Mr Utterson Flashcards
How is Mr Utterson introduced?
‘Cold’, ‘dreary’ yet ‘somehow lovable’
What does Mr Utterson represent?
A Victorian gentleman
Why does Mr Utterson need to be a serious man?
So we believe his version of events
Counter argument : Utterson caring about his friend’s reputation
‘I thought it was madness… now I begin to fear it is disgrace’
What is nominative determinism and how is it shown?
The idea that people’s names expose something about their character.
‘If he be Mr Hyde I shall be Mr Seek’
Utterson = Utter, talk quietly
What is physiognomy and what quote relates to it?
The belief that the physical appearance of someone reflects their moral character.
Utterson says ‘will you let me see your face’ to Hyde
Quotes/ ideas showing that Utterson is secretive and repressing desires
- he drinks gin at home but never in public
- he loves the theatre, but hasn’t ‘crossed the doors of one for twenty years’
Freudian reading:
- Freud wrote a book about the mind after J&H.
- In a Freudian reading of the novel it is possible to see Utterson like Hyde and driven by desires.
- Utterson bows to the pressures of society and seems to resist these desires, OR he indulges them in a more socially acceptable way (fear of shame)
What is vicarious pleasure and what quotes link to it?
Living your life through someone else.
Utterson is ‘envy’ at their ‘misdeeds’
