Travel Essays · Chapter
II: Old Town—The Lands explained
This chapter describes the Old Town of Edinburgh, its physical layout on a ridge dominated by the Castle, and the stark contrast between the crowded, smoky, vertical tenements of the poor and the modern, spacious New Town.
What happens
This chapter describes the Old Town of Edinburgh, its physical layout on a ridge dominated by the Castle, and the stark contrast between the crowded, smoky, vertical tenements of the poor and the modern, spacious New Town. Stevenson reflects on the social inequality visible in the city's architecture, the dense and often squalid living conditions of the lower classes, and the poignant decline of individuals who once held higher social standing. He also recounts the dramatic collapse of a tenement, which exposed the intimate lives of many families and underscored the fragility of existence in these overcrowded 'lands.'
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The chapter vividly contrasts the rich and poor, noting how the High Street's back garrets are visible from Princes Street, and how the Cowgate below South Bridge offers a direct view of one rank of society from another.
Mortality and the Passage of Time
The collapse of the tenement in the High Street is a central event, described with terror and reality, exposing the lives of thirty families and serving as a memento mori for the city.
Human Connection and Community
Despite the squalor, the chapter notes the dense life within the buildings, the sounds of clocks ticking and people snoring, and the shared peril of the tenement's inhabitants, creating a sense of a disordered but interconnected community.
Characters to notice
- Old Edinburgh
The Old Town itself is personified as a character, described as the 'liver-wing' of Edinburgh, with a grim, sooty aspect and a fallen social status.
Key passages
“The Old Town, it is pretended, is the chief characteristic, and, from a picturesque point of view, the liver-wing of Edinburgh.”
Some claim the Old Town is Edinburgh's main feature and its most visually striking part.
Stevenson introduces the Old Town as a key element of Edinburgh's character.
“Social inequality is nowhere more ostentatious than at Edinburgh.”
Nowhere is the contrast between social classes more glaringly displayed than in Edinburgh.
A direct statement of the chapter's central theme of inequality.
“Death had made a brave harvest, and, like Samson, by pulling down one roof, destroyed many a home.”
The collapse killed many people, and like the biblical Samson, a single structure's fall wiped out numerous households.
Describes the tenement collapse with biblical allusion, emphasizing the scale of tragedy.