Reading the novel by R.L. Stevenson's Treasure Island. “The Adventures of a Young Romantic (based on the novel “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson) Biography of R. Stevenson

L.Yu. Fukson

READING THE NOVEL R.L. STEVENSON "TREASURE ISLAND"

The proposed article is an attempt to interpret the novel “Treasure Island” by R. L. Stevenson. This interpretation, firstly, is based on identifying the internal value and symbolic connections of the work. Secondly, the description of the figurative logic of Stevenson’s novel leads to a clarification of his adventurous artistic mechanism, which provokes corresponding reader behavior.

Key words: R.L. Stevenson; adventure novel; postponing the event; instability of life; path; human hiddenness.

The title of the book “Treasure Island” immediately promises a very specific plot: you need to somehow get to the island, and the treasures call for search, extraction, revelation (which is clearly illustrated in the Russian word of translation). Therefore, the reader is tuned in, firstly, to the journey, and secondly, to solving the mystery (discovering the hidden). But along with such a plot, the title also reveals a completely definite genre coding of an adventure novel. So, just by the title, you can sometimes recognize the artistic language of the work you are starting to read. However, decoding a language is, although a necessary condition for understanding, but, of course, completely insufficient, since we are trying to understand mainly the message itself in this language. In addition, a literary text is not so much a message as an appeal, placing the reader in the position of not just an addressee, but an answer. Therefore, the very step from the sphere of ready-made (coded) meanings into the sphere of occasional, specifically situational meaning requires special efforts to correlate the details of the text that appear on the reader’s horizon and predetermine a completely unique experience that is relevant only for the novel being read.

Starting from the title itself, the work draws the line between the natural and artificial planes of existence. Treasure Island is not only a geographical point in natural space, but also a place of hidden treasure, because of which unnatural atrocities have been and continue to be committed. The following detail is characteristic in this regard: the body of the murdered pirate Allardyce is not buried, but is blasphemously used as an indicator of why the murder took place (as John Silver says, this is one of Flint’s “jokes”).

A number of unnatural (violent) deaths in the novel are accompanied by images of physical deformity: the blind Pugh, the fingerless Black Dog, Billy Bones with a saber scar on his cheek, the one-legged Silver. All these are traces of a dashing robber life, that is, an anti-natural pursuit of wealth. Therefore, physical deformity in Stevenson’s work has a symbolic meaning as marks of soul deformity.

If you look at the novel from this point of view, the meaning of some seemingly insignificant details will become clearer. For example, the moment when the Hispaniola sails up to the island (Chapter XIII), the narrator describes this way: “Our anchor rumbled as it fell, and whole clouds of birds, circling and screaming, rose from the forest...” (translated by N.K. . Chukovsky). This detail indicates the aforementioned border between nature and man, the living cries of birds and the metallic sounds of civilization that have not been heard here for a long time. And treasures, money, are also metal, because of which blood is shed and because of which all voyages are made.

It is no coincidence that the novel ends with what Jim Hawkins imagined to be the cry of Captain Flint’s parrot “Pieces of eight!” Pieces of eight! (N.K. Chukovsky in his translation does not follow the path of literal correspondence, but poetically accurately conveys this expression: “Piastres! Piasters!”). We hear the same cry in Chapter X, when John Silver talks about the parrot's prediction of a successful voyage. This is “Piastres!” Piasters! immediately reveals the meaning of the journey being undertaken. The unnatural background to the adventures of the heroes is most acutely felt by the young narrator, who admits that “at first sight I hated Treasure Island” (Chapter XIII, translated by N.K. Chukovsky). In Chapter XXXIV, which describes in particular the arrival on the coast of Latin America, Jim Hawkins speaks of the contrast between this charming place and the “dark, bloody stay on the island.” And at the very end of Stevenson's novel, the narrator calls Treasure Island accursed.

The boy Hawkins' disgust for Treasure Island reveals the value boundaries between naturalness and ugliness, the romance of the journey and its selfish motive, the bold enterprise of man and the horror of villainy.

Throughout the work, the pirate song sounds several times:

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest -Yo - ho - ho, and a bottle of rum!

Drink and the devil had done for the rest -Yo - ho - ho, and a bottle of rum!

Let us make a reservation right away that in this case we are not interested in folklore or literary sources on which the author relied, but exclusively in the internal figurative connections of the novel, its value-symbolic logic. This song, which Billy Bones sings at the beginning of the novel, is essentially about himself: after all, it is his chest that is mentioned here. Later, the reader learns about his death and that a whole gang (“15 people”) is hunting for the chest. But at the same time, the “dead man’s chest” is Flint’s treasure. The image of the chest represents the image of treasure (hidden valuables) that we found in the title of the novel. “Dead Man” is both Billy Bones and Flint (who also died from rum: the devil “calmed him down,” as the song says. “Rest” here, of course, is a metaphor for death. N.K. Chukovsky translated it like this: “ Drink, and the devil will bring you to the end."

