Help with the Research Projects

1. Crime in Victorian London

 

• Was crime common in Victorian life? What kind of crime? Is it possible to find facts and figures? Who was likely to be the victim of crime, or the perpetrator? What were the causes of crime? Was it very different to today?
• Why were the Victorians so afraid of crime? How was this fear of crime expressed in popular culture? Books, stories, plays, songs, newspapers?
• What effect did the Metropolitan Police have on crime? How did they get started? Did they have 'detectives'? What were they like? What happened when you went to prison?

 2. London in the 19th Century

Things to research:

 

• Poverty

 

Where were the slums of London? Who lived there? What happened if you were made homeless? What facts and figures can you find? How many people were poor? How did they live? What happened to the children of the poor? What were the effects of disease, overcrowding, crime? What did people try to do to alleviate the plight of the poor?

 

• The Social Classes

 

How was Victorian society divided? How did you know what 'class' you were in? How did your job, your income or the background of your family influence what class you were in? Was there any way of moving between the different classes? where did the Middle and upper classes tend to live? What did they do for work? Or in their leisure time?

 

• Settings in the Novel

 

Jekyll & Hyde is set in Victorian London, more specifically in Soho and Cavendish Street (just near Harley Street). What can we find out about these settings? Are they significant? What is their history? What are their associations?

 

3. Robert Louis Stevenson's Life (b. Edinburgh 1850 - d. Samoa 1894)

 

• Stevenson lived a short but busy life...divide his life up into sections and pick out the interesting things you discover. Consider how his life may have influenced his writing. What events were happening in his life that may have given him ideas for his work.

 

 4. Science in Victorian England

 

• There are three important scientists you can research for this project. They are Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Francis Galton. Introduce the topic by exploring some of the great scientific advances of the Victorian age. Were there any advances that may have affected police work or criminal activity or the work of the medical establishment? What about medical advances?

 

• Then concentrate on the three scientists. Introduce them and their background, their key work or works, and then explore how their ideas affected both Victorian society, their contemporaries and the themes of Jekyll and Hyde. You might finish by showing how their ideas have percolated through history to today, who did they influence, who were their followers?

 

5. Jack the Ripper and Jekyll &Hyde

 

• Introduce the class to the story of 'Jack the Ripper'. Who was he, what did he do and where did he commit his crimes? What were his crimes (try not to be too 'sensational' in your reporting!)? 

 

• How were the crimes reported at the time? Why were people so interested in him and these crimes? what did the police try to do to catch him? Were they successful? Was he ever caught?

 

• How is Jack the Ripper viewed today? Do people still try and work out who he was? Does he still appear in the media? What are the links between Jack the Ripper's crimes and the story of Jekyll and Hyde?

 

 6. Religion and Victorian England

 

• Was Victorian Society particularly religious? What kind of religion did they follow? How did the Church try and help the poor in Victorian society? Can you find any examples to help explain these ideas?

 

• How did certain scientist or artists or writers begin to challenge Victorian views of the Bible and Creation? What effect did certain theories have on Victorian beliefs? How might this impact on Jekyll & Hyde?

 

• What were the views of Victorians on the nature of good and evil? What were Victorian attitudes to things like adultery, prostitution and homosexuality? How were these influenced by religion? Are there any famous cases of people being tried for these 'crimes'? how might this impact on Jekyll & Hyde?

7. Gothic Literature

 

• Define as best you can what Gothic Literature is. What are the key elements that when put together make up a gothic piece of writing? what might a typical 'gothic' novel or story include?

•  Choose from these examples of books or stories influenced by 'gothic' ideas to explore and try and find links between them and the story of Jekyll & Hyde: 
• Frankenstein (1816) by Mary Shelley; The Bodysnatcher (1884) by Robert Louis Stevenson; Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker; The Castle of Otranto (1765) by Horace Walpole; Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Bronte; The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) by Oscar Wilde.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1 - Comprehension Task

Question	Short answer with quotation	Explanation in more detail
What do we learn about secrecy in Victorian society?		This indicates…
Why does Jekyll’s door contrast with the rest of the doors on the street?		This suggests...
The locked door is a key symbol in the novel. What could it represent?		This quotation implies…
What effect does Mr Hyde have on other people?		This quotation hints at the fact that…
Find three examples of London as a threatening place		From this quotation we can infer that…
Find 2 contradictions in Mr Utterson’s character from the first 3 paragraphs.	1.	2.

Chapter 1 Comprehension Task from Alleyn's School Media Studies Department

Opening Research Projects

Opening Research Projects

In groups of 2 or 3 you will be given one of the following areas to research to increase your understanding of the narrative:

1. Crime in Victorian Society
2. London in the late 19^th century (in particular Social Class, Poverty and the settings of Soho and Harley Street)
3. Stevenson and his life
4. Science in Victorian England (in particular Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud)
5. Jack the Ripper and his connection with the story
6. The importance of religion in Victorian England
7. Gothic Fictions

You have been allocated the position of ‘experts’ on your topic throughout the study of the novel. As we study, you may be required to make links with your topic and the content of the novel.

To start the project, you each need to spend 30 minutes of (possibly homework) time researching initial information on your topic and recording it either in notes you can type up in the lesson or as an e-mail or associated document you can access from school.

In class: each individual in the pair/group should create a folder within their English Literature folder with the name of their research project, into which you place your individual research.

It would be sensible to try to avoid duplication of material, so perhaps briefly decide how each of you should approach the topic to start with.

We will re-visit this as the study of the novel progresses and add to it, with closer reference to the novel in relation to your area of research.

