Context Flashcards
Why did RLS insist that Jekyll was pronounced like ‘Jeekle’?
Because that’s how it would have been pronounced in a Scottish accent and also so that ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ rhymed with ‘Hide and seek’.
The Edinburgh that RLS grew up in was a city of great contrast because…
There was the new-town that made the city like a stylish European city and then there was the darker, medieval old-town that was grim and dangerous.
Who was the wardrobe in RLS’s room built by?
The legendary Deacon Brodie who was a respected cabinet maker by day and an old-town burglar at night. –> idea of duality
Who were Burke and Hare?
They were men that supplied corpses to the anatomy classes for money. They smothered their victims to supply the freshest corpses.
What short story of RLS was the forerunner of J + H?
The Bodysnatcher
What did RLS do after leaving Edinburgh?
He travelled for 10 years until his doctor told him to settle down in the seaside town of Bournemouth for his health.
What did his parents do when they found out he was marrying Fanny?
They were so thrilled that the bought them a house and gave Fanny £500 to furnish it.
What did Fanny do to the first manuscript of Jekyll and Hyde?
She pointed out that it was allegorical which caused RLS to go into a rage and throw the manuscript into the fire.
When was the book published?
In January 1886 and within 9 months had sold 40,000 copies in Britain alone.
What made people want to read the book more in 1888?
The rise of the serial killer ‘Jack the Ripper’ who killed prostitutes (The Whitechapel murders) . The book of Jekyll and Hyde was set in London where Jack the Ripper killed people so it made it all the more thrilling and frightening of a book.
Where in London is J+H set?
Soho
What was Soho like?
Crime-ridden, darker part of London
What is ‘Atavism’?
Lombroso’s theory of atavism presents that some people are born criminal
What similarities did Lombroso find between thousands of criminals?
That they shared physical appearances such as a sloped brow, pronounced jaw, large ears etc.
What atavistic traits does Hyde have?
He is pale and dwarfish
