144 pages
English language
Published July 15, 2003
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. The work is also known as The Strange Case of Jekyll Hyde, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or simply Jekyll and Hyde. It is about a London legal practitioner named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The novella's impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the vernacular phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" referring to persons with an unpredictably dual nature: outwardly good, but sometimes shockingly evil.
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. The work is also known as The Strange Case of Jekyll Hyde, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or simply Jekyll and Hyde. It is about a London legal practitioner named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The novella's impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the vernacular phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" referring to persons with an unpredictably dual nature: outwardly good, but sometimes shockingly evil.
When our baser urges are allowed to run free, they end up dominating. Disturbing, even if the 'science' is a bit amusing.
When our baser urges are allowed to run free, they end up dominating. Disturbing, even if the 'science' is a bit amusing.
I think this was possibly ruined by Jekyll and Hyde being such a defining work and now well known trope. No doubt it was amazing for the time.
If I could somehow read it without that context I imagine I would have enjoyed it a lot more. As it is, it’s a passable horror with plenty to read into the themes.
A bit disappointing overall, though.
terror gòtic pec gràcies Robert Lluís fill de n'Esteve
terror gòtic pec gràcies Robert Lluís fill de n'Esteve
Is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde science fiction? I found myself wondering this as I read it. The plot centers around a speculative scientific breakthrough that enables the main character (I won’t call him the “hero”) to transform his body into an alternate body, complete with an alternate personality and sense of morality. Obviously no such drug existed in Victorian times; in fact no such drug exists today, so it’s still science fiction by our own standards.
I say that no such drug exists today but actually, in a broader sense, as far as altering one’s personality, you could definitely say that alcohol does that for people. Furthermore, one of the hallmark signs of addiction is that it causes the addict to do things that he is normally morally opposed to, things that cause him great moral distress.
I happen to know a lot about alcoholism. I’m not an alcoholic, …
Is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde science fiction? I found myself wondering this as I read it. The plot centers around a speculative scientific breakthrough that enables the main character (I won’t call him the “hero”) to transform his body into an alternate body, complete with an alternate personality and sense of morality. Obviously no such drug existed in Victorian times; in fact no such drug exists today, so it’s still science fiction by our own standards.
I say that no such drug exists today but actually, in a broader sense, as far as altering one’s personality, you could definitely say that alcohol does that for people. Furthermore, one of the hallmark signs of addiction is that it causes the addict to do things that he is normally morally opposed to, things that cause him great moral distress.
I happen to know a lot about alcoholism. I’m not an alcoholic, but I am part of a rich twelve step tradition that points to Alcoholics Anonymous as its origin. So I’ve read a lot of the AA literature throughout the years; in fact I read the “big book”, Alcoholics Anonymous, on a regular ongoing basis as a spiritual discipline.
So reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was of great interest to me. People have theorized for a long time on whether he was writing an allegory about bipolar disorder or alcoholism or something else. I don’t think it’s necessarily an allegory, but I will say that I think RLS had some insight into how alcoholics think and behave and how the progression works. As Jekyll describes his back and forth journey into indulging more and more in this dark pleasure, I can’t help but see clear parallels. He even uses a metaphor for the way “a drunk” behaves…RSL may have been ahead of his time in understanding alcoholism.
What else is this book? It’s a thriller, it’s chilling, and it has a mystery unraveling aspect for the first two thirds of the short book. Of course if you already know how it ends there is no mystery, but it is still interesting to try to piece together some of the strange things Jekyll does, like sending a message to a friend asking him to break into Jekylls quarters alongside Jekylls servant and then take out a certain box and hold onto it until an associate of Jekyll comes and asks for it. Why would he do that? I enjoyed trying to tease that one out.
But I don’t think this story is primarily about the mystery. I think it’s primarily (to me) about compartmentalization, addiction, progression into insanity, and in a broader sense, it’s a scientific version of the Faustian Bargain that is one of the great themes of literature. For that alone this is a wonderful read. I heartily recommend it.
