Description
Book SynopsisRobert Louis Stevenson, Literary Networks and Transatlantic Publishing in the 1890s investigates Stevenson and the geographies of his literary networks during the last years of his life and after his death. It profiles a series of figures who worked with Stevenson, negotiated his publications on both sides of the Atlantic, wrote for him or were inspired by him. Using archival material, correspondence, fiction and biographies it moves across these literary networks. It deploys the concept of ‘literary prosthetics’ to frame its analysis of gatekeepers, tastemakers, agents, collaborators and authorial surrogates in the transatlantic production of Stevenson’s writing. Case studies of understudied individuals and broader consideration of the networks they represent contribute to knowledge of transatlantic publishing in the 1890s, understanding of transatlantic culture, Stevenson studies, current interest in the workings of literary communities and in nineteenth-century mobility.
Trade Review‘A groundbreaking account of transatlantic publishing and reputation in the 1890s focusing on the uniquely talented, uniquely peripatetic property known as Robert Louis Stevenson, enmeshed in a network of agents, mentors, friends, fans and gatekeepers. Norquay’s invaluable study explores the “incorporation” of the modern author under new concepts of authorship, ownership and commercial competition.’
—Roderick Watson, Professor Emeritus, University of Stirling, UK
‘Glenda Norquay tells a story as surprising and absorbing as any tale of adventure created by Robert Louis Stevenson himself. In her hands, scholarship on late-Victorian publishing history comes to life as a narrative about obsessive love, greedy self-interest, legal machinations, and high-minded dedication to Art (with a capital “A”), all focused on the works that RLS left behind at the time of his premature death. […] This volume offers new points of origin for everything from modern marketing strategies to popular notions of celebrity authorship and fandom. At the same time, the thread running so invitingly throughout is Norquay’s own deep appreciation of RLS and her ability to reawaken interest in novels of his that have wrongly been neglected.’
—Margaret D. Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women’s Studies and Professor of Humanities, Department of Women & Gender Studies, University of Delaware, USA
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Lemuel Bangs: ‘The Senator’; 2. A Tale of Two Texts; 3. ‘A Gentleman Called Charles Baxter’; 4. Sidney Colvin: Custodian and Monument; 5. Family, Friends and Collaborators; 6. Arthur Quiller- Couch: The Quivering Needle; 7. Richard Le Gallienne: ‘Not While a Boy Still Whistles’; Conclusion: Robert Louis Stevenson Incorporated; References; Index.
