jekyll and hyde context Flashcards
how does stevenson explore social problems of victorian england in the novel
Published in 1886, the novel presents an image of wealthy, professional people living in
London. They either condemn or ignore the poverty, vice and suffering that was rife at the
time. This is the kind of life that many of Stevenson’s readers would have known and he
criticises this social attitude.
Through Jekyll’s transformation into Hyde, the reader is forced to see the underbelly of
city life in England. It is also made clear that problems such as drug abuse and prostitution
partly exist because wealthy people like Jekyll spend their money on these vices.
Stevenson doesn’t focus on how these problems should be solved. Instead, he explores why
people indulge in vice, and asserts that it cannot be ignored or simply blamed on others.
what scientific developments influenced stevensons writing
The nineteenth century saw many advances in chemistry and biology. Scientists such
as Louis Pasteur and Robert Bunsen made important discoveries, new chemicals were
identified and the first modern periodic table was published in 1869.
Stevenson refers to modern science in Dr Jekyll’s experiments. By basing it on new scientific
discoveries that people had heard of but didn’t fully understand, the transformation of
Jekyll into Hyde seems more realistic and, therefore, more frightening.
how is the theory of evolution linked to the novel
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was explained in his 1859 book, On The Origin Of
Species, based on his studies during a five-year voyage around the world.
Darwin’s book caused great controversy at the time because it conflicted with the teachings
of the Church, suggesting that man evolved from apes.
Although Stevenson does not make any direct references to it, Dr Jekyll can be seen as an
effect of Darwinism. He questions established ideas about humanity and the natural world
and wishes to tamper with what was previously seen as God’s creation.
Stevenson also draws on evolution when describing Mr Hyde. When Poole, for example,
refers to him as ‘a masked thing like a monkey’ in Chapter 8, Stevenson uses Darwinism to
create a sense of de-evolution (the reverse of evolution) as if Mr Hyde is a lower form of
human life.
how is physiognomy linked to mr hyde
Stevenson also makes use of the more popular, and completely unscientific, belief in
physiognomy. This pseudoscience asserted that a person’s character and personality could
be assessed from their outward appearance, particularly the face. This links with the
importance of appearance in Victorian society.
One of the ways in which the reader and the other characters know that Mr Hyde is evil is
because he ‘looks’ evil. The novel is full of descriptions of Hyde’s strange facial appearance,
his shrunken body and his strange way of walking. In Chapter 1, Enfield describes him
as having, ‘something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing; something
downright detestable’. Hyde’s appearance is presented using a pattern of three negative
verbs to show he is a bad person. This is emphasised by the repetition of the pronoun
‘something’ to create mystery and capture Enfield’s feelings of unease.
how does the novel fit into the genre of gothic horror
Although Gothic horror was never critically acclaimed, it was a popular genre with readers
in the late 1800s, writers modernised the genre to fit it into contemporary urban settings
Stevenson’s 1886 novel has sinister settings but they are the streets and buildings of
nineteenth-century London. Similarly, the strange and frightening events are linked to
modern science rather than to the supernatural.
Stevenson focusses on the mystery and how the theme of doubles could explore modern
Victorian identity and attitudes. Instead of romance, there is a sense of tragedy at what
Jekyll does to himself.
does the novel fit into any other genres other than gothic
There are aspects of detective fiction in the novel. This was also a popular genre in the late
1800s and the first Sherlock Holmes stories appeared the year after Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
was published.
Mr Utterson sets forth to solve the mystery of Mr Hyde; there is a murder case, different
clues and evidence to be pieced together, the possibility of blackmail and he even works
alongside the police in Chapter 4.
In addition, through the fantastical exploration of scientific advances, the novel can be
seen as using elements of the science fiction genre that had begun to gain popularity in
the nineteenth century.
Stevenson’s novel can also be placed in a genre known as fin de siècle, which means ‘end
of the century’ in French. This was an idea that, as the new century loomed, society had
become decadent and degenerate. A series of nineteenth-century novels explored this idea.
incorporating themes of evolution, corruption and anxiety about the state of humanity.
what is significant about the exterior of dr jekylls home
Stevenson uses Dr Jekyll’s house to suggest things about the character.
In Chapter 2, Jekyll’s home is described using the adjectives ‘ancient, handsome’ to suggest
reliability and respectability. It also has ‘a great air of wealth and comfort’ and these
abstract nouns reflect Dr Jekyll’s profession and social status.
