Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Love in the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson

The crux of much of Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry seems to be the poet's relationship with woman. As the grieved ex-lover or the forbidden mother, she is longed for, though irretrievable; but as the potential catalyst of desire and passion, she is dreaded. Between these conflicting emotions, Stevenson ends up steering a course which is never fully satisfactory because it shuns the reality of the feminine and remains content with imaginary outlets.