“Dead man’s chest” connects valuables with the danger of obtaining them. The chest seems to continue to belong to the dead man and death itself. This also includes the already mentioned skeleton of the sailor killed by Flint, which is used as an indicator of the location of the hidden treasures, a symbol of the entire journey. Skeleton Island is not just a topographical name; it signifies the true essence of Treasure Island. Such duality as the juxtaposition of the valuable and the terrible, the attractive and the disgusting is the most important feature of an adventurous work.

With Billy Bones, the theme of the sea comes into the novel, revealed by the title. Already the description of his appearance is full of marine details. This image and the maritime theme itself are ambivalent: they connect the opposing experiences of all the characters (and the reader). "Captain" brought excitement (excitement) to a quiet rural existence. And this excitement is twofold. For a homebody accustomed to a stable, quiet life, this excitement gravitates toward fear, and the visitors to Admiral Ben-bow were frightened by his stories. But the same excitement in each of them awakens the traveler and points to the attractiveness of another - open - world, the vastness of an unsteady (worried) sea, filled with the adventures of life.

Jim Hawkins, who is paid by the “captain” to look out for the one-legged sailor and who is tormented by nightmares, admits: “My four pence didn’t come cheap.” This situation is constantly repeated: the price of money is danger, risk. Four pence is compensation for Hawkins's terrible dreams, similar to the fact that in the "dead man's chest" from the song, which hides the entire plot of the novel, treasure (the map) and fear (death) are combined. The same ambivalent proximity is observed in the episode where Jim’s mother, next to the corpse of Billy Bones, counts out money to pay off his debt. Fear and curiosity are combined in the description of the feelings of different characters, but most often - Jim Hawkins, which is explained by his central position in the plot and the role of the narrator (this also includes his young age - both adventurism and fear). Moreover, curiosity associated with danger sometimes turns out to be saving, as shown, for example, by the episode with the barrel (Chapter XI), where it is no coincidence that a single apple lies at the bottom (a terrible truth overheard by Jim). Or the hero’s capture of the ship after escaping at the end of the fifth part.

The moment of recognition and exposure of the pirates in the episode at the barrel coincides with the cry of “Earth!”, and also with the fact that a ray of moonlight fell into the barrel where Hawkins was hiding. This chronological intersection is significant: the acquisition of solid ground, the replacement of darkness with light, and ignorance with knowledge - all this is a single, symbolically multidimensional event. Here, as always, the symbolic, and at the same time axiological, nature of the elements of the artistic world, in fact, forces (and also directs) the efforts of interpretation. Water and land in Stevenson’s work (like all adventure literature in general) mean various life attitudes and states of a person, and not just purely topological characteristics. For example, the title of chapter XXIII (“The Ebb-tide Runs”) was read by the translator (N.K. Chukovsky) as “At the mercy of the ebb.” Literal accuracy is not observed here, but the translation is quite consistent with the spirit of the chapter and the entire book, since it echoes those numerous situations where recklessness, the mental analogue of the physical substance of water, wins. The ebbing tide carries the hero, surrendered to the power of circumstances, in an uncontrollable shuttle straight to the Hispaniola (XXIII). This and the next chapter of Jim Hawkins' adventures at sea ("My Sea Adventure") represent a concentration of images of instability, uncontrollability of the situation. The element of water in the world of the work is undeniably dominant, so much so that even the earth in the adventure novel loses its usual characteristics of stable reliability. Therefore, the adventures of Jim Hawkins on the shore (“My Shore Adventure”) demonstrate the same precarious, desperate situation and the hero’s entirely lost state as at sea, when he, for example, mentally says goodbye to his friends (end of Chapter XIV).

The theme of water as a substance of unreliability and recklessness includes images of Roma. Rum is symbolically equated with the sea, as a person is with a ship, for example, in Billy Bones’s plea in Chapter III: “...if I"m not to have my rum now I"m a poor old hulk on a lee Shore” (“if If I don’t drink rum now, I’ll be like a poor old vessel washed ashore by the wind.” Rum - crazy, devilish water (“Drink and the devil had done for the rest”) - is an analogue to the recklessness and riskiness of a sea voyage. Rum destroys heroes just like the sea. Moreover, madness merges here with insensibility: “.buccaneers were as callous as the sea they sailed on” - the pirates are insensitive, “like the sea on which they sail” (XXIII).

Water (sea) is equated with death in another pirate song:

But one man of her crew alive, What put to sea with seventy-five.

The highlighting of the substance of water in the novel, and with it the instability and uncertainty of a person’s position in the world, gives rise not only to images of death, fear, loneliness, etc., but also, on the other hand, the experience of unlimited personal freedom initiative, search for luck.

The expression “gentlemen of fortune”, referring to pirates, against the backdrop of the gentlemen themselves (Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, Captain Smollett) is important in the novel. Already the clash between Billy Bones and Dr. Livesey in the first chapter of the novel represents not just the opposition between a gentleman and a gentleman of fortune, but also a whole series of associated opposites: law and robbery; reason and recklessness; calculations and bets on chance, luck; order and chaos; stability of the coast and the rough elements of the sea; houses and paths. However, between the gentlemen and the gentlemen of fortune in an adventure novel, a significant intimacy arises, a connection (despite the difference in the motives of their actions) - a moment of adventurism. The young visitors of the Admiral Benbow are delighted with Billy Bones (“true sea-dog”, “real old salt” - I), Squire Trelawney is delighted with the crew recruited by Silver (“toughest old salts” - VII); in Hawkins's sympathy for Silver, who turned out to be “the most interesting companion” (VIII), - in all this there is an archetype of destructive temptation. It is clear that different things seduce heroic adventurers. But thereby the concept of treasure acquires a complex, symbolic meaning. “Treasures” in the novel mean not only money, but also those personal qualities of a person that are usually hidden in the stability of existence and are revealed only in the face of danger, when a person can only rely on himself.

