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Novel Approaches: ‘Kidnapped’ by Robert Louis Stevenson

Nov 3, 2025

Guest

Tom Crewe

Guest

Andrew O'Hagan

In this engaging discussion, novelist Andrew O’Hagan and author Tom Crewe dive into the world of Robert Louis Stevenson and his classic, Kidnapped. O’Hagan shares insights on the historical Appin murder and its political implications, while Crewe offers a glimpse into Stevenson’s fascinating upbringing and literary journey. The duo also explores Stevenson’s innovative narrative techniques and the profound social themes woven throughout the adventure tale, revealing how it transcends simple storytelling to address complex human experiences.

17:06

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INSIGHT

Reading As Voluptuous Absorption

Stevenson urged readers to be 'wrapped clean out of ourselves' by fiction and to relish sensory, pictorial pleasure in stories.
He linked childhood engrossment with books to the vivid, incident-driven imagination that fuels adventure fiction.

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INSIGHT

Stylist Who Knows His Readers

Clare Bucknell highlights Stevenson's pungent, image-rich prose that evokes a young reader 'snuffling around like a truffle pig' for plot.
This metaphor reveals Stevenson's self-awareness as both stylist and reader shaping Treasure Island and Kidnapped.

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ANECDOTE

Illness And Travel Shaped Stevenson

Tom Crewe recounts Stevenson's frail childhood, time in bed, and intermittent schooling that fed his inward imagination.
He links Stevenson's health struggles and travel to the restless energy behind his major works.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Stevenson’s Pleasure of Reading and Romance

01:13 • 2min

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Stevenson’s Life and Literary Path

03:19 • 4min

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Historical Setting: Jacobitism and Culloden

07:03 • 3min

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The Appin Murder and Historical Reality in Kidnapped

09:39 • 5min

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Narrative Technique and Foreshadowing

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Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

Published in 1857, 'Madame Bovary' is a seminal work of literary realism that tells the story of Emma Bovary, a beautiful and intelligent young woman who marries Charles Bovary, a dull and unambitious doctor. Emma's life is marked by boredom, romantic fantasies, and a series of ill-fated love affairs with men like Rodolphe and Léon. Her inability to distinguish between her romantic ideals and the harsh realities of her life leads to financial ruin, public scandal, and ultimately, her tragic demise. The novel is renowned for its masterful writing, detailed psychological insights, and its critique of bourgeois provincial life.

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The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

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The novel tells the story of Miss Jean Brodie, a forward-thinking and eccentric teacher at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh. She selects six students, known as 'The Brodie Set,' for special tutelage, teaching them about art history, literature, and her own personal life, including her admiration for fascism. The story unfolds through flashbacks and flashforwards, revealing the complex relationships between Miss Brodie and her students, particularly Sandy, who ultimately betrays her. The novel explores themes of education, morality, and the influence of a charismatic teacher on her students' lives.

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Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

The novel follows Robinson Crusoe, a young and impulsive Englishman, who ignores his parents' advice and sets out to sea. After a series of misadventures, including being captured by pirates and sold into slavery, he is eventually shipwrecked on a deserted island near the coast of Venezuela. There, he spends 28 years surviving against incredible odds, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers. The story is influenced by real-life castaways such as Alexander Selkirk and blends elements of Puritan spiritual autobiography, travel literature, and adventure stories. It is considered one of the first modern novels in the English language and explores themes of ambition, self-reliance, civilization, and power.

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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Kidnapped

Robert Louis Stevenson

Written by Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886, 'Kidnapped' is a coming-of-age tale set in Scotland during the Jacobite rebellion. The story follows David Balfour, a young man from the Scottish Lowlands, who after his father's death, sets out to claim his inheritance from his uncle Ebenezer. However, Ebenezer arranges for David to be kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Carolinas. David's journey involves a shipwreck, his alliance with the Jacobite rebel Alan Breck Stewart, and their perilous trek across the Highlands to avoid capture by government soldiers and to clear their names after being accused of murder. The novel is known for its high adventure, historical context, and themes of resilience and loyalty.

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Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson

The story follows Jim Hawkins, a young boy who lives at the Admiral Benbow Inn with his mother. After the death of a mysterious sea captain, Billy Bones, Jim finds a map that leads to the treasure of Captain Flint. Along with Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney, Jim sets sail on the Hispaniola to find the treasure, unaware that many of the crew members are former pirates of Captain Flint's ship, led by the cunning Long John Silver. The novel unfolds as a tale of adventure, mutiny, and the struggle between good and evil, with Jim facing numerous challenges and learning valuable lessons about courage and loyalty.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped began life serialised in a children’s magazine, but its sophistication and depth won the lifelong admiration of Henry James. Set in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite rising, Kidnapped follows young lowlander David Balfour’s flight across the Highlands with the rebel Alan Breck Stewart. In Stevenson’s hands, a straightforward adventure story becomes a vivid exploration of friendship, the body, and social and political division.

In this episode of Novel Approaches, Clare Bucknell is joined by Stevenson fans Andrew O’Hagan and Tom Crewe. They explore Stevenson’s startlingly modern handling of perspective and pacing, his approach to the art of fiction, and the value of being ‘betwixt and between’.

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Directly in Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/applecrna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In other podcast apps: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lrb.me/closereadingsna

Further reading in the LRB:

Andrew O’Hagan on Stevenson’s life:⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n04/andrew-o-hagan/in-his-hot-head⁠

...his circle:⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n10/andrew-o-hagan/bournemouth⁠

...and his home in Edinburgh:⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n01/andrew-o-hagan/diary⁠

P.N. Furbank on R.L.S.’s letters:⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v16/n16/p.n.-furbank/what-sort-of-man⁠

Matthew Bevis on Treasure Island:⁠https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v34/n20/matthew-bevis/kids-gone-rotten⁠

Next episode: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy.

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