Exploring Robert Louis Stevenson’s Edinburgh with LitLong

This resource is great for:
Discovering the works of Robert Louis Stevenson and using excerpts as inspiration for writing your own fiction.

Summary:
A set of resources from LitLong, a unique literary map of Edinburgh, which can lead pupils to find out more about the works of Robert Louis Stevenson.


Introduction:

LitLong is a unique map of literary Edinburgh. Behind it sits a database of 50,000 excerpts from around 550 books which use an Edinburgh place name, allowing each to be given a set of coordinates and pinned to the map. The database was created using state-of-the-art text-mining tools by a project team involving researchers in both English Literature and Informatics at the University of Edinburgh.

The LitLong Team have created two resources, based around Robert Louis Stevenson’s work, to get you started using the map, and then using one of the excerpts as a creative writing prompt.


Activities – LitLong resources

Part One

Familiarise yourself with LitLong by creating your own Robert Louis Stevenson path through the city of Edinburgh. Download the PDF below for instructions:

Robert Louis Stevenson – Create Resource PDF

Part Two

Now, use one of the Robert Louis Stevenson excerpts that you discovered as inspiration for your own creative writing. Download the PDF below for the full resource:

Robert Louis Stevenson – Pockets of Doom PDF


Further information:

Don’t stop there! Now that you can use LitLong, why not make other paths, exploring other authors or themes?

If your school is close to Edinburgh, you could even take a trip to walk the path, stopping to read excerpts out on your way.

Don’t forget to save your paths so that other users can see them.