Introduction

Minor Characters

Poole

Poole is Jekyll's butler, who diligently carries out his duties and his master's increasingly odd requests. He shows that he is an independent thinker when he decides to persuade Utterson to uncover the identity of the person locked away in Jekyll's room, fearing that his master has been murdered. His loyalty and concern for Jekyll is clear and he is prepared to face the dangers that lurk behind the door to see if there has been foul play.

Mr Richard Enfield

Enfield is Utterson's distant relation, a well-known man about town who accompanies him on his weekly walks. In relating the story of Hyde trampling over the young girl, he is the first to mention Jekyll's alter ego. He is, no doubt, a gentleman with a good profession and reputation, although where he was coming from at 'three o'clock of a black winter morning' (Chapter 1) is not revealed.

Bradshaw

Jekyll's footman Bradshaw is called to support utterson and Poole as they break down the door in Chapter 9. He is instructed to wait by the rear entrance of the laboratory in case the unidentified creature tries to escape via this route.

Mr Guest

Utterson's head clerk, Mr Guest, is something of a handwriting expert. Utterson reveals that he frequently confides secrets in Mr Guest and turns to him for advice regarding the letter supposedly sent from Hyde to Jekyll. Guest identifies the similarity in the handwriting of Jekyll and Hyde.

The housekeeper at Hyde's residence

This elderly housekeeper opens the door to Utterson and the police when they visit Hyde's Soho residence after the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Although she has excellent manners, she 'had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy' (Chapter 4). She is portrayed as mean-spirited ('A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman's face' (Chapter 4)) and nosey ("he is in trouble! What has he done?" (Chapter 4)).

Police officer

He visits Utterson to inform him of the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. When the victim's identity is confirmed as an MP, 'his eye lighted up with professional ambition' (Chapter 4). in portraying his motivation as personal gain rather than the pursuit of justice, Stevenson criticizes the hypocrisy at the heart of the Victorian establishment.

Writing about character

An understanding of the characters of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is essential. You will need to analyse the characters and what they represent, and carefully select quotations to support your views about the text. For example, you could say that Hyde is a metaphor for the evil that lurked within Victorian society:

Hyde is evil in. pure form. He is not only the evil unleashed from within Jekyll but is best interpreted as a metaphor for the evil that lurked below the surface respectability of Victorian society. This is successfully conveyed when Jekyll says, 'I was the first that could thus plod in the public eye with a load of genial respectability, and. in a moment, like a school boy, strip off these lendings and spring headlong into the. sea of liberty.'

You will also need to identify and then analyse how the language features used by the writer affect the reader, explaining if you find them successful or not. Using the quotation above, you could do this in the following way:

Jekyll makes clear how he finds his outward respectability, although very important to him, boring. He uses the verb 'plod' to suggest that this side of his Life lacks excitement and the thrilling pace of one immoral activity followed by another. He uses the basic but effective simile 'Like a school boy' to suggest his giddiness at the prospect of being able to satisfy his darker desires. The metaphor, 'spring headlong into the. sea. of liberty' successfully suggests the eagerness and enthusiasm with which he commits himself to this side of his Life. The point is reinforced with alliteration.

Characters - Dr Hastie Lanyon

Lanyon first appears in Chapter 2, when Utterson visits to ask him for information about Hyde. When he appears again in Chapter 6, utterson is shocked at the state he finds him in, which the reader discovers later is the result of having watched Hyde transform back into Jekyll. Lanyon then provides the narration of Chapter 9, although already dead, through his letter to Utterson in which he reveals his attempts to help Jekyll and the reasons for his own sudden decline and resulting death.

Lanyon is a well-respected and successful doctor, chapter 2 reveals a lot about his relationships with Utterson and Jekyll. His friendship with Utterson goes back to when they were both 'old mates both at school and college' (Chapter 2). They are 'thorough respecters of [...] each other' (Chapter 2) who also enjoy each other's company. They share similar interests and values as well as a common friend in Jekyll. However, a tension is established early on when Lanyon confesses that he sees little of Jekyll, despite what Utterson calls, 'a bond of common interest' (their profession) (Chapter 2). it is "more than ten years since Henry Jekyll became too fanciful" (Chapter 2) for Lanyon, who feels his former close friend went "wrong in mind" (Chapter 2). Lanyon is scathing of Jekyll's "unscientific balderdash" (Chapter 2) and discussion of this difficult topic causes him to become very angry. He is in professional opposition to Jekyll's ideas and methodologies, and is clearly identified as a man of traditional and rational beliefs.

The description of Lanyon in Chapter 6 contrasts greatly with that in Chapter 2. Whereas before he was 'a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair' (Chapter2), he is now pale, drawn, visibly balder and older. The difference could not be more striking. Having witnessed Hyde's transformation, the formerly boisterous and theatrical Lanyon is now a nervous and shrunken wreck, gladly awaiting death. Utterson notices a deep-rooted terror in his friend and mistakenly believes Utterson knows he has a terminal illness, ironically stating: "the knowledge is more than he can bear" (Chapter 6).

It is true that Lanyon has learned something that has overpowered and destroyed him. However, it is not related to his own health, but the sight of Hyde as his features 'seemed to melt and alter' (Chapter 9) becoming Jekyll. It is a vision that forces him to react with horror and terror. This phenomena shatters Lanyon's views and understanding of the world. Although he listens to Jekyll for an hour and sees the theory in action, even as a scientist Lanyon is unable to accept or believe what has happened. This could be interpreted as Lanyon failing to accept the darker aspects of his own nature. Knowledge and its pursuit has been his profession and now it is his ruin, as he admits "if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away" (Chapter 6).

