Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson witnessed double standards led by middle class people all-around him, this made him determined to avoid hypocrisy, and to respond against the stern Scottish Presbyterian background which he felt helped to form it. From the beginning of the novel, we are given the impression of an atmosphere consisting of secrecy, and mystery. The setting contributes to this; the strange door which Enfield remarks upon is always locked, the window in the rest of the house forever shut and the buildings around the 'court' huddled together as if in conspiracy. Utterson lies in his 'curtained room' in 'the gross darkness of the night' with 'a great filed of lamps' - referring to the gas street lamps.

This story is also a way for Stevenson to have a go at hypocroisy and

One of Stevenson’s ways of communicating about the balance of good and evil is that suppressing one’s desires and passions is a big cause of the troubles caused by the setting. The suppression in the novella is that in the area it's taken place

Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The author writes, “Much of his past was unhearted and all disreputable tales come out of the man’s cruelty at once, so callous and violent of his vile-life.” (Stevenson, )

When I took off the top to that white box on that calm Sunday night, I was instantly transported into this astounding library, that seemed to come out of a movie scene, rows upon rows were piled up with Verne’s, Dumas’, Stevenson’s, and Melville’s. Each week I would open this box and choose a new book. It wasn’t long until weeks turned to days, and I began to greedily treasure my Stevenson’s, truly value friendship with Dumas, prepare for an adrenaline rush with Verne, but most importantly, it was my single Melville that brought me the pinnacle of happiness.

American Novelists, 1910-1915. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Ed. James J. Martine. Saint Bonaventure University. Gale Research 1981. 413-68

In this essay on the story of Jekyll and Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson I will try to unravel the true meaning of the book and get inside the characters in the story created by Stevenson. A story of a man battling with his double personality.

“But it is more than ten years since henry Jekyll became too fanciful for me”. (12 Stevenson)

The industrial revolution completely changed the urban landscape of Europe during the 19th century. Technological advances, economic success, along with medical and scientific discoveries reshaped many aspects of modern life in european cities. The citizens of these modern cities, however, were skeptical of this evolution. Change was daunting, and people were afraid that it was accelerating to a point where society would transform out of all recognition. In 1886, a popular novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson, wrote his book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The novel was a smash hit because it appealed to the feelings society was already experiencing; the fear and anxiety of the evolving modern city. During this time, a higher percentage of people were literate and excited to read, which is another reason why the novel was so popular. It is evident to readers that Stevenson was skeptical of progress during his time period. In his book, he depicts the middle class victorian society and their feelings toward progress in the modern city through his characters.While Dr. Jekyll, the main character, represents middle class respectability and the repressions they kept hidden, Mr. Hyde embodies the perfect example of a degenerate and criminal. Then, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s friend and lawyer, stands in for the audience and identifies with the anxious society as a whole.

This is the environment in which Stevenson places his novel, in which Hyde, the exemplification of the East Ender, thrives and commits his heinous and unspoken acts.

Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Many more became more pessimistic and turned from the permeated artistic circles which also brought to light the weakening of the Western culture and its dominance. Stevenson’s novel clearly depicted good and evil with civilization and savagery; it helped show that civilians knew the truth regarding England’s attraction to the savage Western cultures just like Hyde enjoys the restraint from freedom.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Throughout his childhood he was told morbid tales from the Bible, as well as Victorian penny-serial novels that he would carry with him throughout his years and what would place the greatest impact on his writing.[1] In 1886, he published a novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, based on a man with pure intentions, who ends up turning himself into a viscous murderer. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a well-known doctor and respected man, known for doing numerous acts of kindness and work for charities. However, since he was a young boy, he secretly engaged in wrongful behavior, and from then on, was determined to experiment and find a way to separate

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novel about a man named Henry Jekyll who