Robert Louis Stevenson was passionate man. A passionate man that loved to reminisce about his country. His fervor for his homeland was lifelong and resulted in several works of fiction connected with the area, from the early story The Pentland Rising, to the mature Weir of Hermiston. Perhaps his most notable book, though, is Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes. In compiling this work, he writes with a most warm and loving, even romantic vein toward his love, Edinburgh.
             Stevenson's Edinburgh is set in late Victorian Scotland where his many anecdotes and connotations are laidened with a nationalistic air that exudes from his work at almost every page. Despite the appearance of the cover page of the text, Edinburgh is not a tale about medieval castles, brave knights, and rich conquests, but, in fact, it's not a story at all. It's a most picturesque recounting of days gone by and days to come in the both twisted and virtuous land of Edinburgh.
             Even though Edinburgh was not intended to be read by the every day American or European, rather almost exclusively purposed for the people of Edinburgh themselves. The notes of Edinburgh is something that people around the world can use to understand why Americans act and do the things they do. Stevenson's musings of Edinburgh show how truly in love he was with the country and the people that live within her borders.
             Stevenson wrote that "The character of a place is often most perfectly expressed in its associations." What do Americans and those of other nations associate with the United States of America? Is the United States affiliated with people perceived as fat and lazy, repressing the poor while flexing its' military muscle in the face of those who stand in its' way? Maybe it is perceived as a loving neighbor, taking in the needy and giving generously to the poor. Perhaps at first the two do not seem the same, but in fact, The United St...