'Jekyll and Hyde' as a Gothic Novel Flashcards
The writer's techniques
Which of the following is not a typical feature of Gothic novels?
A. a mysterious setting
B. the supernatural
C. wild animals
C. Gothic novels don’t
usually feature wild
animals, but they do
frequently make use of
supernatural elements
and mysterious settings.
Give an example of the following Gothic features in Jekyll and Hyde:
a) disturbing secrets
b) dreams and visions
a) Jekyll has a terrifying
alter-ego that commits
horrible crimes.
b) After hearing Enfield’s
story about Hyde,
Utterson is “haunted” by a
faceless figure of Hyde in
his nightmares.
Why is Hyde an unusual villain for a Gothic text?
Hyde isn’t a typical Gothic villain because he is part of a normal, respectable man rather than a separate character.
What is unusual about the setting of Jekyll and Hyde compared to earlier Gothic text?
What effect does it have on the reader? Explain your answer.
Early Gothic novels were usually set in isolated, faraway places, such as haunted buildings or abandoned castles in European countries. However, Jekyll and Hyde was set in London. This might have made the text seem more frightening because it was a setting that readers could relate to, so it may have made them feel as if it could happen to them too.
How do Jekyll’s scientific experiments reflect common Gothic themes?
Give examples in your answer.
Gothic novels often feature a ‘double’ —a pair of characters who are linked. Usually this would be two separate people, but in Jekyll and Hyde, Jekyll’s scientific experiments lead to a Gothic double that is two sies of the same person (Jekyll and Hyde).
