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Treasure Island

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Novels

   CAPTION: Title Treasure Island

   Cover illustration by Frank Godwin (1925).
     Author   Robert Louis Stevenson
    Country   Scotland
    Language  English
    Genre(s)  Adventure
   Publisher  Cassell & Company Ltd
    Released  1883
   Media type Print ( Hardback & Paperback)
      ISBN    NA

   Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis
   Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold". First
   published as a book in 1883, it was originally serialised in the
   children's magazine Young Folks between 1881-82 under the title The Sea
   Cook, or Treasure Island.

   Traditionally considered a coming of age story, it is an adventure tale
   known for its superb atmosphere, character and action, and also a wry
   commentary on the ambiguity of morality—as seen in Long John
   Silver—unusual for children's literature then and now. It is one of the
   most frequently dramatised of all novels. The influence of Treasure
   Island on popular perception of pirates is vast including treasure maps
   with an X, black schooners, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen
   with parrots on their shoulders.

History

   Stevenson was 30 years old when he started to write Treasure Island,
   and it would be his first success as a novelist. The first fifteen
   chapters were written at Braemar in the Scottish Highlands in 1881. It
   was a cold and rainy August-September and Stevenson was with five
   family members on holiday in a cottage. Young Lloyd Osbourne,
   Stevenson's step-son, would pass the rainy days painting with water
   colors. Remembering the time, Lloyd wrote:

   “  ..busy with a box of paints I happened to be tinting a map of an
      island I had drawn. Stevenson came in as I was finishing it, and with
       his affectionate interest in everything I was doing, leaned over my
     shoulder, and was soon elaborating the map and naming it. I shall never
          forget the thrill of Skeleton Island, Spyglass Hill, nor the
     heart-stirring climax of the three red crosses! And the greater climax
         still when he wrote down the words "Treasure Island" at the top
       right-hand corner! And he seemed to know so much about it too—the
       pirates, the buried treasure, the man who had been marooned on the
        island". "Oh, for a story about it", I exclaimed, in a heaven of
      enchantment, and somehow conscious of his own enthusiasm in the idea. ”

   Within three days of drawing the map for Lloyd, Stevenson had written
   the first three chapters, reading each aloud to his family who added
   suggestions: Lloyd insisted there be no women in the story; Stevenson's
   father came up with the contents of Billy Bones' sea-chest, and
   suggested the scene where Jim Hawkins hides in the apple barrel. Two
   weeks later a friend, Dr. Alexander Japp, brought the early chapters to
   the editor of Young Folks magazine who agreed to publish each chapter
   weekly.

   As autumn came to Scotland, the Stevensons left their summer holiday
   retreat for London, but Stevenson was troubled with a life-long chronic
   bronchial condition that put an end to his work on the novel at about
   chapter fifteen. Concerned about a deadline they traveled in October to
   Davos, Switzerland where the clean mountain air did him wonders and he
   was able to continue, and, at a chapter a day, soon finished the story.
   Map created by Robert Louis Stevenson.
   Map created by Robert Louis Stevenson.

   During its initial run in Young Folks from October 1881 to January 1882
   it failed to attract any attention or even increase the sales of the
   magazine. But when sold as a book in 1883 it soon became very popular.
   Prime Minister of the United Kingdom William Ewart Gladstone was
   reported to have stayed up until two in the morning to finish it.
   Critics widely praised it. American novelist Henry James praised it as
   "..perfect as a well-played boys game". Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote "I
   think Stevenson shows more genius in a page than Sir Walter Scott in a
   volume".

   "The effect of Treasure Island on our perception of pirates cannot be
   overestimated. Stevenson linked pirates forever with maps, black
   schooners, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen with parrots on
   their shoulders. The treasure map with an X marking the location of the
   buried treasure is one of the most familiar pirate props", yet it is
   entirely a fictional invention which owes its origin to Stevenson's
   original map. The term "Treasure Island" has passed into the language
   as a common phrase, and is often used as a title for games, rides,
   places, etc.