It is important to note, however, that Lanyon plays a very significant role in his own downfall. While it is clear that he is deliberately targeted by Hyde's scheme and feels a sense of duty to help a former close friend, it is equally clear that his decision to observe Hyde change back into Jekyll is completely his own. Hyde's offer is an honest one, warning that he will be "blasted by a prodigy to stagger the unbelief of Satan" (Chapter 9) and yet Lanyon chooses to watch, cynically stating that he has gone too far to turn back. Hyde himself identifies "greed of curiosity" (Chapter 9) as Lanyon's motivation. The outcome - Lanyon's ruin - is absolute. As he says, he will never recover and nothing can be done to prevent his death.

1.               Reread the description of the place where Lanyon lives and how Utterson refers to his friend in Chapter 2. How does this create the impression of a knowledgeable and important man?

2.               What does the phrase "wrong in mind" suggest about what Lanyon believes happened to Jekyll?

3.               Do some research into Damon and Pythias, the two characters from Greek mythology referred to by anyone Could this reference suggest anything about his friendship with Jekyll?

4.               Reread the description of Hyde changing back into Jekyll in Chapter 9, starting from 'A cry followed...' to'... my mind submerged in terror'. Why is this written in one long sentence?

5.               Write a paragraph analysing how Stevenson's use of language reinforces the dreadful impact that Lanyon's experience has had on his life. 

6.               Analyse the language used at the end of Chapter 9 to describe the effect of Hyde's transformation on Lanyon's life.

Characters - Mr Gabriel Utterson

Utterson is the main narrator. Like the reader, his knowledge and understanding of events is limited and imperfect, crucial to the success of the novella. A lawyer by profession, he is presented as well-respected and successful, with Sir Danvers Carew, a member of parliament, among his clientele. As a lawyer, he is good at keeping secrets and confidences, and is ashamed of himself when he feels he may be gossiping. Loyalty is important to him and his many friendships are formed with relatives or those he has known the longest, including Lanyon and Jekyll. By nature, he is a dispassionate man, described as undemonstrative, who is almost envious of the high jinks and escapades of others. He is 'a lover of the sane and customary sides of life, to whom the fanciful was the immodest' (Chapter2). This is all very deliberate on the part of Stevenson who presents us with a man of common sense, at the heart of a supernatural tale, who will not sensationalize the already sensational and fantastic events he uncovers.

Utterson is first described in Chapter 1 as an odd mixture of positive and negative. He is 'embarrassed in discourse' despite being a lawyer, which demands articulate, well-developed public speaking skills. Although 'lean, long, dusty, dreary' and with a face which was 'never lighted by a smile', he is also described as 'lovable'. His weekly walks with his distant cousin Enfield reinforce his contradictory nature, for while they are important to Utterson and something he would not miss, the two men speak very little, making the reader wonder what pleasure they gain from their walks. While 'austere with himself' (Chapter 1), utterson has 'an approved tolerance for other' (Chapter 1) and his non- judgemental nature goes some way to explaining why he does not take action when fears about Jekyll's behaviour, as protector of a murderer, are raised.

Like Lanyon, Utterson is a rational and logical man. He initially criticizes Poole for his theory that Hyde has murdered Jekyll as 'it doesn't commend itself to reason' (Chapter 8). There is no place for the unconventional or supernatural in his world. His encounter with Hyde leaves him feeling confused as he attempts to rationalize the experience, while noting Hyde's many unpleasant features, utterson is struck by the fact that 'not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear' (Chapter 2) that he feels. He muses further that "There is something more, if I could find a name for it" (Chapter2). This quest is pointless because Utterson cannot imagine the supernatural and otherworldly truth. Note how he attempts rather desperately to convince Poole that the creature in the room must be Jekyll, citing "one of those maladies that both torture and deform the sufferer" (Chapter 8). When confronted by the changing expression on Jekyll's face at the window, Utterson is reduced to silence because he cannot make sense of the supernatural.

Utterson represents the Victorian gentleman. He is educated, respectable, professional, polite and dignified, in his first encounter with Hyde, he is critical of his own language, which he says is "not fitting" (Chapter 2). When confronted by

Jekyll's terrified servants, he is unhappy that they are not behaving as servants should. Rules and customs matter to him, as do reputations and opinions. Although the situation frequently demands action, Utterson is more concerned with protecting Jekyll's reputation from "the cancer of some concealed disgrace" (Chapter 2) and further scandal. In this context, he is very much a metaphor for Victorian society's obsession with maintaining reputation. Utterson reflects on what secrets may lurk in Jekyll's past and imagines that Hyde too "must have secrets of his own: black secrets" (Chapter 2). All of these remain unrevealed and secrecy permeates the whole novella, as indeed it did the whole of Victorian society, as the outward, respectable face hid more sinister realities. This darkness is hinted at in Utterson's dream, which represents his unconscious reality, so different from his dominant rational self. Utterson himself recognizes the two sides of his world when he admits how Hyde 'touched him on the intellectual side alone; but now his imagination also was engaged or rather enslaved' (Chapter 2). What follows is a nightmare in which a faceless figure, presumably Hyde, rampages through the streets of London trampling over defenceless children and threatening Jekyll. It is this experience - a rare departure from the logical, rational world - which creates Utterson's desire to see Hyde.

metaphor a comparison of one thing to another to make a description more vivid; a metaphor states that one thing is the other

1.               Write a paragraph analysing your first impressions of Utterson, using the words below and carefully selected quotations to support your points.