An adventurous mood captures even such a “sane” hero of the novel as Doctor Livesey. But especially - Squire Trelawney, the greatest adventurer. Trelawny becomes more like a child than even the boy Jim Hawkins, who notices, reading the squire's letter, that the doctor will not like his talkativeness. For example, the squire’s first attraction to a hired boatswain is that he “knows how to whistle signals on a boatswain’s pipe.” Jim also likes this (end of Chapter VII). But where young Hawkins doubts, there Squire Trelawney reveals complete simplicity and naivety. His letter ends with an expression of impatience to get on the road quickly: “Seaward, ho! Hang the treasure! It "s the glory of the sea that has turned my head" (VII) ["In the sea! Don't care about treasures! The splendor of the sea is what makes my head spin."] Only his antipode - Captain Smollett - is absolutely immune to the poetry of travel. Therefore, at first he does not have a relationship with either the squire or Hawkins. He is a man of duty, so “favorite” is a dirty word for him. The captain does not play a sailor, but is a sailor, and the sea itself is a space of hard work for him. , and not games. His very adult and thus completely prosaic mood reminds of the danger of the enterprise for which he takes responsibility. We see that the image of Captain Smollett is constructed as a contrast to the romance of adventure. In general, it is not difficult to notice the opposition of concern in the work. adult characters and childish carelessness. The latter is very important for an adventure novel. Even Georg Simmel brought the phenomenon of adventure closer to play (the search for luck), and also to youth1. The reader of "Treasure Island" is carried away by the narrative on the border of childish and adult attitudes and finds himself, in fact, forced to give credit to both sides of the novel's dual situation. Stevenson's work is sometimes classified as children's literature. It is not for nothing that before it was published as a separate book, it was published in parts in the children's magazine “Young Folks”, and was also translated in the USSR by the publishing house “Children's Literature”. This is partly justified by the novel’s very appeal to that childhood experience of opening up the horizon of not yet realized possibilities, to which the adult reader must become involved, returning to the dizzying feeling of freedom inherent in the sunrise of life.

For the plot of the journey, the collision of home and path is important, which in the novel “Treasure Island,” as we have already noted, is associated with the opposition of land and water. The Admiral Benbow tavern, with the image of which the story begins, is related to both of these substances. A tavern is a place for a passerby, a casual visitor, but at the same time you can live here. In other words, this is the border of Jim Hawkins' house and the path along which the old sailor comes here, and with him the mystery itself. For Hawkins, his father's tavern is his home. Billy Bones, who is staying at Admiral Benbow, applies purely maritime definitions to it: berth (anchorage, pier). Or: “Silence, there, between decks!” (translated by N.K. Chukovsky: “Hey, there, on the deck, be silent!”). In Chapter III, Billy Bones says: "...aboard at the Admiral Benbow." The opposition of topological definitions (house - ship) here represents the opposition of the attitudes of a homebody and a sailor.

Since the substances of instability and stability in an adventure novel, as already noted, are unequal, the image of a house here is only a frame for the plot-path.

In the center, starting with the title of the novel, there is an image of treasure, and the person in the world of the work also carries something hidden, a secret. This includes, for example, the deceptive first impression made on the Squire and Hawkins by Captain Smollett, or the extravagance and unpredictability of Jim Hawkins. The character of the character in the novel “Treasure Island” is constructed not as changing, but as revealing something hidden. Such a “treasure” may turn out to be courage (old Tom Redruth, whom Hawkins despised at the beginning, dies like a hero) or an undead nature (Abraham Gray). On the other hand, the deceit and duplicity of the pirates is revealed. Captain Smollett admits that the team managed to deceive him (XII). The most terrible of pirates “softly lays down”, as N.K. Chukovsky conveyed the phrase: “Silver was that genteel”; He is good-natured and cheerful, but Billy Bones and Flint himself were afraid of him. The first part of the novel is called "The Old Buccaneer", while the first chapter is called "The Old Sea-dog at the Admiral Benbow". The title of the chapter, as opposed to the more explicit title of the part, introduces the point of view of the visitors to the inn, as well as Hawkins himself, who then does not yet know that Billy Bones is a pirate. Already such a discrepancy in names outlines the dual image of a person whose villainous essence seems to be hiding behind the appearance of a brave sailor.

