Weir of Hermiston
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| Author | Robert Louis Stevenson |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | |
| Released | 1896 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
Weir of Hermiston (1896) is an unfinished novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is perhaps one of the world's great unfinished novels, thanks not only to the fact that a reasonable portion has survived but also because many have considered it Stevenson's masterpiece. It was cut short by RLS' sudden death from apoplexy, which in fact occurred while he was dictating the novel, and shows that he was at the peak of his literary powers at this point in life. The bulk of the action takes place in the Lothians.
[edit] Plot summary
It is the story of Archie Weir, who is banished by his severe father, a judge, to live in solitude in the village of Hermiston (now on Edinburgh's outskirts, and occupied by Heriot-Watt University, but then out in the countryside). Here he meets Christina whom he falls in love with (nb there are two characters called Christina). At this point, the book breaks off.
Stevenson intended to have Archie commit a murder, because of his love for Christina, and then tried and sentenced to death by his father, and rescued by a member of Christina's family. Archie's father was supposed to die of shock after his condemnation of his son. In the modern legal system, it is extremely unlikely that a father would get to try his son like this.
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