Specifics of the Breaking of Neo-Romantic Tradition in the Work of R. L. Stevenson

Abstract

The article is devoted to the comprehension of the novels of the outstanding English prose writer R. L. Stevenson in the context of the tradition of neo-romanticism. The author analyzes the reception of the term neo-romanticism in Russian literary criticism of the second half of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries, as well as the specifics of the writer’s key works in the context of the neo-romantic movement. As a result of a study based on the principles of a comparative-typological and holistic methods of analysis of a literary work, the author of the article comes to the following conclusions. Firstly, it is argued that neo-romanticism is a special trend of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, characterized by a common ideological and aesthetic principles, typological similarities of the problems in the literature of different countries, while preserving the national specificity in the formulation of solutions to similar problems. Secondly, it was established that neo-romanticism in the work of R. L. Stevenson manifests itself in two versions: adventurous (“Treasure Island”) and real psychological (“The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”). The key signs of neo-romanticism were revealed: (1) optimistic pathos; (2) genre preference is given to an adventurous or psychological novel / novel with elements of Gothic; (3) the key problem is the struggle between Good and Evil both in the real world and in human nature; (4) the hero is the holder of a personal code of honor, a brave and fearless adventurer, passing in a series of trials the path of formation, as well as a reflective character with a split consciousness; (5) the pursuit of realism, the credibility of the story.

Keywords

• r.l. stevenson
• duplicity
• hero
• english literature
• neo-romanticism
• plot