princess living in a dream of unfulfilled desire, and many others. Although not very well known, these stories have justly been called Stevenson’s masterpieces, for their superb narrative and dramatic technique, their witty use of language and their ability to pack so much into so small a space. The Zoom discussions will not aim to provide “answers” to the problems posed in the stories but encourage us to play with them, share our responses and questions, and suggest ways the stories might shed light on ourselves and the world we live in. The podcasts on each of the fables will provide preliminary material for our discussions.