CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
Robert Louis Stevenson is a popular author. People are familiar with him through his books. He has written many books and many people know him and
his famous works, like Treasure Island, Kidnapped, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Not all people know everything about Stevenson and his literary works. Some of his literary work may seldom or never be discussed. The
novel Travel with a Donkey in the Cevennes is one of Stevenson’s novels that is not too polular. It is his second work since he became an author.
This part presents a comment of the novel Travel with a Donkey in the Cevennes
and some reviews of other Stevenson’s works, so that the readers will get the sight to the novel. Ricard Dury gave a comment about Travel with a
Donkey in the Cevennes novel in the website entitled Robert Louis Stevenson-Life
and Works Outline in 1997 by stating a companion work, Travels with a Donkey
in the Cevennes 1879, gives us more of his thoughts on life and human society
and continues to consolidate the image of the debonair narrator that we also find in his essays and letters which can be classed among his best works
http:dinamico2.unibg.itrlsbio.htm The study by Juli Purnani 2003 in undergraduate thesis entitled The
Possible Messages seen from the Main Character and the Conflics in Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
explores one of
7 PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
the literary works by Robert Louis Stevenson. The study focuses its discussion on the possible message implied in the main character’s crisis. Stevenson wants to
point out the idea that inside human being there are two personalities representing good and evil 2003: ix.
While the undergraduated thesis study by Cahyo Roso Tunggal 2002 entitled The Contrasive Personalities between James and Henry Durie in Robert
Louis Stevenson’s The Master of Ballantrae discusses how the personalities of
James and Henry differ in five aspects: complexity, fluidity, accessibility, resistance to change and centralization. Further, Tunggal found that the
internalheredity, genetic factor influences James and Henry’s personality development 2002: xi.
Another study in an undergraduated thesis The Character’s Changes and Moral Development as seen in Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Emmanuel Chayo Kristianto 2001 is concerned with the
character changes and moral development. Kristianto found that a great desire, supported by intelligence and science, in fact, brings suffering. The interpretation
of Jekyll is obviously different from Hyde’s though they are actually one person. Jekyll represents a good figure, while Hyde is an evil figure. He is the result of
Jekyll’s experiment. Jekyll repeatedly experiences character changes, whereas Hyde experiences a minor change, but his character tends to be flat and
monotonous. Science has a big role in realizing Jekyll’s ambition that finally brings his own death and automatically the death of Hyde as well Kristianto,
2001:ix. 8
Based on the quotations above, there are some opinions about Stevenson’s thoughts in his other works and an idea about Travel with a Donkey in the
Cevennes . This thesis is written to develop the study of socio-culture historical
background. Unlike other thesis discussing the same author of the literary work, this thesis is analysing the society in the novel as the representation of French
society in the eighteenth century and the idea behind the representation.
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Setting
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