Terug The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
by
Robert Louis Stevenson
One of the most popular authors of his day, was born in 1850 in Edinburgh the son of an engineer. To please his father he studied engineering and read law, but his interest in literature soon absorbed him completely. Stevenson wrote poetry, stories, essays and novels. Throughout his life he suffered from a weak constitution and much of his work was written while he was conficted in bed. He went to France, America and the South Seas to improve his health. He found it hard to be separated from his country and his friends, but the love and devotion of his wife were a source of strength and inspiration to him. In 1894 he died at Samoa. Other works are: Treasure Island (1883), Kidnapped (1886), The master of Ballantrae (1889) and Catriona (1893). His book, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, became immensely popular. So did he. In America they had a film version of it. So for Stevenson his book was a success.
Information about the book
In 1886 Stevenson was prompted by a dream to write "The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as a horror story. He finished it in three days. But at his wife's recommendation he burnt it and re-wrote it as an allegory. The novel became immensely popular.
Stevenson was the first writer to think of the division of one man into a dual personality as a subject for a book. The division is caused by conflict between good and evil. Modern readers may find nothing unusual about this theme, as psychology has made people familiar with the disease of schizophrenia, or split personality. But in Stevenson's time the sience of psychology was unknown. His use of the theme shows his originality.
The lawyer Utterson is worrying about his friend Dr Jekyll. This respected doctor associates with an extremely dubious personage, Mr Hyde. This Mr Hyde has already hurt a child and he’s very unreliable and disgusting.
When Utterson reads the will of Dr Jekyll at home, he discovers that Dr Jekyll has left all his property to Mr Hyde. Utterson also discovers that Mr Hyde lives in a rented house in Soho which is paid by Dr Jekyll and that he owns a key of Dr Jekyll’s house.
Contents
A maid-servant living alone in a house not far from the river had gone upstairs to bed about eleven. She overlooked the lane which was brilliantly lit by the full moon. She saw an aged and beautiful gentleman coming near along the lane and advancing to meet him, another and very small gentleman, to whom at first she paid less attention. He had in his hand a walking-stick. The small man, Mr Hyde, smashed the old man to the ground and he was trampling his victim under foot. The maid had seen everything and she fainted. She called the police but the murderer was gone. The victim carried a sealed and stamped envelope with the name and address of Mr Utterson. Half of the broken stick lay in the lane. When Mr Utterson saw the broken stick at the police station, he recognised it as one that he had himself presented to Henry Jekyll many years before. Now he really knew that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde must know each other and that there was a strange thing going on between them.
Mr Utterson and some policemen went to Mr Hyde's house, but he wasn’t at home. They searched his room and they found the other half of the stick behind the door.
His family could nowhere be traced, he had never been photographed. Who was this man?
What is the relation between the fragment and the book?
You can find this fragment in the middle of the book. The importance of this fragment is very high, because in this fragment Mr Utterson finds out the connection between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. This fragment also gives the book a lot more suspense. Who is this man? What is his connection with Dr Jekyll? It makes you curious to discover how this story will end.
My own opinion
It’s is a good story for the readers to teach them that some people have bad sides. But not all of them let evil conquer good. This fragment is representative for the book, because it shows you the mystery around this person Hyde.
I think that Robert Louis Stevenson has found out a little bit of psychology; schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is just as hard to fight as Mr Hyde himself.
By the way, you pronounce Hyde the same as to hide. Mr Hyde hides himself in Dr Jekyll.
Terug