•portrayal • contradictory • unexciting

•trustworthy • non-judgemental • loyal

2.                Create a Facebook page for Utterson. How will you reflect his personality and nature?

3.               Think about the names given to the characters. Are these significant?

Avoid simply retelling what characters in the novel say or do. To read with insight and analysis, and gain better marks, you must think about how what characters say and do reveals their personalities and natures.

Characters - Mr Edward Hyde

Hyde is Jekyll's alter ego and the result of Jekyll's attempts to separate the good and evil sides of his nature. Hyde is the embodiment of the dark side of the scientist's nature: pure evil in human form. In Chapter 10, the moment of transformation is described as 'a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death'; Jekyll welcomes the change, confessing to a 'heady recklessness' that 'delighted me like wine'.

Hyde is smaller than Jekyll but in this form hi feels younger, lighter and happier. In Chaptei 10, he suggests that the smaller figure is the result of 'nine tenths a life of effort, virtue and control' and because Jekyll's unrestrained evil 'had been much less exercised and much less exhausted'. He admits that Hyde's body has an element of deformity and decay but he has no sense of disgust at what he has become and instead welcomes it. Hyde enables Jekyll to satisfy his more sinister self and his undignified urges without any hint of shame or guilt.

These urges, however, soon give way to Hyde's much more monstrous activities and Jekyll describes Hyde as 'inherently malign and villainous' (Chapter 10). He exempts himself from blame, saying that the guilt is all Hyde's, and so his 'conscience slumbered' (Chapter 10). The casual assault of the young child and the murder of Sir Danvers Carew are two examples of Hyde's capacity for depravity and violence.

There are frequent references to Hyde's animalistic nature. For example, he is described as being ape-like by the maid who witnesses him kill Sir Danvers Carew; Poole notices that he moves like a monkey; Utterson detects a 'hissing intake of the breath' (Chapter 2), which implies a snakelike quality and also identifies his savage laugh; later Poole also recalls a 'dismal screech, as of mere animal terror' (Chapter 8) coming from Hyde (which might give us a brief moment of sympathy for him). To Utterson, he is hardly human.

There is universal disgust from those who meet Hyde. Enfield identifies "something downright detestable" (Chapter 1) in him while Utterson is also filled with disgust, loathing and fear on meeting him. Jekyll is aware of this, but is unconcerned. More importantly, characters feel a deep sense of unease when they meet Hyde, which they are unable to explain. Poole and Enfield both note this, but Utterson summarizes their views when he says, 'Only on one point, were they agreed; and that was the haunting sense of unexpected deformity with which the fugitive impressed his beholders' (Chapter 4). The confusion these characters feel may come from Hyde's contradictory nature. He possesses 'a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness' (Chapter 2) and according to Lanyon there is a 'remarkable combination of great muscular activity and great apparent debility of constitution' (Chapter 9). it is actually Jekyll himself who provides the answer when he explains that 'Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil' (Chapter 10). This is then reinforced through references to Hyde as a devil. Utterson can read "Satan's signature" (Chapter 2) in Hyde's face and Enfield describes him as being really like Satan.

Jekyll's master plan - to do as he pleases, free of guilt and shame as well as from the reaches of the law - backfires in spectacular fashion. Hyde grows in power and force. Attempts to resist him prove futile for his force is so strong that on one occasion Jekyll goes to bed as himself but, to his horror, wakes up as Hyde. As Hyde's force grows, so he does physically and, despite Jekyll's best efforts, he cannot easily be suppressed by drugs or potions. The Hyde who so viciously murders Sir Danvers carew is, according to Jekyll, even more evil because Jekyll tried to abandon him for two months.

One day, as Jekyll sits in Regent's Park, he suddenly transforms. Hyde is full of 'inordinate anger, strung to the pitch of murder, lusting to inflict pain' (Chapter 10). Despite this he is also sharp mentally and it is this Hyde who formulates the plan to ruin Lanyon. The involuntary transformation into Hyde happens regularly at all hours and, as Hyde grows in strength, Jekyll weakens. Jekyll's narrative also reveals how the two divided selves grow to hate each other, with Hyde destroying Jekyll's father's letters and portrait to spite him. However, Jekyll still feels pity for the evil being he created because of Hyde's love of life and deep-seated terror at being killed through Jekyll's suicide.

in Hyde, Stevenson creates a metaphor for the less publically acceptable and sometimes immoral and illegal behaviour in Victorian society. Hyde represents the evil that lurked beneath the fagade of respectability and decorum at the time of writing and which, the novella suggests, lurks in everyone. It is worth noting that Stevenson decides that Jekyll will transform into Hyde even as he lies dying, so it is this side of his nature that finally is found by Utterson and Poole, not the respected scientist.

In your answer, it is important that you show how Stevenson deliberately uses the characters he creates to represent or express important ideas. Very often, a character represents a specific theme or point of view.

1. Reread the incident where Hyde tramples over the young girl in Chapter 1. Analyse how Stevenson emphasizes Hyde's evil. Now write a paragraph, using the ideas above, to analyse Stevenson's use of language to emphasize Hyde's evil nature.
2. Reread the episode of Sir Danvers Carew's murder in Chapter 4. How does Stevenson use language here to emphasize Hyde's terrible violence during this episode?
3. Make a note of all references to Hyde as a devil or being from hell throughout the novella.
4. Write a paragraph explaining the significance of the fact that it is Hyde's dead body that Utterson and Poole find, not Jekyll's.

Characters - Dr Henry Jekyll

Jekyll is a well-respected and successful scientist, good friend of Mr Utterson and former friend of Dr Lanyon. Hyde is his alter ego. Jekyll confesses all in the final chapter of the novella, bringing this 'strange case' to its conclusion.