   Thanks to Stevenson's letters and essays, we know a lot about his
   sources and inspirations. The initial catalyst was the treasure map,
   but he also drew from memories of works by Daniel Defoe, Edgar Allan
   Poe and Washington Irving. Stevenson says that the novel At Last by
   Charles Kingsley was a key inspiration. The idea for the character of
   Long John Silver was inspired by his real-life friend William Henley, a
   writer and editor, who had lost his lower leg to tuberculosis of the
   bone. Lloyd Osbourne described him as "..a great, glowing,
   massive-shouldered fellow with a big red beard and a crutch; jovial,
   astoundingly clever, and with a laugh that rolled like music; he had an
   unimaginable fire and vitality; he swept one off one's feet". In a
   letter to Henley after the publication of Treasure Island Stevenson
   wrote "I will now make a confession. It was the sight of your maimed
   strength and masterfulness that begot Long John Silver...the idea of
   the maimed man [ed. Henley was crippled], ruling and dreaded by the
   sound [ed. voice alone], was entirely taken from you". Other books
   which resemble Treasure Island include Robert Michael Ballantyne's
   Coral Island (1871), Captain Marryat's The Pirate (1836). H. Rider
   Haggard's King Solomon's Mines (1885), the first of the " Lost World"
   literary genre, was the product of a bet between Rider Haggard and his
   brother that he could write a better novel than Treasure Island.

   Stevenson had never encountered any real pirates in his life. However
   his descriptions of sailing and seamen and sea life are very
   convincing. His father and grandfather were both lighthouse engineers
   and frequently voyaged around Scotland inspecting lighthouses, taking
   the young Robert along. Two years before writing Treasure Island he had
   crossed the Atlantic Ocean. So authentic were his descriptions that in
   1890 William Butler Yeats told Stevenson that Treasure Island was the
   only book from which his seafaring grandfather had ever taken any
   pleasure.

   Critically, the novel can be seen as a bildungsroman, dealing, as it
   does, with the development and coming of age of its narrator, Jim
   Hawkins.

   Stevenson was paid 34 pounds seven shillings and sixpence for the
   serialization and 100 pounds for the book.

Plot summary

   Jim Hawkins is listening to the pirates sitting in the apple-barrel
   Jim Hawkins is listening to the pirates sitting in the apple-barrel
   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   Jim Hawkins is a young boy who lives at his parents’ sleepy sea-side
   inn, the Admiral Benbow, near Bristol, England, in the mid-18th
   century. One day, an old and menacing sea captain referred to as Billy
   Bones appears and takes a room at the inn. The captain paying "three or
   four gold pieces" in advance stays for "month after month, so that all
   the money had been long exhausted". One day, an equally menacing figure
   named Black Dog arrives at the Inn looking for Bill, and when the two
   pirates meet, Jim overhears them arguing in the parlor and finally the
   two begin fighting. Billy wounds Black Dog, but immediately afterwards
   falls to the ground from a stroke. Bill tells Jim that Black Dog was "a
   bad 'un" and "mind you, it's my sea chest they're after". He mutters
   incoherently to Jim about a man named Captain Flint and something he
   was given the day Flint died at Savannah. Jim's father soon dies, and
   the day after his funeral a blind pirate appears at the inn where he
   presents the captain with " The Black Spot", a secret pirate message
   which officially pronounced a verdict of guilt and promised a death
   sentence for the recipient. The captain shortly dies of a stroke at the
   inn. Hastily, Jim and his mother unlock Billy’s sea chest (under
   pretense of payment for his inn tab), finding an account book and map
   inside. Hearing steps outside, they quickly leave with the documents
   before Billy’s pursuers ransack the inn looking for the same. Luckily,
   Jim and his Mother had informed the local hamlet of the threat to the
   inn. Soon four or five riders arrive, and the blind pirate, Pew, is
   crushed beneath a horse's hooves. Most of the other pirates escape in a
   lugger.

