Stevenson focuses almost entirely on plot in this book, with very little direct exploration of character's psychology or motivations. Stevenson took this map and decided to write "a story for boys no need of psychology or fine writing" ( source). The idea for Treasure Island came from a map of an imaginary island Stevenson drew with Fanny's son, Lloyd Osbourne. And fortunately, your girlfriend's son can help you with it. That miracle comes in the form of one terrific idea: you decide to write a book about pirates. Not only are your folks shocked and horrified by your behavior, but you are sick (you've had a severe lung disease, tuberculosis, for most of your life) and really, really poor. Her name is Fanny Osbourne, and you are carrying on an adulterous relationship in her hometown of San Francisco. Your parents kind of hate you because, in this conservative day and age (the late 1870s), you've fallen in love with a married woman who is ten years older than you. Picture this: it's the late 19th century and you're Robert Louis Stevenson, a struggling Scottish author who's written a number of books about traveling through Europe and the United States.
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