The reader is first introduced to Jekyll in Chapter 3. By this stage, an air of mystery about him has already been established, arising from his relationship with Hyde. Utterson suspects Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll and may even attempt to kill him in order to inherit from his will. Jekyll is initially presented as sociable, throwing a dinner party for friends - all reputable Victorian gentlemen. Physically, he is described as healthy, strong and handsome. He is close to Utterson, for whom he holds a sincere and warm affection. Less positively, he is critical of his former friend, Dr Lanyon, describing him repeatedly as "a hide-bound pedant" (Chapter 3), in whom he is disappointed.

Jekyll admits to a certain vanity, 'fond of the respect of the wise and good among my fellow-men' (Chapter 10), which clashes with his 'impatient gaiety of disposition' (Chapter 10), leading him to conceal his pleasures. This results in what he calls 'a profound duplicity of life' (Chapter 10): at times he is 'plunged in shame' (Chapter 10) but at other times he works hard 'at the furtherance of knowledge or the relief of sorrow and suffering' (Chapter 10). The specific details of his shameful and guilty activities are never revealed but it is clear that Stevenson is using Jekyll to represent the hypocrisy of Victorian society, which uses its superficially respectable outward face to mask a darker, more sinister appetite. Jekyll identifies this when he says that 'man is not truly one, but truly two' (Chapter 10): the duality of man and the separation of good and bad in the individual becomes the focus of his scientific work. This work remains incomplete, but Jekyll creates a drug that unleashes his purely evil side, it is important to remember, however, that while Hyde is completely evil, Jekyll remains a mixture of good and bad, so their personalities are not just good vs. evil.

Jekyll's selfishness in his actions is clear. He makes careful preparations so that he can 'profit by the strange immunities' (Chapter 10) of his position. He revels in the thought of enjoying his pleasures, feeling that he is outside society and the law, and celebrates the fact that his 'safety was complete' (Chapter 10). He buys and furnishes a house in Soho for Hyde, complete with a silent, unscrupulous housekeeper. His own servants are ordered to ensure that Hyde has full access at his own residence and his will is drawn up so that Hyde inherits everything if anything happens to Jekyll. He thinks he has it all, until he realizes that Hyde seeks out not just the undignified but the monstrous, malign and villainous. He admits that 'his conscience slumbered' (Chapter 10), neatly excusing himself from wrong, saying it was 'Hyde alone, that was guilty' (Chapter 10). He then goes further following the incident with the young girl by opening a bank account for Hyde and forging his signature to protect Hyde and himself from detection.

Things deteriorate and Jekyll admits to losing hold of my original and better self (Chapter 10). He states that whereas 'in the beginning, the difficulty has been to throw off the body of Jekyll, it had of late, gradually but decidedly transferred itself to the other side' (Chapter 10). Increased doses of the potion are needed to manage the situation. When Jekyll wakes up one morning as Hyde, he decides to try to abandon his other self completely, which he manages for two months. However, Jekyll cannot resist the temptation and in a moment of weakness takes the drug that transforms him into Hyde. The returning Hyde is all the more murderous and depraved, killing Sir Danvers with an unparalleled ferocity, 'tasting delight from every blow' (Chapter 10). This event prompts Jekyll to abandon Hyde again, but it is too late, as he realizes when he involuntarily transforms into Hyde while sitting in Regent's Park.

Jekyll's remaining days are a battle between his two selves with Hyde uncontrollable and the transformative drug no longer available despite Jekyll's frantic and desperate searches for it. He reflects that the whole process must have been possible only because the very first chemical he used was impure. Jekyll's health declines, worn out by the unpredictable appearances of Hyde and the hate that now divides the two selves. His last desperate act is suicide and he dies not knowing if Hyde will reappear or escape.

1.                Reread the description of the first time Jekyll changes into Hyde in Chapter 10, from 'I hesitated long before...' to'... I had lost in stature.' How does Stevenson make this passage dramatic?

2.                Find a quotation at the start of Chapter 2 that gives a physical description of Jekyll suggesting his darker side. Explore its significance.

3.                Jekyll is an overreacher, someone who pushes the boundaries of science in his quest for knowledge, and is ruined as a result. Research the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. He is also an overreacher. What similarities are there between Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein?

4.                Imagine that Jekyll has a Twitter account. Using the last chapter, write 15-20 tweets for Jekyll to explain his thoughts and feelings. Each tweet should be no more than 140 characters in length.

Horror Fiction and the Gothic

Horror or fantasy fiction developed out of folklore, legend and religious traditions. It targets the fear of death, the unknown, evil and the devil with stories of witches and werewolves, ghosts and ghouls. The purpose is to cause an emotional reaction in the reader, be it terror or horror. Terror is defined as the fear of what is about to happen, while horror is classified as revulsion at what has happened, in this context, horror fiction moved away from depending only on the supernatural or the fantastic and began to involve the normal and the ordinary.

Gothic fiction combined elements of horror and romance and came to prominence as a genre in Europe in the 1800s. Henry Walpole's The Castle of Otranto is seen as the first essentially gothic work of fiction and the genre takes its name from its subtitle, 'A Gothic Work'. Such works place an emphasis on mystery, supernatural forces, strange settings and suspense. Powerful secrets often lie at the heart of these novels. Traditionally, these stories were set in the Europe of the Middle Ages but, as the genre developed, authors began to set their novels in more recognizable places and also developed their characters as more recognizable. The intention was to increase the fear of the reader. Stevenson draws on this approach, presenting characters and settings that were instantly recognizable to his contemporary audience alongside supernatural elements. This intensified the experience for the Victorian reader, who was faced with an instantly familiar world, which was suddenly equally frightening.

