Final answer:
Robert Louis Stevenson's upbringing shaped his literary works, particularly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which explores the duality of man—a concept mirrored in his and his contemporaries' literature that often reflected and critiqued their own socio-cultural environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Impact of Stevenson's Childhood
Robert Louis Stevenson's childhood directly influenced his future life and career, culminating in literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The theme of duality within human nature depicted in this novel resonates with philosophical inquiries into the duality of man and whether we all harbor a darker side that could emerge under certain conditions. Stevenson's fascination with the complexities of personality, possibly reflecting conditions like schizophrenia or the effects of drugs on one's personality, can be traced back to his youth.
Similarly, the conditions of youth depression explored in The Catcher in the Rye represent a common psychological struggle among adolescents. On the other hand, the breakdown of relationships as depicted in Raymond Carver's Popular Mechanics, exemplifies the turmoil and dark pathways individuals can descend into following a break-up or divorce.
These authors, and others like Percy Bysshe Shelley, often lived lives that mirrored their literature, challenging the conventional moral fabric and exposing the darker undercurrents of Victorian society. The contrasts between the ideology and the reality of the era—an era of increased alcoholism and casual drug usage such as cocaine seen as a medicinal pick-me-up—are vividly critiqued in their works. Shelley, along with other writers of the period, often infused their own socio-cultural backgrounds into their literature, prompting literary debates on the importance of understanding an author's personal history to fully grasp their work.