   Jim realizes that the contents he has snatched from the sea chest must
   be valuable, so he takes the documents he has found to some local
   aristocratic acquaintances, Dr. Livesey and Squire John Trelawney.
   Excited, they recognize it as a map leading to the fabled treasure
   Captain Flint buried on Skeleton Island in the West Indies. Trelawney
   immediately starts planning an expedition. Naïve in his negotiations to
   outfit his ship, the Hispaniola, Trelawney is tricked into hiring one
   of Flint’s former mates, Long John Silver as a cook, as well as many of
   Flint’s old crew. Only the captain, Smollett, is trustworthy, but
   Trelawney has fallen under the charismatic spell of Silver and believes
   him to be the better man. The ship sets sail for Skeleton Island with
   nothing amiss, until Jim overhears Silver’s plans for mutiny. Jim tells
   the captain about Silver and the rest of the rebellious crew. Captain
   Smollett is vindicated in the eyes of the others and becomes the leader
   of the "faithful crew".

   Landing at the island, Captain Smollett devises a plan to get most of
   the mutineers off the ship, allowing them leisure time on shore.
   Without telling his companions, Jim sneaks into the pirates’ boat and
   goes ashore with them. Frightened of the pirates, Jim runs off alone
   into the forest. From a hiding place, he witnesses Silver’s murder of a
   sailor who refuses to join the mutiny. Jim flees deeper into the heart
   of the island, where he encounters a half-crazed man named Ben Gunn.
   Ben had once served in Flint’s crew but was marooned alone on the
   island three years earlier.
   Jim Hawkins meeting Ben Gunn
   Jim Hawkins meeting Ben Gunn

   Meanwhile, Smollett and his men have gone ashore and taken shelter in a
   stockade they found which Flint had built years earlier. Jim returns to
   the stockade and tells of his encounter with Ben. Silver visits under a
   white flag of truce and attempts a negotiation with the captain, but
   Smollett deliberately goads him into a shouting match, knowing that a
   pirate attack is likely sooner or later and that it may as well be
   sooner, while it is expected. The pirates attack the stockade within
   the hour, and are driven off with serious losses, but the captain is
   wounded. Eager to take action, Jim follows another whim and deserts his
   companions, sneaking off to hunt for Ben’s handmade coracle hidden in
   the woods.

   After finding Ben’s boat, Jim sails out to the anchored ship with the
   intention of cutting it adrift, thereby depriving the pirates of a
   means of escape. He cuts the rope, but he realizes his small boat has
   drifted near the pirates’ camp and fears he will be discovered. By
   chance, the pirates do not spot Jim, and he floats around the island
   until he catches sight of the ship drifting wildly. Struggling aboard,
   he discovers that one of the two watchmen left aboard, Israel Hands,
   has killed the other watchman in a drunken fit and is seriously injured
   himself. Jim takes control of the ship, but Israel turns against him in
   a fight in the rigging. Jim is wounded but kills Israel.

   Jim returns to the stockade at night not realizing it has since been
   occupied by the pirates. Silver takes Jim hostage, telling the boy that
   the captain has given the pirates the treasure map, provisions, and the
   use of the stockade in exchange for their lives. Silver is having
   trouble managing his men, who accuse him of treachery. Silver proposes
   to Jim that they help each other survive by pretending Jim is a
   hostage. However, the men present Silver with a black spot and inform
   him that he has been deposed as their commander. In a skilled attempt
   to gain control of his crew, Silver slyly shows them the treasure map
   to appease them, narrowly saving Jim's life (and Silver's) from the
   fickle pirates. Silver is unanimously re-elected as captain, to cries
   of "Silver!" and "Barbecue forever! Barbecue for cap'n!"

   The next day Silver leads Jim and the last five pirates to the treasure
   site, but they are shocked to find it already excavated and the
   treasure removed except for a few stray coins. The pirates are angered
   and ready to kill Silver and Jim once and for all. At that moment Dr.
   Livesey, Squire Trelawney, Ben Gunn, and the others appear from the
   bushes and fire on the pirate band, killing two and scattering three
   others throughout the island. Silver at this point has switched sides
   yet again, and because he saved Jim's life earlier, is accepted warily
   back into the group.
   Jim Hawkins and the treasure of Treasure Island
   Jim Hawkins and the treasure of Treasure Island

   After spending three days carrying the loot from Ben's cave to the
   ship, the men prepare to set sail for home. There is a debate about the
   fate of the remaining mutineers. Despite the three pirates’ pleas, they
   are left marooned on the island, perhaps a kinder fate than returning
   them home to the gibbet, and much to the glee of Ben Gunn. Silver is
   allowed to join the voyage to a nearby Spanish American port, where he
   sneaks off the ship one night with the help of Ben Gunn carrying a
   small portion of the treasure and is never heard of again. The voyage
   home is uneventful.

   Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey resume their business as usual,
   despite being thousands of pounds richer. Captain Smollett retires from
   the sea on his share and lives peacefully in the country. Ben Gunn
   spends all of his money within nineteen days and soon falls back upon
   begging. However, he is given a small pension by the Squire.

   Jim Hawkins is able to run the Admiral Benbow on his own, but suffers
   in a deeper way from his time on the island. "The bar silver and the
   arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them ... [but]
   oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed
   island; and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf
   booming about its coasts or start upright in bed with the sharp voice
   of Captain Flint [Silver's talking parrot] still ringing in my ears: '
   Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!'"
   Spoilers end here.

Main characters

     * Jim Hawkins: the young man who finds the treasure map and for most
       of the story the narrator
     * Billy Bones: a pirate who has the map of Flint's Fist. Dies of a
       stroke brought on by the Black Spot
     * Squire John Trelawney: a skilled marksman, he is naïve and hires
       the crew almost entirely on Long John Silver's advice
     * Dr. Livesey: a doctor and friend of Trelawney who goes on the
       journey and for a short while narrates the story
     * Captain Alexander Smollet: the stubborn captain of the Hispaniola
     * Long John Silver: a one-legged pirate
     * Israel Hands: a pirate who is killed when he falls from a mast
     * Ben Gunn: an insane and marooned pirate
     * Pew: a blind pirate that is killed when he is trampled by horses
     * Captain Flint: a feared pirate captain who dies in Savannah; also
       Long John's parrot's name.

Adaptations

Film and TV

   There have been over 50 movie and TV versions made. Some of the notable
   ones include:

   Film
     * 1920- silent version starring Shirley Mason.
     * 1934- Treasure Island- starring Jackie Cooper, Wallace Beery. An
       MGM production, the first sound film version.
     * 1950- Treasure Island- starring Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton.
       Notable for being Disney's first completely live action film. A
       sequel to this version was made in 1954, called Long John Silver.
     * 1971- Animal Treasure Island. An anime film directed by Hiroshi
       Ikeda and written by Takeshi Iijima and Hiroshi Ikeda with story
       consultation by famous animator Hayao Miyazaki. This version
       replaced several of the human characters with animal counterparts.
     * 1972- Treasure Island- starring Orson Welles.
     * 1996- Muppet Treasure Island.
     * 1999- Treasure Island- starring Kevin Zegers, Jack Palance
     * 2002- Treasure Planet. Disney animated version set in space, with
       Long John Silver as a cyborg.
     * 2007- L'Île aux Trésors. A loosely adapted version, in French,
       starring French actors, of the original novel.

   TV
     * 1990- Treasure Island- starring Christian Bale, Charlton Heston and
       Pete Postlethwaite. A made for TV film written, produced and
       directed by Heston's son, Fraser C. Heston.
     * 1993- The Legends of Treasure Island. An animated series loosely
       based on the novel, with the characters as animals.

   There are also a number of Return to Treasure Island sequels produced:a
   1986 Disney mini-series, a 1992 animation version, and a 1996 and 1998
   TV version.

Theatre and radio

   There have been over 24 major stage and radio adaptations made. The
   number of minor adaptations remains countless.
     * Orson Welles broadcast a radio adaptation via Mercury Theatre on
       July 1938; half in England, half on the Island; omits "My Sea
       Adventure"; music by Bernard Herrmann; Available online.
     * In 1947, a production was mounted at the St. James's Theatre in
       London, starring Harry Welchman as Long John Silver and John Clark
       as Jim Hawkins.
     * For a time, in London there was an annual production at the Mermaid
       Theatre, originally under the direction of Bernard Miles, who
       played Long John Silver, a part he also played in a television
       version. The late comedian Spike Milligan would often play Ben Gunn
       in these productions.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