The discovery of a secret can be considered a general, abstract formula for constructing the artistic subject and word of the novel “Treasure Island,” which predetermines a special reading behavior. In this regard, let us take a closer look at the episode in Chapter VI. Before opening the package with papers from Billy Bones' chest, which all three characters, and with them the reader, are impatient about, there is a retardation - a conversation about Flint. The most important moment, in my own words, is drawn out - the revelation of the hidden: the “dead man's chest” hides a bundle, which is said to have been sewn together. The package, in turn, hides a map of the island. But the map also hides because it needs to be decrypted, and so on. Thus, the emphasis is on discovery as overcoming a number of obstacles, which, in essence, unfolds the work as a whole precisely due to the continued postponement of the final disclosure. The full disclosure of the treasure therefore marks the significant (and not accidental) end of the novel. In this case, we are dealing with treasures as an aesthetic value, since with the disappearance of the secret (hiddenness) the novel itself ends.

The given episode of the work shows its entire artistic mechanism. Retardation is not just one of the properties of an adventure text - it is the method of its construction itself, as well as the way of reading it. In Chapter XXX, Dr. Livesey gives the map to the pirates, which surprises Hawkins, who does not yet know that Ben Gunn has already hidden the treasure. Thus, the disclosure of the secret is again postponed. Since the narration is told on behalf of Hawkins, for him, as well as for the pirates in whose captivity he is (XXI-XXII), the map retains its power, as well as for the reader at that time. Therefore, the reader's horizon of anticipation of discovery partially coincides with the horizon of the characters.

Speaking about chivalric romances and referring to adventure literature in general, J. Ortega y Gasset makes the following remark: “We neglect the characters that are presented to us for the sake of the way in which they are presented to us.” Stevenson's novel fully confirms this idea. Here the characters are interesting only insofar as they are relevant to the event. For example, chapter XXVI is called “Israel Hands,” which seems to indicate its main subject. However, by this point the reader already knows about the boatswain’s treachery and duplicity, so the interest of the chapter is focused not on who Israel Hands is, but on the way in which he presents himself. An adventurous hero, as Bakhtin accurately expressed it, “is not a substance, but a pure function of adventures and adventures.” It is how the hero will act and where this will lead that is the subject of the description. And here, as throughout the novel, revelation struggles with concealment and is thereby delayed. Hands sends Jim off the deck to hide his intention to arm himself with a knife; Hawkins, in turn, having realized the boatswain's treachery, pretends not to suspect anything and watches him. But as soon as one trick is revealed, it is immediately replaced by another, when Israel Hands verbally admits his defeat, and then makes a last attempt to kill Hawkins, who has lost his vigilance. To lose vigilance in this case means to remain in the illusion of the finality of the disclosure.

In this way the outcome of the event is constantly postponed; so the reader, seemingly fully understanding who is who, is drawn into how one trick collides with another. The event of revelation occurs as a delayed event due to active gradual concealment. Thus, the reader is placed in a position of anticipation, tense anticipation of each subsequent incident.

Retardation is often explained psychologically - as maintaining reader interest. And this, apparently, is the correct interpretation, but not the deepest, since it remains unclear why the postponed event is more interesting than the immediate one. In anticipation of an event at the site of its immediate experience, there is an openness of the horizon of possibilities that unites the hero and the reader. An event in the status of possible and assumed requires from the reader completely special mental efforts, different from an event in the status of actual and, so to speak, taken into account. In this last case, the reading horizon is closed by a hopeless “already”, with which nothing can be done. An event as something that has come true is radically different from an event that is coming true or preparing to come true. Retardation as a delay puts the event under question, posed to the reader. The reader falls into his sphere of influence. Therefore, the point is not so much in the psychological characteristics of experiencing an event-already and an event-still, but in the special architectonics of the expected event, which is in question, as well as in the special image of the world and man as opening up.

The anticipation of a life (narrated) event is, at the same time, the realization of an aesthetic event of storytelling. This expectation, which with the active inhibition of the story gradually comes true, is the especially exciting nature of the adventure novel.

1 See: Simmel G. Favorites. T. 2. M., 1996. P. 215.

2 Ortega y Gasset H. Aesthetics. Philosophy of culture. M., 1991. P. 126

3 Bakhtin M.M. Collection cit.: in 7 volumes. T. 2. M., 2000. P. 72

The original version of Treasure Island was one chapter longer. Moreover, this was a key chapter, without which the entire novel remains a heap of incomprehensible coincidences, absurd accidents, and simply incredible events that would be more appropriate in the stories of Baron Munchausen. It was this chapter that his first publisher, Andrew Lang, a shrewd literary businessman, demanded that Stevenson withdraw. Without her, the most complex psychological thriller turned into just good pop music. And, of course, he insisted on changing the name. The original, “The Strange Case of James Hawkins and Benjamin Gunn,” seemed to him too complex for a pulp novel, on which he hoped to make good money.

Then, being an unknown aspiring author, under the pressure of circumstances, Stevenson followed his lead, but regretted it for the rest of the 11 years of his life. Moreover, he subsequently tried more than once to persuade Lang to finally publish the full version of the book. Here, in one of the last letters written in Samoa, he writes to him “Dear Andrew, the only thing I pray for is that you still agree to return the “Island” to its true appearance...”. But the publisher, who understood that a one-time surge of interest would not recoup the losses from the fact that the book would then cease to be perceived as mass reading, was adamant.

