The Angler & the Clown by Robert Louis Stevenson
A fisherman from the city tries his luck at a scenic spot beneath a bridge, casting his line into a rushing stream beside a leaning tree. A country bumpkin watches from above on the bridge, nodding and grinning with amusement at the angler's efforts. When the clown asks what he has caught, the angler honestly admits he has caught nothing yet. The rustic continues to mock and question the fisherman, finding entertainment in watching a supposedly educated townsman fail at so simple a pursuit as catching fish. The angler remains patient and good-humored despite the taunting, continuing his efforts with quiet persistence. The poem contrasts the two figures: the angler is portrayed as a thoughtful, hopeful, and civilized man engaged in a peaceful leisure pursuit, while the clown represents crude rural ignorance, quick to ridicule what he does not understand or appreciate. The clown's contempt and mockery are born entirely of his own limited perspective, unable to grasp the deeper pleasures the angler finds in the act of fishing itself, beyond the mere catching of fish. The work gently satirizes the kind of person who judges effort solely by immediate visible results, and who mistakes patient, contemplative endeavor for foolishness. The true fool in the exchange is not the angler who catches nothing, but the clodpole who stands above, grinning at something whose value he is wholly incapable of understanding. The angler's admission of catching nothing carries no shame, only honesty, while the clown's laughter reveals only his own smallness of mind and spirit.
By Robert Louis Stevenson · First published 1882 · Genre: Short Story, Fiction, Literary Fiction · 95 words
First lines
The echoing bridge you here may see, / The pouring lynn, the waving tree, / The eager angler fresh from town --
Above, the contumelious clown.
The angler plies his line and rod, / The clodpole stands with many a nod --
With many a nod and many a grin, / He sees him cast his engine in.
Genres
- Short Story — The work is a brief narrative work of fiction, characteristic of Stevenson's style of concise storytelling.
- Fiction — The piece is a work of imaginative prose narrative rather than factual or autobiographical content.
- Literary Fiction — Stevenson's writing demonstrates literary merit through his use of language, character development, and thematic depth.
- Adventure — The narrative likely contains elements of adventure and exploration typical of Stevenson's works from this period.
Tags
essay · literary nonfiction · humor · satire · social commentary · Victorian literature · reflection · character study · human nature · individuality · leisure · outdoor life
What this Textopian page supports
The Angler & the Clown is listed on Textopian as a fable by Robert Louis Stevenson, dated 1882 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Fable
- Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Date: 1882 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Story, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adventure, Character Study
- Length: 95 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
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- Work identity for The Angler & the Clown by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Treasure Island (1883)
- The Pavilion on the Links (1909)
- Olalla (1885)
- A Child's Garden of Verses (1885)
- Father Damien, An Open Letter To The Reverend Doctor Hyde Of Honolulu (1914)
- A Lowden Sabbath Morn (1916)
- Songs of Travel and Other Verses (1908)
- Prayers Written At Vailima (1916)
- All works by Robert Louis Stevenson