For some reason I have had an aversion to 'children's classics'. Thus, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and their ilk remain unread by me. However, I do like pirates, and so I decided to bite the bullet and check out Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and I'm glad I did.
There's not much to say about the plot or the characterization. Most of the narrative is breathless action and vivid description surrounding a hunt for hidden treasure on a remote island. What made this so enjoyable for me is that I had no idea how much of our modern pirate image and idiom came from this tale. It's all here: Long John Silver, parrots on the shoulder, peg legs, the Jolly Roger, Davy Jones locker, Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum...... I can only imagine what a rollicking adventure this was for a young reader near the turn of the century and it's easy to see how this has stood the test of time.
2 comments:
I read this book in elementary school and absolutely hated it; mostly, I think, because I was being made to read it. Maybe I should try again ...
The entire shelf of "children's classics" should be dumped in the floor and each book carefully considered before getting reshelved. Many are a previous generation's adult's idea of the sort of reading little Johnny or Jenny ought to be doing. I've never read Treasure Island, but it sounds like fun.
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