So, the last chapter, which was simply a revolutionary literary move for that time, because not only psychedelic, but also ordinary detective works practically did not exist then, was called upon to finally explain all the oddities of history, put everything on its head and put it together pieces of the puzzle into a whole picture. In it, it finally became clear that the whole story of Flint’s treasure and his search was being told by a patient in a psychiatric hospital suffering from a split personality. One of these personalities imagines himself as a fabulous rich man who found countless treasures, the other remembers that no one found any of Flint’s gold (and where did he come from, tea, the times of the conquistadors are long gone, and the main booty of pirates is goods that have to be sold resellers for a pittance), and he, for deceiving his comrades with stories about gold, was left alone on a desert island, from where he was eventually rescued by English sailors - they saved his body, but not his mind.

And the fairy tale story about incredible adventures becomes what it was originally - the fantasy of a little boy who was left without a father at an early age. A boy who builds a fictional world and gradually not only begins to believe in it himself, but also convinces those around him of its reality. He sought to assert himself among his peers and help his mother with money by playing toss. But instead he got into debt and was forced to steal the fee that the only guest, an old sailor, paid for staying at the hotel. In order for the deception not to be discovered, he got the old man drunk, and frightened everyone else by saying that he was a terrible pirate who would kill even for a sniff of tobacco... But Billy Bones became an alcoholic and died, the lack of money had to be explained somehow, and that’s where those who turned up came in handy hand in hand are smugglers and a story about pirates. Intimidate the mother, stage a robbery, and there is no money. But the story about the pirates also needed to be explained somehow to Doctor Livesey. The map, copied from the old sailing guide by Jim himself, came into place.

Well, then the noose of lies only tightened. The rich slacker Trelawney seizes on the idea, equips a ship, and the boy is taken to the other side of the world. Something must be done, because soon the ship will arrive on an island where there will be no gold. And Jim follows the beaten path - lying again becomes his salvation from shame and fear. First, he lies to the team about the treasure, trying to gain authority from them, and then he invents a conspiracy and provokes a conflict. When blood has been shed, and both sides have nowhere to retreat, they cannot calmly discuss the situation and understand that they have all been deceived by a little liar. However, Silver tries to find out the reasons for the sudden flight of all the commanders from the ship, talking with Captain Smollett at the fence of the fort, but class arrogance and professional narrow-mindedness do not allow him to understand that the cook is not being cunning, but is sincerely perplexed.

After the first battle and losses, when the ardor of both sides has cooled down somewhat, it would be time to try to figure it out and someone to surrender to the mercy of the winner. But Jim makes a new unexpected move - he escapes from the fort (why?!?). In search of a way out, he wanders around the island and as a result reaches a new level of madness. He meets his alter ego, Ben Gunn. At first, this is just the usual imaginary friend syndrome for children and adolescents, perfectly described by Astrid Lindgren in “Carlson” (by the way, here too we will have to give priority to Stevenson). But over time, he becomes a full-fledged inhabitant of Hawkins' body, a kind of Mr. Hyde, who periodically takes power into his own hands. It is the flaring madness, which, as we know, sometimes allows patients to do incredible things, showing fantastic ingenuity, superhuman dexterity and strength, that allow Jim to quarrel between old Hands and his comrade, seize the ship, and then kill Israel himself. The hijacking of the ship makes it possible to embitter the crew, preventing reconciliation of the parties, and the story about Ben Gunn helps explain to Livesey and the others why the treasure is not where it is marked on the map. And in order for Silver not to give up, and to provoke a new fight, Jim, as if by chance, falls into the hands of the one-legged John. He knows that he is just a peaceful cook, and that nothing serious threatens him.

But now, the last battle took place, the remnants of the “pirates” were defeated. And then, finally, it turns out that there was no trace of any gold, and the angry adults cannot find any other solution (not to hang a sick child) other than to leave Hawkins alone on the island as punishment, alone with his fantasies. And loneliness and deprivation complete the process of destruction of his personality.
This is such a sad story. I retold it in my own words and it turned out quite long. In Stevenson, this, of course, was written much more interestingly, almost cinematically - in short, succinct phrases, after each of which there seemed to be a click in the reader’s brain, putting everything in its place. It is a pity that the last chapter of this “Strange Story...” has reached us only in a faded retelling.

In search of treasure

"Treasure Island" is an interesting and exciting book, imbued with the spirit of adventure and pirate romance. The main character of the book is the boy JIM, the son of a simple innkeeper. But it is thanks to him, his fearless and sometimes reckless actions, that the main characters get to treasure island. DR LIVESAY is a true gentleman. SQUIRE JOHN TRELAWNY is a rich, kind and trusting talker. CAPTAIN SMOLLETT is a real Captain with a capital C. PIRATES are narrow-minded and greedy people hungry for easy money.

But JOHN SILVER with his parrot FLINT is a real gentleman of fortune. Despite all his insidious plans and actions, for some reason all the readers of the novel really like him. He is smart, cunning, always trying to turn the situation in his favor. It is no wonder that not only BILLY BONES, but also Captain FLINT himself was afraid of him. At the same time, of the entire crew of pirates, it is he who manages to sail away from the treasure island in the company of his yesterday’s enemies, and then also escape with the money, lulling the vigilance of the guards. He is not characterized by excessive cruelty; rather, he simply acts according to circumstances. He knows how to calculate the situation and always remains on the winning side. He knows how not only to get money, but also to manage it wisely. All of Captain FLINT's associates drank and squandered all the money they got from piracy. BLIND DRINK begged and begged. BILLY BONES lived in debt from the innkeeper. And only one pirate had his own inn, the Spyglass, and money in banks that brought in a stable income.

