Stevenson, Robert Louis

At the age of 17, Stevenson (1850-1894) enrolled at Edinburgh University to study engineering, with the intention of working in the family firm. However, he abandoned this course of studies and made the compromise of studying law. He "passed advocate" in 1875 but did not practice since by then he knew he wanted to be a writer.

These are wonderful portions of his diary in those student years, showing his fine capacity for detailed but humane description: (May 9) "A fine sunny breezy morning, walking in. A small boy (about ten) calling our 'Flory' to a dog was very pretty. There was a quaint, little tremolo in his voice that gave it a longing, that was both laughable and touching ..." (May 10) "Office work - copying at least - is the easiest of labour. There is just enough mind-work necessary to keep you from thinking of anything else, so that one simply ceases to be a reasoning being and feels stodged and stupid about the head, a consummation devoutly to be wished for ..." (May 21, going to church at Glencaise) " ... and the minister, Mr Torrance ... is still more quaint and striking. He is about eighty; and he lamed himself last summer dancing a reel at a wedding. He wears black, thread gloves; and the whole manner of the man in the pulpit breathes of last century." (May 12, walking with Bob to Fair Milehead) " .... After we parted company at the toll, I walked on counting my money and I noticed that the moon shone upon each individual shilling as I dropped it from one hand to the other; which made me think of that splendid passage in Keats, winding up with the joke about the 'poor, patient oyster'."