* A note to the volume points out that Stevenson mistakenly dated the letter 1891, for which James gently corrected him, writing to "My dear distant Louis" that he envied "my time-deluded islander" for being "so luxuriously 'out'."
** I'm looking at you, Stieg Larsson.
*** All these seem right to me except Conrad. Am I forgetting scenes of humor in Conrad? Lord knows, I've not read nearly all his books, but what comes to mind is a grim determination verging on dourness. Am I missing something?
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Would Conrad's 'The Duel' count? It's a very dark comedy, though without any jokes, per se.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that reading Stevenson's letters always makes me realise is just how likeable he was. This is not something that emerges from theletters of very many other writers.