Vovk Andrey, 7 “B” class

R.L. Stevenson "Treasure Island" »

Treasure Island is an incredibly addictive book that can be read without interruption. The intrigue remains until the very end, and you are in constant tension and, it seems, find yourself in the center of events along with the main characters. The novel “Treasure Island” is a wonderful book, a true classic of the adventure genre, which will certainly interest anyone who is not indifferent to adventure. This work, which has long become a classic, never ceases to amaze and attract new readers into the exciting world of adventure. You can read the book over and over again and not get tired of it. This will be interesting to readers of any age. "Treasure Island" to this day gives us a lot of adventurism and satisfies the thirst for adventure that we so lack in the modern world.

All those who love adventure, of course, have read Robert Louis Stevenson's novel “Treasure Island”. From beginning to end, all the events of the novel keep the reader in suspense. Sincerely worrying about my favorite characters, sometimes a chill ran down my spine.

Lukmanova Vika, 7 “B” class

Review of the book: "Treasure Island"

The book "Treasure Island" made a deep impression on me. I met this author when I first read this work, but now I can say with confidence that I will continue to read books by this author. I read this book, as they say: “in one sitting,” this adventure is so exciting that it is impossible to stop for a minute. At school I love geography, and for me personally this story became the embodiment of all the unimaginable things that can happen in such a daring adventure.

This story tells us about the adventures of brave heroes who had to face a gang of pirates in pursuit of treasures hidden on a desert island by Captain Flint. The story is told from the perspective of Jim, a daredevil boy in the past, who tells us about his difficult journey. How aboutOnce upon a time, an unusual guest moved into the tavern owned by the boy’s father, how he and his mother saved this man’s documents, which were completely incomprehensible to them, how this boy and Dr. Livesey ventured on a treasure hunt. Not suspecting anything dangerous, the admiral hires a gang of pirates on the ship. Upon arrival on the island, everything becomes clear, and the good heroes learn a terrible secret, thanks to the same boy Jim. Then both of them realize that without each other they cannot get off the island. Many incredible things happen on the island: a person who has been living on the island for a long time meets, several people die, and in the end everything falls into place. Good conquers evil.
The outstanding character for me in this work was the young cabin boy. So young, but already seen the world. He could repel any pirate, and he could not resist anything. Without knowing the outcome of a given situation, he always emerged victorious. This boy was a real hero for all sailors.

Ustinov Egor, 8 "A" class

Robert Louis Stevenson "Treasure Island"

book review

Roman R.L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island" is one of the best works in the adventure genre. But in addition to travel and exciting adventures, the book also reveals moral problems - decency and meanness, loyalty and betrayal, nobility and baseness.

I think such a high assessment of the book is fair because:

Teenagers are always concerned about the topic of long journeys and risky adventures. Pirates have always been an equally exciting topic for boys and girls. “Treasure Island” combines a long sea voyage, new mysterious lands, and the secrets of pirate treasures.

The heroes of the book are characters of very different characters. Jim Hawkins is an inquisitive, brave and honest boy, sometimes acts recklessly, and will never agree to a mean or base act. Dr. Livesey is a noble, cool-headed and reasonable gentleman. Squire Trelawney is a stupid, but kind and honest man. Captain Smollett is a straightforward, honest and brave sailor. John Silver, despite the fact that he is a pirate hunting for treasure, is still not bloodthirsty, and at the very end of the novel he repented of his crimes. Ben Gunn is a former pirate who took the path of reform and earned forgiveness.

One of the main ideas of the novel is “Be brave and honest in any conditions.” Only courage and courage save Jim from the most hopeless situations. Any deception will sooner or later be exposed and will not bring any benefit; only honest actions can lead a person to achieve his goal.

The novel is written in the first person, on behalf of the boy - the main character of the adventure. This manner of presentation immerses the reader in the described world. Every teenager reading this novel easily imagines himself in Jim Hawkins' place.

“Treasure Island” not only quenches the thirst for adventure, but also teaches you to maintain nobility in any situation, not to lose your “human face” even in “inhuman” conditions.

IV. I can recommend reading this book to my peers who don’t want to sit in front of a computer, but want to see the world.

Kiryanova Daria, 7th grade

I read Robert Stevenson's wonderful book "Treasure Island". This is the first work by this author that I have read. After reading this work, I became interested in the biography of this writer. From the literature I learned that he was born on November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh,
in the family of a hereditary engineer, a specialist in lighthouses. At baptism he received the name Robert Lewis Balfour. He studied first at the Edinburgh Academy, then at the Faculty of Law of the University of Edinburgh, from which he graduated in 1875. He traveled a lot, although he suffered from a severe form of tuberculosis since childhood. The novel “Treasure Island” brought world fame to the writer. This work is a classic example of adventure literature.The book, at first glance, is simple and easy, but upon careful reading it becomes multifaceted and multi-valued.
Stevenson celebrates the romantic inspiration of feelings. He is attracted to complex characters, spiritual disagreements and contrasts. One of the most striking characters is the one-legged ship's cook, John Silver. He is insidious, cruel, but at the same time smart, cunning, energetic and dexterous. His psychological portrait is complex and contradictory, however, convincing. With enormous power of artistic expressionwriter shows the moral essence of a person. Stevenson sought with his works to “teach people joy,” arguing that such “lessons should sound cheerful and inspiring, should strengthen courage in people.”
In my opinion, this work should be read by every student, maybe even in earlier grades than we study, because it excites the imagination about a mysterious island, pirates, treasures and at the same time forces you to choose between good and bad, teaches you to understand actions and relationships of people.

Prokhorova Nastya, 7 “B” grade

Review of the book “Treasure Island” by R. L. Stevenson

I read a book in which the main character was a teenager embroiled in a dangerous adventure to find treasure. I liked this character because throughout the journey he showed ingenuity, courage, loyalty to his friends and faith in them. I would like to have such a friend nowadays.

While reading the book, I drew attention to the life and way of life of different classes of those times, united in this work. How different that life was from our modern days. It was possible to set sail across endless seas without having the opportunities that we have now. I am amazed at the courage of the people of that time. You involuntarily realize the importance of the knowledge and skills of every person on the ship - from the captain to the cabin boy. And even though the crew mainly consisted of pirates - illiterate people, greedy for profit, murderers, but still, they knew well their main business in life - the sea.

Despite the fact that the book was written so long ago, I found it interesting to read. The storytelling style itself was a little difficult for me, since nowadays we are accustomed to clearer and faster actions through films and computer games. This work is very different from the films about pirates that we are used to. But for those who love history and adventure, I think they will enjoy it.

Shcherbakova Daria, 8 “b” grade

3.049. Robert Louis Stevenson, "Treasure Island"

Robert Louis Stevenson
(1850-1894)

An English writer who left his mark on almost all literary genres, literary critic, poet, founder of neo-romanticism, author of the famous works “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, “Black Arrow”, “The Adventures of Prince Florizel”, “The Suicide Club”, “ Rajah's Diamond", "The Castaways", "Kidnapped", "Catriona", "The Lord of Ballantrae", etc., Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) is best known for his adventure novel, which brought him worldwide fame, "Treasure Island" - "Treasure Island" (1881-1883).

"Treasure Island"
(1881-1883)

The writer was inspired to create “Treasure Island” by D. Defoe’s novel “Robinson Crusoe”; From it he also took Captain Flint's parrot. Stevenson has been raving about this book since childhood. “Sooner or later, I was destined to write a novel. Why? An idle question,” the writer recalled at the very end of his life in the article “My first book is “Treasure Island.”

Written according to the canons of an adventure novel, this work has become a set of common nouns and “catch phrases”: “Treasure Island”, “John Silver”, “Captain Flint”, “Hispaniola”, “Admiral Benbow”, “Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, / Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum”, “Piastres! Piasters! etc.

The book can be safely recommended not only to teenagers who are thinking about what they should do with their lives and who want to quickly learn that evil and vice threaten with retribution, and good is due retribution, but also to university students as a textbook on financial management.

The novel was born from the game. “One chilly September day” in 1881, for the amusement of his twelve-year-old stepson Lloyd Osborne, Stevenson drew a map of “Treasure Island”, marked Spyglass Hill, Skeleton Island, drew bays and coves and began to tell its history. The stepson became the prototype of the main character, and the writer dedicated his novel to him. He “copied” the image of Silver from his friend, co-author on a number of plays, W. Henley, and borrowed details of everyday life from E. Poe, A. Dumas, V. Irving and other writers.

“I have found the right course of the story,” Stevenson rejoiced, “and I will prove that Dumas in vain suppressed the search for treasures in his “Monte Cristo”; The most interesting thing is the search, not what happened next. We know that money spoils a person, and therefore I am only for the first half of one of the strongest passions. The second is almost always immoral, always devoid of an educational, moral element.”

At first the novel was called “The Ship's Cook.” Stevenson wrote a chapter every day and read it to family and friends in the evening. A number of details suggested by listeners ended up in the book. "Treasure Island" was published in Young Folks magazine in 1881-82. under the pseudonym "Captain George North". The publication went unnoticed, but when the novel was published as a separate edition under the author's real name in 1883, 1884 and 1885, it became a bestseller.

"Treasure Island" is not Stevenson's "pure" invention. The writer gleaned many facts from the notes of the famous pirates G. Morgan, F. Drake and others. The setting of the novel, according to researchers, was the island of Pinos, located 70 km south of Cuba. Pinos, with its nature, bays and mountains, small islands and pine forests, as well as the remains of a log fort and a cave, exactly coincides with Stevenson Island. Pinos has been a haven for pirates for over 300 years. Treasure Island (as it was called already in the 20th century) has been visited by hundreds of pirates over 300 years, whose treasures are now being sought by hundreds of treasure hunters.

In the 18th century, when the novel takes place, there were still many gentlemen of fortune, whose names alone give goosebumps. And the description of their appearance makes you want to crawl under the bed.

Time has preserved many glorious nicknames of corsairs, one of which - Blackbeard - was worn by the famous Edward Teach, who became the prototype of Captain Flint. Flint, whom the characters in the novel remember every now and then, became the gloomy background of the book and perhaps its main character, a kind of invisible pirate.

In life, Blackbeard was a two-meter tall fellow of extraordinary strength and enviable fearlessness, an honored master of boarding attacks. Half of his body, from his eyes to his waist, was occupied by a black beard. Before boarding, the pirate drank a mixture of rum and gunpowder on the road, lit the ignition wicks woven into his beard and, putting a dozen loaded pistols in his pockets, with a cleaver in his hand, covered in smoke and with eyes burning like hell, jumped onto the deck of someone else’s ship, carrying away behind a well-played team. This impressed everyone involved. In any case, the name of a pirate, pronounced in vain, instilled sacred horror in the townsfolk and robbers. Captain Flint, as successor, enjoyed exactly the same fame, even after his death.

So, all the characters in the novel went in search of the treasure buried by the late Flint on Treasure Island.

The story was told on behalf of Jim Hawkins, whose quiet life in the Bristol tavern “Admiral Benbow” (he was the son of the owner) was interrupted by pirate “showdowns”. Inn guest Billy Bones was mortally afraid of a certain sailor on a wooden leg. After a fight with an intruder, Black Dog, he became apoplectic, and he told Jim that he served as a navigator for Captain Flint and that his former “colleagues” were hunting for the contents of his sailor’s chest. Soon the blind man Pugh came to visit Bill and gave him a black mark, indicating the seriousness of the bandits’ intentions. Bones' heart couldn't stand it. Without waiting for the robbers, Jim hurried to take the money due for the billet from the dead man's chest. Along with the money, he took some kind of package from the chest.

The package contained a map of Treasure Island. Jim gave it to Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney. The gentlemen were no slouches themselves and decided to go after the treasures. Trelawney talked about his plans in Bristol, bought the schooner Hispaniola and hired Captain Smollett and a crew consisting, as it later turned out, of notorious thugs. The one-legged owner of the Spyglass tavern, John Silver, whom Billy Bones was so afraid of, helped hire the crew. Silver was taken on the ship as a cook, and Jim as a cabin boy.

When the Hispaniola approached Treasure Island, Jim overheard a conversation between the cook and the sailors, from which he learned that almost all of them were pirates, and their leader Silver was Flint's quartermaster. The robbers were going to find the treasure and then finish off all the “outsiders.” Junga told his friends about Silver's idea, and they developed their own alternative plan.

However, Silver's plan was almost disrupted by the pirates themselves, who decided to rebel ahead of time. Captain Smollett asked the cook to calm his friends down and relax with them on the shore. Leaving accomplices on the schooner, Silver and the pirates went to the island. Jim jumped into one of the boats and immediately ran away as soon as the boat landed on the shore.

On the island he met Ben Gan, abandoned by the pirates three years ago because he convinced them to engage in an unsuccessful search for Captain Flint's treasure. Ben Gun was ready to help Jim and his friends and provide his boat.

At this time, the captain, doctor, squire and several other people on the skiff fled from the ship and took refuge in a log house behind a stockade. Seeing the British flag over the fort, Jim hurried to his friends. To take possession of the map, the pirates launched an attack, which was repulsed by the garrison. Jim left the fort without permission and went to the Hispaniola on Ben Hahn's boat.

One of the two pirates guarding the ship was killed in a drunken brawl, and the second, wounded, fell off the yard in pursuit of the cabin boy and died. Jim took the ship to a secluded cove and then returned to the fort. However, there he found pirates, and if not for Silver’s intercession, they would have dealt with him.

Cock understood perfectly well that the game was lost, and Jim became his only saving card. Soon, Dr. Livesey gave Silver the map, promising to save him from the gallows.

The shocked pirates found an empty pit instead of treasure and almost killed the cook and the boy - well, they were saved by the doctor, the squire and Co.; As it turned out, Ben Gan had long since dragged Flint’s little gold into his cave.

Having loaded the treasures onto the Hispaniola, “ours” went home, leaving the pirates on the island. In one of the ports, Silver escaped, taking a bag of gold coins. The rest made it to Bristol and shared the values ​​“fairly.”

The novel has been translated into many languages. It was first published in Russian in 1886. The best translation was made by N.K. Chukovsky, although he suffers from some inaccuracies in the naming of maritime and ship terms.

There are dozens of film adaptations of Treasure Island. Three feature films and one animated film were shot in our country.

Reviews

Thanks for finding the Robinson Crusoe analogy. Ben Gun is, of course, Crusoe himself. His last name is suspiciously similar to the name of the currency unit “Cruzeiro”. "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" is kind of like a real old song. I heard it in English during the credits of a film. Although this may be stylization. The song was not funny at all. but very sad. Among the film adaptations, the inimitable Soviet cartoon with famous songs, released during perestroika, apparently in order to prepare children for the coming dashing nineties. Well, and a three-part film, after which it turned out to be impossible for me to accept any other John Silver. I had the same thing with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Only Livanov and Solomin.