Supernatural and Gothic Flashcards
How is Supernatural and Gothic presented?
-Setting
-Conflict between mans Dual nature
-Transcendental science, setting
-Hyde’s animalistic nature
In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson uses the gloomy, fog-filled streets of Victorian London and the chaotic atmosphere of Soho to reflect the hidden evils lurking beneath society’s surface, a key Gothic convention. The unnatural weather — especially the thick, suffocating fog — acts almost like a supernatural force, concealing Hyde’s crimes and blurring the line between reality and horror. This reflects Victorian anxieties about urbanisation, moral decay, and the fear that beneath civilisation’s façade lies something dark, sinful, and uncontrollable.
fog, moon, setting
-“Haggard shaft of daylight would glance between the swirling wreathes (fog)” chpt 4
-“ Pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had tilted her” chpt 8
-“Dismal Soho… with it’s muddy ways and slatternly passengers… mournfal reinvasion of darkness… some city in a nightmare… many women of different nationalities passing out” chpt 4
In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson uses the internal conflict between Jekyll’s respectable façade and his hidden immoral self to create a deeply Gothic and supernatural atmosphere, where the boundaries between morality, identity, and the physical body are disturbingly unstable. Jekyll’s experiments defy the known limits of Victorian medicine and rational science, creating horrific, unnatural consequences that mirror the Gothic fear of the unknown and the uncontrollable.This reflects Victorian anxieties about the fragility of identity, the fear of repressed desires erupting into public view, and the clash between scientific ambition and religious morality in an age grappling with Darwin’s theoriesand the decline of absolute faith.
loss of control, deteriation into madness + addiction
Presented to have control:
-“The moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde” chpt 2
-“It is all at an end.” chpt 5
Succumbs to his desires:
-“Seemed, like the babylonian finger on a wall”
-“So recently chained down began to growl for liscence”
-“I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self”
torture, facade, mystery, foreshadowing
In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson presents Hyde as an atavistic, almost sub-human figure to evoke Gothic horror and supernatural fear rooted in the degeneration of mankind. Hyde’s animalistic behaviour and grotesque appearance reflect Victorian anxieties surrounding Darwin’s theory of evolution, particularly the fear that civilisation could regress into savagery. By making Hyde a literal embodiment of mankind’s primitive instincts, Stevenson not only heightens the Gothic tension but also critiques the fragile moral foundations of a society obsessed with repression and respectability.
-“Trampled calmly” chpt 1
-“(suddenly) broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping… his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on… like a madmand… apre-like fury” chpt 4
-“Bones audibly shattered” chpt 4
-“Lusting to inflict pain” chpt 10
–“Pale and drwavish…he gave an impression of deformity”
-“Disgust, loathing and fear” chpt 2
Stevenson uses this theme of transcendental science and physical terrifying transformation into Hyde to externalises this inner duality in a terrifying, unorthodox way, suggesting that the boundaries between good and evil, can be violently and unnaturally broken. This reflects contemporary anxieties about scientific overreach, particularly in an era shaped by Darwin’s theory of evolution and a growing tension between religious faith and rational progress
-“ My soul sicked at it”- Chpt 9/ Lanyon
-“Transcendental medicine…to stagger the unbelief of Satan.” chpt 9
-“Potion…Drug” chpt 10
Lab description
-“The dingy, windowless structure” chpt 5
-Once crowded with eager students and now lying gaunt and silent chpt 5
-“Three dusty windows barred with iron” chpt 5
-“drug… potion” chpt 10