The way the house looks links to the importance of appearance in Victorian society.
Because this is the front of the house, it also reminds the reader how good appearances
can sometimes be superficial.
what is significant about the interior of jekylls house
The reader is told, in Chapter 2, that the hallway has ‘a bright, open fire and furnished
with costly cabinets of oak’. Adjectives such as ‘bright’ and ‘open’ suggest goodness,
honesty and friendliness, while ‘costly’ implies wealth and status.
However, when Mr Utterson notices ‘a menace in the flickering of the firelight […] the
shadow on the roof’, Stevenson is using foreshadowing to suggest that something nasty is
hiding beneath the nice surface.
This continues in Chapter 5 when the reader is told about Dr Jekyll’s laboratory. The
adjectives ‘dingy, windowless’ imply corruption and secrecy, while the description of it
‘lying gaunt and silent’ creates a sinister atmosphere. Stevenson also makes the door to Dr
Jekyll’s private room (the ‘cabinet’) red, as if to symbolise danger.
what is significant about the area in which jekyll lives
In Chapter 1, Stevenson describes the area in which Dr Jekyll lives as being clean, tidy, and
well-kept, symbolising respectability. The inhabitants are ‘emulously hoping to do better’,
with the adverb suggesting that they all follow, good middle class values in order to keep
improving their lives.
The attractiveness of the shop fronts is conveyed using the simile, ‘like smiling
saleswomen’, but this could also be interpreted as linking to superficiality (trying to ‘sell’ an
appearance of respectability).
There are suggestions that Dr Jekyll is encircled by corruption. The local shops are
contrasted with the ‘dingy’ surrounding neighbourhood while, in Chapter 2, the houses on
either side of Dr Jekyll’s are ‘decayed from their high estate’ and sometimes rented out to
‘shady lawyers’. This could present Dr Jekyll as a figure of superiority, it could link to the
way in which he is tempted by immorality or it could emphasise how he keeps his own lack
of propriety hidden.
what is significant about mr hydes entrance to jekylls house
In Chapter 1, Mr Hyde uses a back entrance to Dr Jekyll’s house. Stevenson uses negative
images to contrast this entrance with the pretty local shops and the later descriptions of Dr
Jekyll’s house in Chapter 2.
As well as creating mystery for the reader, the contrasts symbolise how Mr Hyde represents
the dark, sinful side of Dr Jekyll’s character.
This section of the house is described as ‘sinister’ and personification in ‘thrust forward
its gable’ makes it sound aggressive and unfriendly. The fact it is windowless suggests
secrecy, the descriptions of neglect and ‘tramps slouched into the recess’ shows a lack of
respectability and the door itself looks almost diseased to imply corruption and immorality.
what is significant about the area that mr hyde lives
Mr Hyde lives in Soho and this is used to establish his immoral character. When the novel
was written, in 1886, Soho had a bad reputation as one of London’s most over-populated
and run-down areas, suffering several cholera outbreaks in the 1850s.
Many immigrants had settled in the area (against whom the Victorians were often
prejudiced) and there was much poverty. In the novel, Stevenson refers to ‘women of many
different nationalities’ and ‘ragged children.
Prostitution had become a thriving trade so Stevenson mentions the ‘slatternly’ locals.
There were many disreputable pubs and music halls in Soho and Mr Utterson disparagingly
notices the ‘gin palace’.
In Chapter 4, Stevenson creates sinister descriptions of the area. There are ‘swirling
wreaths’ of fog (with the noun ‘wreath’ linking to death), the streets are ‘muddy’ and
“dingy’, and a simile is used to show how Mr Utterson sees it as “like a district of some city
in a nightmare’
Stevenson also links Soho to Hell to suggest immorality. Describing the fog as ‘a great
chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven’ uses metaphor to imply unholiness and
create another link to death. Simile is used for a similar purpose with like the light of some
strange conflagration’ suggesting the fires of Hell and damnation.
what is significant about the interior of mr hyde’s house
To develop mystery and begin to establish the idea that Mr Hyde is Dr Jekyll, Stevenson
makes the rooms that he rents uncharacteristically ‘furnished with luxury and good taste’
Stevenson lists the fine wines, good artwork and pleasant decor to build up a contrast with
the Soho streets outside. Again, setting is being used to explore identity, appearance
and respectability.