As for whether it’s science fiction, I would say yes. To me it is science fiction at the core because it does what science fiction uniquely does well; it shows how science can affect our humanity and gets us to ask chilling questions that grapple with that sense of perverseness, the Uncanny Valley, the demon in the mirror.
A charming example of the style, best read as you would a Sherlock Holmes mystery , as the initial readers would have.
Jekyll and Hyde started strong but got slower and slower the longer the story goes. Especially the ending explaining everything by several letters was rather repetitive and thus a bit boring. I think I'll stick to today's Hulk.
Jekyll and Hyde started strong but got slower and slower the longer the story goes. Especially the ending explaining everything by several letters was rather repetitive and thus a bit boring. I think I'll stick to today's Hulk.
So short, yet beautifully written.
Jekyll and Hyde was interesting but the other stories were pretty lame.
In my opinion the entertaining potential of this story suffers significantly from the fact, that Stevenson dedicates two thirds of the book to the construction of a mystery that is actually not a mystery to anyone anymore.
When Stevenson dramatically reveals in the last third of the book that Hyde and Jekyll are one and the same person, that doesn't really come be a surprise to any contemporary reader.
Still I found the book was worth reading. Stevenson is a great story teller and I like his straight forward and unpretentious language.
It is also interesting to think about the many different possible interpretations of the Jekyll-Hyde-metaphor. The most straight forward reading might be among the lines, that it represents a fight between the morally good and evil elements in human nature.
But there is also a more psychological (although probably anachronistic) reading, that takes Jekyll as a poetic depiction …
In my opinion the entertaining potential of this story suffers significantly from the fact, that Stevenson dedicates two thirds of the book to the construction of a mystery that is actually not a mystery to anyone anymore.
When Stevenson dramatically reveals in the last third of the book that Hyde and Jekyll are one and the same person, that doesn't really come be a surprise to any contemporary reader.
Still I found the book was worth reading. Stevenson is a great story teller and I like his straight forward and unpretentious language.
It is also interesting to think about the many different possible interpretations of the Jekyll-Hyde-metaphor. The most straight forward reading might be among the lines, that it represents a fight between the morally good and evil elements in human nature.
But there is also a more psychological (although probably anachronistic) reading, that takes Jekyll as a poetic depiction of a person that is struggling with either schizophrenia or a bipolar disorder.
In my opinion it is especially this openness to interpretation, that makes Stevenson's book timeless in a way and thereby justifies it's place in world literature as well as in contemporary pop culture.
I wish I could have read this without knowing in advance what I'm sure you know as well since it is about as secret as Clark Kent being Superman.
That said, the second half in which "all is revealed" is significantly less interesting than the first half which is suspenseful and spooky. I know endings are hard and thus forgive RLS but it still could have been shorter and less preachy and didactic.
I wish I could have read this without knowing in advance what I'm sure you know as well since it is about as secret as Clark Kent being Superman.
That said, the second half in which "all is revealed" is significantly less interesting than the first half which is suspenseful and spooky. I know endings are hard and thus forgive RLS but it still could have been shorter and less preachy and didactic.
It's Jeckyll and Hyde, so even though I just read it for the first time, I don't know how to rate it all clouded with expectation as I was.
This is an okay book; brief and clearly written with an original premise. Had I read this fresh and new with no knowledge of the plot, however, I don't imagine I would have found it suspenseful or terrifying in the least.
It's Jeckyll and Hyde, so even though I just read it for the first time, I don't know how to rate it all clouded with expectation as I was.
This is an okay book; brief and clearly written with an original premise. Had I read this fresh and new with no knowledge of the plot, however, I don't imagine I would have found it suspenseful or terrifying in the least.
Everyone should read this.
Exquisitely beautiful in every possible way. This is the perfect horror story. This is the first time I've read it since I was a child and I have to say my adult self found it much more powerful. This is joining I Am Legend in my "to be read once a year" list :)
Everyone should read this.
Exquisitely beautiful in every possible way. This is the perfect horror story. This is the first time I've read it since I was a child and I have to say my adult self found it much more powerful. This is joining I Am Legend in my "to be read once a year" list :)