The genre was a reaction to the emphasis on reason and the stifling of emotions, which dominated Victorian life, it served as a warning that the rational alone could not explain the world around us. Although these works challenged conventional thinking, they also served as a warning as the heroes often died in the end. The pursuit of knowledge and the challenging of accepted scientific and moral boundaries was seen to cause ruin and downfall.

Complete a table, identifying how Stevenson includes each of the listed conventions of the gothic genre in his novella.

Mysterious and sinister buildings, Labyrinthine passages, Shadows, darkness, flickering candlelight, Extreme weather conditions, Secrets,  Central figure who pushes the boundaries  and ruins himself, Supernatural forces at work, Terrifying events, True identities revealed at the end.

Religion and Science

At the beginning of the 19th century, church attendance was strong. The Church of England dominated, it was wealthy and a powerful influence across all aspects of society. Success was seen to be the result of a virtuous life, while failure suggested a life of vice. Religious leaders explained the relationship between God and science through the theory of intelligent design. The natural world was interpreted and promoted as evidence of an ultimate designer - God.

However, the power of religion was under threat during the later stages of the era. The industrial Revolution and the rapid changes it brought about meant that more educated people were ready to question the religious doctrine they had been taught. There was also greater awareness of new thinking from abroad. Darwin's The Origin of Species provided a serious alternative to accepted thinking. The fruits of the industrial Revolution were evident during the Victorian era when the age of modern invention was born. Science not only improved daily life but challenged the established, religious thinking of the time and the powerful hold that organized religious institutions had on the people.

Select the correct word from below to complete the text, which explains how The Origin of Species relates to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

• interpreted • conflict • evolution • scientific • challenged

Stevenson__________________ the accepted idea that God and God alone is responsible for the creation of mankind. This ____________________________ between the religious and the scientific was already in, existence following the publication of Darwin’s 'The Origin of Species' in 1851, which put forward the theory of ___________________. In this context, Jekyll can be __________________________ as an alternative to God as he creates another man, Mr Hyde.

Jekyll's alter ego is the result of a process that can be explained and supported by

____________________  theory, although the novella never explicitly does this.

Freud and psychology

There was much interest in the mind and how it worked during the Victorian period, especially in the later stages. Sigmund Freud was a psychoanalyst, who built on the work of earlier neurologists. He put forward the idea that man pushed his most disturbing and unacceptable ideas and desires far from his consciousness, into his unconscious mind. These repressed ideas could be released, according to Freud, through various techniques such as dream analysis, hypnosis and especially psychoanalysis. This approach involved a highly trained therapist drawing out these unconscious thoughts and ideas from the individual through intense conversations over a period of time. Freud's 1900 publication interpretation of Dreams emphasized that these suppressed desires were often sexual in nature. Although published after Stevenson's death, it is probable that he was aware of these ideas and theories. Some critics argue that Hyde is the embodiment of Jekyll's repressed desires.

Write a paragraph explaining how Freud's theory of repressed desires could relate to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Consider which character or characters best exemplify 'repressed desires' and how this is represented in the novella. Do any characters other than the protagonists hint at repressed desires?

Victorian England

The era gets its name from the reign of Queen Victoria, which began in 1837 and ended in 1901. It was a time of unprecedented change, as Great Britain transformed during the Industrial Revolution from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. Great Britain also became the world's superpower in both financial and military terms, it is estimated that England ruled one fifth of the globe at this time, prompting the phrase 'the sun never sets on the British Empire'.

The period has two distinct phases. What successfully changed Great Britain in the early part of Victoria's reign later caused huge social problems in the second half. Stevenson wrote his book during this later period when there was much criticism of, and dissatisfaction with, politics, religion and daily life.

Research the following: Pax Britannica, 'Penny Black', Great Exhibition of 1851, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the Boer War. What would you identify as the top five key points about each of these?

The Victorian compromise

The most popular and stereotypical image of Victorian England is the one of serious, excessively polite men and women standing in drawing rooms discussing the important issues of the day. The playing of a sober piano piece is the usual form of entertainment portrayed. The reality though is very different. The Victorians were actually regular thrill seekers.

Key facts about Victorian England

Ø  The Victorians were responsible for what we now call holidays, as working hours, particularly for the middle classes, became more structured and the idea of leisure time arose.

Ø  They had an appetite for scandal and were avid readers of publications that provided gossip and talk of contemporary celebrities. The News of the World was first published in 1843.

Ø  The Victorians were avid cinema goers and gamblers.

Ø  Thrilling, dangerous and daringly spectacular stage shows were very popular, as were freak shows.

Ø  With colonies in the West Indies and the Raj Victorians were soon enjoying curry dishes.

Ø  The Victorian appetite for drugs was incredible. Laudanum, a mixture of opium and alcohol, was the drug iof choice. It was freely available and widely consumed across all social classes. Gin was a popular drink and consumed in pubs or ‘gin palaces’.

This lifestyle coexisted alongside a strict moral code by which society was expected to live. This promoted church attendance, good manners, academic achievement and professional employment, family values, charity and the highest moral values. Obviously, this required the first kind of behaviour being kept secret j in order to preserve the second. This is known as 'the Victorian compromise', or the ability of middle- and upper-class Victorian society to indulge their wilder desires but maintain their outwardly respectable appearance, it is clear that Stevenson criticizes this idea in his novella.

Find supporting quotations from the beginning of Chapter 1 to support the idea of the Victorian compromise.

Colonialism

Queen Victoria ruled over India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Hong Kong, Gibraltar, several islands in the West Indies and colonies on the African coast. In 1899, English poet Rudyard Kipling published a poem called 'The White Man's Burden', which caused controversy. Some viewed it as a positive message persuading the western world to support the developing world. Others, however, saw it as an arrogant statement of superiority by western Europeans, proclaiming their right to rule over the 'less civilized', un-Christian, 'wild' natives of the undeveloped world.

Although Stevenson's death was some years before the poem's publication, colonialism is an important contextual influence because the Victorians were extremely enthusiastic in their support of colonial expansion and proud of their achievements. They felt superior to the indigenous peoples in their colonies and believed they were doing the work of God in 'civilizing' them. This was despite their secretive use of drugs, excessive gambling and drinking, use of prostitutes and exploitation of child labour. Some critics interpret Stevenson's work as an attack on this hypocrisy.

Education

Education in Victorian England differed depending on gender and class. The upper classes educated their children at home until the boys could attend the elite, private schools of the time such as Eton, before entering an elite university. Girls were also educated at home but did not progress to university. The less wealthy had access to education too. Approximately 200 'ragged schools' provided education free of charge for the very poorest families in Great Britain. Trade unions became required by law to ensure three hours of schooling a day for 'workhouse' children and the 1870 Education Act resulted in the government providing funding for certain schools.

The curriculum was based on the three 'Rs' - reading, writing and arithmetic. Religion and Bible study featured heavily too. some critics interpret Stevenson's portrayal of Jekyll as a warning of the dangers of too much knowledge.

The Novella

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde is classified as a novella. This is a work of prose fiction that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. Ranging from 50 to 100 pages, it has between 20,000 and 50,000 words approximately. It became a recognized literary form in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Famous modern writers of the novella include John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.

ACTIVITY

1. Talk with a partner about why you think Stevenson chose the novella form for The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde and not the short story or novel form.

2. Which famous novellas were written by the authors listed above? Have you read any of these?

Writing about structure

The starting point for success is having an excellent knowledge and understanding of the whole plot. Even though you may not be asked a question about plot specifically, it underpins everything else you will be questioned on. There is no substitute for knowing the text so well that you can adapt and tailor your knowledge and understanding to the question you answer. This doesn't mean retelling the story; instead you should select the information that is relevant to the question.

You will also need to know about structure, showing an understanding of how Stevenson has chosen to shape his novel in order to communicate his ideas to the reader.

Themes

The beast in man - Robert Louis Stevenson wrote this novel during his period in Bournemouth, 1884—7. The setting  appears to be Victorian London yet, as many have noted, he clearly has Edinburgh in mind with, like Jekyll, its twin identities, the prosperous and respectable New Town and the Old Town of poverty and desperation. Much of the novel takes place with the city at night as a backcloth. The characters always seem to be coming and going either late at night or in the early hours of the morning. The meagre light comes from the many flickering street lamps which swing in the wind and the pale moon which is often hidden by low cloud and fog.

'The double' - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was not the only story which expressed Stevenson's fascination with the dual personality of man. In two other works, the short story 'Markheim' and the play Deacon Brodie there are characters who also lead double lives. In 1859 Charles Darwin, in On the Origin of Species, had thrust into the Victorian consciousness his unpalatable theory that mankind was, in fact, descended from apes. Stevenson would have been well aware of the controversy which grew from these ideas and sought a vehicle on which to launch his ideas about 'the beast in man' and the attempt to hide, if not to subdue, animal passions. In Stevenson's words Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is about 'that damned old business of the war in the members' and because of the strictures of religion and conventional morality, men were forced to hide their secret desires in their public lives and indulge them at night in the darker, seedier parts of the city.

Repressed sexual desires - Those who were especially prey to these animal passions were men who believed that they could exist perfectly well 'without the aid of women', men like the characters in Stevenson's novel - Enfield (where exactly had he been to come home 'about three o'clock of a black winter morning'?), Utterson, Lanyon and Jekyll. There are repeated references to locked doors and cabinets and secret chambers reinforcing the idea that the beast must not only be hidden but imprisoned. It is clear that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is, at least partly, about sexual repression, although the subject of sex itself is never explicitly mentioned in the text. 

Contemporary psychology - Interestingly, at the same time as Stevenson was writing his novel, the French neurologist Charcot was using hypnosis as a means of revealing hidden aspects of the human personality. One of his public displays was witnessed by Sigmund Freud whose Interpretation of Dreams, to be published in 1901, argued that dreams were an expression of repressed sexual desires. Published in 1886 Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis attempted to analyse the war between man's basic, beastlike instincts and the need to conform to conventional moral standards and presented a series of case studies of sexual perversion. Although Stevenson may not have read this study, it does serve to illustrate some of the intellectual and psychological concerns of the time. The fact that he presents part of his novel as a casebook provides another link with contemporary thinking.

The Beast of Whitechapel - It is interesting to note that the notorious 'Jack the Ripper' crimes, in which five prostitutes were brutally murdered and mutilated in Whitechapel in the East End of London, took place within two years of the publication of Stevenson's novel and at the same time as a dramatised version was running in the West End.

Art mirrors life - At the time, these events and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde became confused in the public consciousness. People were not really sure which had come first and some of those who did know accused Stevenson of putting ideas in the murderer's mind. One journalist writing at the time concluded that, 'There seems to be a tolerably realistic impersonation of Mr Hyde at large in Whitechapel'. What the murders did reveal, however, was the land of world that Stevenson was well aware of in the Old Town of his native Edinburgh, a world of poverty and despair where the rich and powerful would prey on the weak and defenceless.

Biographical Context

Childhood - Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh in 1850, the son of Thomas Stevenson, an engineer who, like his ancestors, built many of the deep-sea lighthouses on the coasts of Scotland. His mother, Isabella Mary Balfour, came from a family containing members of the legal profession and ministers of the Church. It is not surprising, therefore, that Robert Louis's childhood was shaped by the strict code of respectability of the Victorian middle class in Edinburgh.

Ill health - He suffered numerous health problems in childhood, chiefly due to an infection of the lungs, a condition which was to plague him throughout his life. His father was often absent on business and his mother herself suffered from an illness of the lungs, rendering her unable to care for her son. This task was given to his nurse, Alison Cunningham, a fundamentalist Christian, with whom he developed his closest relationship.

Early influence - Robert Louis spent most of his early years in his bedroom where his nurse would labour to teach him the difference between the pursuit of a life of good or evil, the latter course leading, inevitably, to the everlasting torments of Hell. She made sure that Robert Louis was not spared the details of these torments, causing him to suffer terrifying nightmares, which he often recalled in his memoirs and which afflicted him throughout his life. He also recalled that she would try to convince him that 'there are but two camps in the world - one of the perfectly pious and respectable, one of the perfectly profane, mundane and vicious; one mostly on its knees and singing hymns, the other on the high road to the gallows and the bottomless pit.' It was from one of his adult nightmares that The Strange Case ofDr Jekyll and Mr Hyde grew, a story which was to refute this simplistic doctrine, and argue that there is light and dark in all mankind. In the words of Jekyll,

'…man is not truly one, but truly two'.

The two faces of Edinburgh - Stevenson grew up in an Edinburgh which itself had two faces: the prosperous, middle-class New Town, where he himself lived, and the 'old black city" with its poverty, disease and overcrowding. This was also a city with a macabre past, which fed the young man's developing imagination and taste for horror and the supernatural. Stories of William 'Deacon' Brodie, well respected craftsman by day, criminal by night and hanged in 1788, and also of Burke and Hare, the 'body snatchers', were well remembered in the city and, indeed, in his childhood bedroom Stevenson possessed a cabinet made by Brodie.

Stevenson's double life - When he was seventeen and studying engineering at own double Edinburgh University, Robert Louis would spend a great deal of time at night in the Old Town. It has been argued that he himself, like Jekyll, was leading a double life, respectable by day, debauched by night but, although he enjoyed a bohemian lifestyle with his fellow students, his witnessing of these double standards amongst the middle classes made him determined to avoid hypocrisy and to react against the strict Scottish Presbyterian background which he felt helped to create it.

Adulthood - Stevenson left Edinburgh in 1873. On one of his many journeys abroad, he met and married his American wife Fanny Osbourne. They settled in Bournemouth in 1884. By this time, Stevenson had achieved fame with the publication of Treasure Island in 1883, but his serious health problems persisted and he hoped that the milder climate would help his congested lungs. Although the period between 1884 and 1887 saw a sharp decline in his health, when there were frequent bouts of haemorrhaging (his 'Bluidy Jack' as he called it), he was to publish A Child’s Garden of Verses, More Arabian Nights and Prince Otto (1885); The Strange Case ofDr fekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped (1886); and The Merry Men and Underwoods (1887).

The South Seas - In 1887 he left England for the South Seas and made his home on Samoa for the rest of his life. Other significant works include The Black Arrow (1888) and the unfinished masterpiece Weir of Hermiston (1896). Works which are, perhaps, more directly connected with the subject matter explored in Jekyll and Hyde include The Master ofBallantrae (1889); the ‘Tale of Tod Lapraik' in Catriona (1893); the play Deacon Brodie, or, The Double Life (1878) and the short stories The Body Snatcher' (1884), 'Markheim' and 'Olalla'.

Wider influences - Other contemporary writers explored the theme of man's double nature. Perhaps the most notable of these are Edgar Allan Poe in his short stories 'William Wilson' and 'The Tell Tale Heart', Mary Shelley in Frankenstein, Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) and Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment and the short story The Double' (1846). In Scotland, James Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) may well have had a profound impact on Stevenson.

WRITING TIP - Don't write long passages about the life of the author in your essay response. Always relate your knowledge of the author's life to how it may have affected his writing choices.

CHRONOLOGY

1818 - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is published. 1837- Queen Victoria succeeds William IV.

1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1859 - The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin is published.

1861 - Stevenson attends Edinburgh Academy.

1867 - Stevenson studies engineering at Edinburgh University.

1871 - Stevenson decides to study law.

1873 - Stevenson and his father argue when he announces he does not believe in Christianity. He travels to the French Riviera because the warmer climate helps his tuberculosis.

1875- Stevenson passes his final law exams but does not practise. He travels to France.

1876- He meets Fanny Osbourne, an American who is married with children.      - - -- "   

1878- He publishes Edinburgh Picturesque and An inland Voyage.

1879- He travels to America.

1880- Stevenson marries Fanny in California. He returns to Scotland and writes Deacon Brodie, a play, with a central figure who has a double personality. He leaves for Switzerland.

1882- Stevenson moves to France.

1883- Treasure Island is published.

1884- He returns to England seriously ill and publishes The Body Snatcher and Markheim, two short stories.

1885- He writes The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

1886- He publishes The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped.

1887- Stevenson goes to America following the death of his father.

1888- He leaves America and then takes a cruise to the South Pacific.

1889- He starts life in Samoa and publishes The Master of Ballantrae.

1890- He cruises to Australia and New Zealand before returning to Samoa.

1894 - Stevenson dies in Samoa, aged 44.

1900- Freud publishes Interpretation of Dreams.

1901- Queen Victoria dies.