Project Gutenberg 1996-04-01 Public domain in the USA. 631 Stevenson, Robert Louis 1850 1894 Stevenson, R. L. (Robert Louis) Essays in the Art of Writing On some technical elements of style in literature -- The morality of the profession of letters -- Books which have influenced me -- A note on realism -- My first book: "Treasure Island" -- The genesis of "The master of Ballantrae" -- Preface to "The master of Ballantrae". Transcribed from the 1905 Chatto & Windus edition by David Price "Essays in the Art of Writing" by Robert Louis Stevenson is a collection of essays written in the late 19th century. This work explores various facets of the writing process and the nature of literature, emphasizing the significance of style, the moral responsibilities of authors, and personal reflections on influential works. Each essay examines different elements that contribute to effective writing, with Stevenson drawing from his own experiences and the broader context of literary tradition. The opening portion of the text begins with Stevenson's deliberation on the technical elements of literary style. He suggests that exploring the mechanics of art can sometimes spoil its magic, yet he endeavours to dissect the craft of writing systematically. He underscores the importance of word choice and the structure of sentences, likening literature to an architectural endeavor where the writer must create with fixed linguistic blocks. Furthermore, Stevenson shares his perspective on the dual nature of art as both representative and autonomous, emphasising that true literary elegance involves a thoughtful blend of rhythm, style, and substantive meaning. This initial exploration showcases Stevenson's authority on the subject while inviting readers into a thoughtful examination of the art of writing. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 58.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Literature -- History and criticism Authorship Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894 -- Authorship PR Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Journalism/Media/Writing 159013 2025-08-01T05:39:02.981972 text/html 155601 2012-10-16T17:41:00 text/html 131692 2012-10-16T17:45:39 text/html application/zip 218062 2025-08-01T05:39:09.311960 application/epub+zip 218637 2025-08-01T05:39:06.256956 application/epub+zip 125740 2025-08-01T05:39:04.955953 application/epub+zip 361109 2025-08-01T05:39:11.556919 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 345023 2025-08-01T05:39:08.528932 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 234077 2022-09-01T06:05:34.317917 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 144968 2025-08-01T05:39:02.658966 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 144682 2012-10-16T17:40:40 text/plain; charset=utf-8 57390 2012-10-16T17:45:39 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 19219 2025-08-01T05:39:11.699933 application/rdf+xml 15136 2025-08-01T05:39:05.462968 image/jpeg 3597 2025-08-01T05:39:05.211945 image/jpeg 215870 2025-08-01T05:39:03.000966 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia