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Marked for Doom: The Literary Origins of the Black Spot

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In Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson, a nasty, blind pirate named Pew gives ex-pirate Billy Bones a mark of revenge. This act is precisely what the black spot stands for when given in malice: judgement day. For those who hold it are doomed to die! But what is the literary origins of the black spot? Why did Robert Louis Stevenson choose the black spot as his means of vengeful conveyance? In this post, we will examine the literary origins of the black spot.

Description of the Black Spot

The black spot is a sheet of paper the size of a “crown piece.” One side is blank whereupon a pirate wrote, “Depposed.” On the reverse side, there is a verse from Revelation: “Without are dogs and murderers.” As Stevenson writes, “The printed side had been blackened with wood ash, which already began to come off and soil my fingers ….”

In the novel, Billy Bones receives the black spot and soon dies of fright, even though he was en route for escape. Alcohol and stress got the better of him in the end. Later in the novel, another pirate, Long John Silver, receives the black spot as well. However, as a stout, intelligent pirate, reacts quite differently from Billy Bones. With this in mind, the literary origins of the black spot start here in the novel. Yet, there are similar, earlier incarnations across history.

Investigating the Literary Origins of the Black Spot

So, to put it as straightforward as possible, Robert Louis Stevenson invented the black spot as a literary device in the novel Treasure Island. The idea perhaps comes from Caribbean pirates who used the ace of spades to pronounce condemnation on somebody as a traitor or informer.

“The expression on the spot has its origins in this superstition,” writes Brian H. Scott, “which probably derives from the old pirate practice of sending the ace of spaced, which has one printed ‘spot’ in the middle, as a death threat to an informer or coward whom they intended to kill.”

Considering this, the literary origins of the black spot come from a few different origins. One of which is Robert Louis Stevenson himself. The other is from previous authors that inspired his creativity. Honestly, this is a pretty good lesson in that history can inspire creativity and the creative process.

Appearances of The Black Spot in other Literature and film

  • “The Lottery” (1948) by Shirley Jackson: Those ritualistically killed are selected by a black spot.
  • The film Treasure Planet (2002) uses a “black hole” has the depiction of the black spot.
  • The television show Pirate Master (2007) used a black spot to vote off contestants.
  • Bands Murder by Death and Alestorm both have references to the black spot in a song.
  • Other examples

Works Cited

Scott, H. Brian. “To Put on the Spot.” All About Stuff. Web. https://web.archive.org/web/20110530084332/http://www.allaboutstuff.com/All_Kinds_of_Trivia/To_Put_On_The_Spot.asp

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The Surprising Inspiration Behind “Dead Man’s Chest” by Robert Louis Stevenson

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There are many famous poems with lines that transcend the very work in which they appear. In this poem, by Stevenson, the utterance of “Fifteen Men on the Dead Man’s Chest” has now permeated culture, from Muppet’s Treasure Island (1996) to The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003). Such longevity might make one wonder: what is the staying power of this verse?

In this post, we are going to examine the poem “Fifteen Men on the Dead Man’s Chest” by Robert Louis Stevenson. This poem appears in chapter one of his novel Treasure Island (1883). In examining this poem, we can understand a little background about the verse itself and how it relates to the author’s novel. Of course, the poem is about pirates and the life of a pirate, but what inscrutable details can we parse out of it? Let’s find out!

Poem

Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest —
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest —
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
…
With one man of her crew alive,
What put to sea with seventy-five.

Analysis

As stated, the poem comes from Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. It references the pirate Black Beard’s attempt to punish a mutinous crew by marooning them on Dead Man’s Chest island. The island itself is only 250 square yards and features high cliffs and not much to eat. Not a completely dastardly man, Black Beard left the crew members (15 all told) with a cutlass and bottle of rum apiece. His intention to return after 30 days to find that the men had all killed themselves fails, as they are still alive.

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

According to Stevenson, he found the name “Dead Man’s Chest” in a book by Charles Kingsley. Stevenson wrote: “Treasure Island came out of Kingsley’s At Last; where I go the Dead Man’s Chest — and that was the seed….” Stevenson also said the book itself came from Captain Johnson’s History of the Notorious Pirates. Curiously, a footnote in Selected Letters states that “Charles Kingsley refers briefly to The Dead Man’s Chest as the name given by buccaneers to one of the islets in the Virgin Islands. The name is in fact Dead Chest Island; there is a Deadman’s Bay on the nearby Peter Island” (Stevenson).

As such, it may not be a chest after all, but a colloquial nickname for an island that pirates once visited. That goes to show you how names can take on many different meanings!

Works Cited

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Selected Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson. New Haven, London. 2001.

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Treasure Island as a Gilded Age Novel: Perspective and Historical Significance

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The gunfight at the O.K. Corral, President James Garfield is shot and killed by Charles Guiteau, and the first Christmas tree with electric lights is manufactured by Thomas Edison employee Edward Johnson. The Gilded Age was a strange time. But all of these events happened the same year Robert Louis Stevenson penned the landmark pirate novel Treasure Island. Thus, we can look at Treasure Island as a Gilded Age novel.

In this post, we will examine the novel and its relationship to Gilded Age values.

Summary of Treasure Island

Stevenson’s Treasure Island tells the tale of cabin boy Jim Hawkins as he boards a ship with a crew of adventurers and pirates, led by the charismatic Long John Silver. The story explores universal themes of friendship, treachery, and survival on the high seas. While not the first novel on pirating, it certainly has stood the test of time as an invaluable text that set the bar for pirate novels.

What inspired Stevenson?

To begin, Stevenson, a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, would go on to write other classic novels. These include Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped, which both appeared in 1886. His sense of wanderlust seemed pervasive throughout his life, as the title “travel writer” might suggest.

Additionally, he had a youthful fascination with travel that triggered a lifelong addiction to adventure and exploration (a sort of Ur-Jim Hawkins). For instance, in summers “he traveled to France to be around young artists, both writers and painters” when he was away from the university (Biography). His interest in travel would go on to influence his later writings, including the novel Treasure Island.

Moreover, the literature of the 19th century was also filled with romantic ideals. For example, such ideals can be seen in Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, to novels by James Fenimore Cooper. These romantic ideals no doubt influenced Stevenson’s feelings toward traveling the world to broaden his horizons.

Novel Background

The novel was first serialized in the magazine Young Folks between October and January of 1881-1882. The serialized title was The Sea-Cook; or, Treasure Island under one of Stevenson’s pseudonyms, Captain George North. It was published as a book in 1883 by Cassell & Co. (Gonzalez).

Historical Connections to the Gilded Age

For starters, much in the same way that Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) was influenced by the excesses of the Gilded Age (a time of great industrialization, prosperity, and disparity in the US), Stevenson’s own Treasure Island was indirectly suffused with the feelings of the era.

“The Gilded Age was in many ways the culmination of the Industrial Revolution, when America and much of Europe shifted from an agricultural society to an industrial one,” states History.

Furthermore, authors like Henry Adam’s constructed novels like Democracy (1880) to critique “corruption and inefficiency.” Meanwhile, Edward Bellamy lambasted the “capitalistic system” in Looking Backward (1888). By the turn of the century, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) would emerge as precedent-setting novel for US president Theodore Roosevelt.

As other sources state, Treasure Island is a “gripping adventure tale” and one filled with the “ambiguity of human motives.” These themes define Long John Silver’s characterization in the novel, as he could be so kind to Jim Hawkins, the protagonist, and yet a bloodthirsty villain to his crew. His character embodies the ambiguity of the Gilded Age through his use of manipulation and seedy practices.

Furthermore, these motives were influenced by Stevenson’s feelings and temperament toward an age in which the social conscience was growing. As such, the characters in his novels had a greater depth of feeling and reflection than some of his aforementioned predecessors. For example, the pirates’ desperate search for the treasure buried by Captain Flint mirrors the attempts of robber barons such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie to plunder as much capital as possible through dubious practices. That is to say, underhanded tactics were not out of the question when money (treasure) was on the line, from lying to cheating to outright murder.

Conclusion

The Gilded Age had a profound effect on artists through its indirect humanization of perspectives. It was far easier to see human suffering when it was happening through industrialization because you literally couldn’t miss it on the street. While Stevenson’s political views shifted in his lifetime from being a “red-hot socialist” to something admittedly more conservative (British Heritage), it is fairly easy to spot Treasure Island as a Gilded Age novel.

Nonetheless, the novel Treasure Island is a great tale that explores many common themes found in the literature of the time, including ambiguity and greed. Through Stevenson’s experiences and the era in which it was written, the novel carries with it a weight of relatability and realism that still has the power to draw a reader into its pages. The depiction of Long John Silver in the novel is not a simple one. He is a complex character capable of uplifting his fellow man while also having the power to quell rebellion if necessary. In much the same way, the Gilded Age reflects these very qualities.

Works Cited

“Robert Louis Stevenson.” Biography.com. April 15, 2021. Web. https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/robert-louis-stevenson

“Robert Louis Stevenson.” British Heritage. Web. https://britishheritage.org/robert-louis-stevenson

Editors. “Gilded Age.” History. June 13, 2023. Web. https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/gilded-age

Gonzalez, Nora. “The Eternal Legacy of Treasure Island.” Britannica. Web. https://www.britannica.com/story/the-eternal-legacy-of-treasure-island

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How to Write Like Robert Louis Stevenson

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Robert Louis Stevenson is a celebrated writer. His focus on action and suspense created many compelling dramas. These include Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Black Arrow, and Kidnapped. He is also known for his complex imagination and a distinctive writing style. In this post, we will analyze Stevenson’s writing style and contribution to fiction by analyzing how to write like Robert Louis Stevenson.

Settings and Characters

One notable aspect of Stevenson’s writing style is his ability to create richly detailed settings. These settings are often a larger part of the story, or reflect the characters in some way. For instance, the pirates flourish on the high seas in Treasure Island. And, in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the characters reflect that fog-filled streets of a seedier side of Victorian England. Stevenson’s unique descriptive style bring these environs to life and give readers a window into his characters’ lives.

Stevenson’s characters are equally compelling, often embodying complex moral dilemmas and inner conflicts. From the enigmatic Dr. Jekyll and his sinister alter ego to the cunning Long John Silver, Stevenson’s characters are not simply archetypes but fully realized individuals with their own motivations and flaws. Through his characters, Stevenson explores themes of identity, morality, and the duality of human nature, inviting readers to ponder the depths of the human psyche.

Syntax and Diction

Stevenson has an interesting way of constructing sentences and choosing his words. For instance, “Stevenson’s sentence structure often reflects the pace and mood of his narratives.” As it is exemplified, Stevenson uses action to drive each sentence when their are exciting scenes. During Jim Hawkins’ fight with Israel Hands, the action is intense. Stevenson writes that Israel “threw himself forward,” and Jim “leapt sideways towards the bows.” Furthermore, he writes: “As I did so, I let go of the tiller, which sprang sharp to leeward, and I think this saved my life, for it struck Hands across the chest and stopped him, for the moment, dead.”

Meanwhile, during moments of reflection, Stevenson is capable of writing longer, more weighty ideas. At the end of Treasure Island, Jim states, “The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed island; and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming about its coasts or start upright in bed with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: ‘Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!'” (Stevenson). Here, Stevenson bounces around on ideas, but focuses on Jim’s psychological well-being.

Putting this Into Play

Stevenson was a committed writer and wrote a lot of different kinds of writings, from essays to short stories. He was remarkably efficient. In order to write in a similar style, one should consider taking into account what they are writing. If you writing an action scene, speed up the momentum and write quickly. Using polysyndeton, for instance, can create a sort of rhythmic urgency in your writing. Such a method moves your action along while keeping details straight ahead.

Another method to consider is building your characters up through characterization and then trimming the pacing to your liking. This particular method asks you to write convincing characters so readers are enthralled at their actions. If you have a believable character and short, robust sentences, punctuated with longer sentences and polysyndeton, then you have a good recipe for success. Stevenson’s action is enthralling because you care about Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver. They are both a well-rounded protagonist and antagonist. Therefore, you root for them (or curse them) and follow every movement with astuteness.

Conclusion

Overall, Stevenson’s writing style is characterized by its electric energy and varied storytelling. Thus, in order to write like Robert Louis Stevenson, you need to focus on the fundamentals: good characters and quick action. Without a doubt, his protean ability to change genres bolstered his appeal. As some sources state that he was, “established among the more discerning as a writer of originality and power … whose novels are either brilliant adventure stories … or original and impressive presentations of human action …” (Britannica). In other words, Stevenson left a huge mark on the literary world with his stories and essays, and will be remembered fondly as writer of excellent fiction.

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Treasure Island 2012 Mini-Series Adaptation: Dark and Grim

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Treasure Island is a timeless adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. It has had many iterations throughout the years in television and film. A personal favorite of mine is Muppet Treasure Island (1996), which has a stirring performance from Tim Curry as Long John Silver. Nevertheless, the book has captivated readers for generations with its tale of pirates, treasure hunts, and swashbuckling escapades. And this brings us to another wonderful adaptation. In this post, we are going to take a look at the Treasure Island 2012 mini-series release. In it, Eddie Izzard, Toby Regbo, Donald Sutherland, and Elijah Wood give excellent performances.


Synopsis Blurbs

From IMDB: “In 1765, young English boy Jim Hawkins gets involved with buccaneers during his quest to find pirate Captain Flint’s treasure buried on a secret island.”

From Rotten Tomatoes: “This adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story takes a fresh approach to telling the story of Jim Hawkins, who is unexpectedly drawn into the world of piracy after discovering Capt. Flint’s treasure map. But Hawkins isn’t the only one going after the gold. Long John Silver wants it all for himself. After setting sail for Treasure Island, Hawkins embarks on an adventure sure to change his life forever. But Long John Silver is ready to lead a mutiny to take over the ship. Only one of them can keep control of the ship and ultimately get the treasure.”


Reviews

On IMDB, reviews rate the movie between fair and good with a wide smattering of reviews. There is no general consensus. Eight- and nine-star reviews state that it’s not “great or outstanding” but people still “highly recommend for those of historic adventures…” Additionally, one-star reviews highlight it as “Another Ruined Classic,” and “The worst adaptation so far.”


Conclusion

The Treasure Island 2012 mini-series is an excellent adaptation. The performances are really good, and Eddie Izzard does a phenomenal job as Long John Silver. It also feels like a dark interpretation, and does not spend its time with romanticizing the life of a pirate. I like that. Pirates should be violent and gritty creatures of the sea.

Additionally, Elijah Wood pops up in a sort of cameo role, and it’s a nice bit of elevation in the film’s second half, because he gives a delightful performance. Of course, there are differences, such as characterization and overall plotting, but the movie tries to be faithful to the timeframe and the story itself, getting down all the beats and treating Steven’s classic with reverence.

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Understanding Pirate Literature by through the Life of a Pirate

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In Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, we get a good idea as to what pirating looks like according to the author. Much of it is ne’er-do-well behavior and much of it is also unsavory behavior. Long John Silver, for instance, is a liar and a conman who is very much in league with a sordid sort, and is looking to murder those who get in his way. Such is the life of a pirate.

But is this what a pirate was really like? In the book, it seems much of their time has been spent plodding and planning, but there is much more to the life of a pirate than what has been presented to us already. In this post, we are going to look at the life of a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy. We will analyze the era, the life of a pirate, and some misconceptions in today’s post.


The Golden Age of Piracy

The Golden Age of Piracy occurred between 1690 and 1730, and it was a time when pirating was at an all time high. As World History states, “Although not all historians agree on the precise time frame, it is generally applied to those pirates who operated in the Caribbean, the east coast of America, the eastern Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean” (Cartwright).

The major players of this era included Sir Henry Morgan, Captain Kidd and Blackbeard. Moreover, pirates came from all over the world and from “every maritime country of Europe,” and “a good number of sailors were African” (Jenkins). Later, real-life pirates even appeared in and around The Great Lakes in the US.


Life of a Pirate

When considering how a pirate starts their life, we have to consider that many of them were young sailors that figured out stealing was easier than working on a ship night and day. Sometimes, “pirates were made,” which means that upon capture during a “raids or battles,” individuals were forced to work on a pirate ship as a servant or slave (Fields).

Many pirates came from a variety of social classes. If you consider the amount of pirates that came from backgrounds as sailors, you can understand where this information is coming from. “…Major Stede Bonnet, who was a wealthy plantation owner in Barbados before he outfitted a ship and became a pirate in 1717….” (Minister).

When thinking about day-to-day activities, pirates were often working on their ship and searching the horizon for possible victims. When boats were captured by pirates, the pirates themselves would look for “grain, molasses, and kegs of rum” and top of gold and silver.

Much of the ill-gotten gains would be spent on “‘women and booze'” states National Geographic, but there were rules to follow. “Indeed pirates did follow codes. These varied from ship to ship, often laying out how plundered loot should be divided or what punishment should be meted out for bad behavior” (Lovgren). Esprit de corps seemed to be the name of the game with pirating.

Continuing, pirates were not pirates for very long. Many of the most famous pirates only lasted a little while at sea, such as Blackbeard, and many of your humdrum pirates aboard a vessel either called it quits, became injured, or died.


Misconceptions

There are many things about pirates that society may get wrong no doubt due to modern media’s portrayal of life at sea. For example, the Pirates of the Carribean film series has its heroes searching for buried treasure and walking the plank. Both of these things are conjurations of a more modern society.

Treasure Island is responsible for many pirate myths (even though William Kidd allegedly buried some treasure en route to New York to turn himself in to authorities). As some sources state, pirates would not “abandon their booty, no matter how well hidden it was,” and this was mostly so they could sell it as quickly as possible to spend their reward (Ward).

Additionally, walking the plank appears to be a fabrication as there is little evidence this has every occurred. As stated by Wired: “Pirates’ preferred means of punishment was keel-hauling, which meant tying their victims to a rope and dragging them under the ship” (Blum).


Conclusion

A pirate’s life was a complicated affair. It seems that many pirates either left a profession or did a lateral move from sailing in order to find better opportunities more quickly. In Treasure Island, the pirates aboard the Hispaniola have been at it for a long time, having been pirates under the volatile Captain Flint and Billy Bones. In letter sections of the novel, we will see some pirate folklore come to life and we will also see some of the realities of pirating come to fruition.


Works Cited

Cartwright, Mark. “Golden Age of Piracy.” World History Encyclopedia. Oct. 12, 2021. Web. https://www.worldhistory.org/Golden_Age_of_Piracy/

Jenkins, John Philip. “Piracy.” Britannica. Jan. 25, 2024. Web. https://www.britannica.com/topic/piracy-international-law

Fields, Kittey. “The Life of a Pirate: What They Ate, What They Did for Fun, and More!” Owlcation. Nov. 22, 2023. Web. https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Life-of-a-Pirate-What-They-Ate-What-They-Did-For-Fun-and-More

Lovgren, Stefan. “Grim Life Cursed Real Pirates of the Caribbean.” National Geographic. July 11, 2003. Web. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/grim-life-cursed-real-pirates-of-caribbean?loggedin=true&rnd=1706527561870

Minster, Christopher. “10 Facts About Pirates.” ThoughtCo. Feb. 28, 2021. Web. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-pirates-2136238

Ward, Alvin. “10 Misconceptions About Pirates.” Mental Floss. Sept. 13, 2022. Web. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71320/10-misconceptions-about-pirates

Blum, Matt. “Pirates: A Reality Check – 9 Pirate Myths Examined.” Wired. Sept. 17th, 2000. Web. https://www.wired.com/2008/09/pirates-a-reali/