Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (original 1886; edition 2005)

Rating: 5 of 5

What can be said about a classic such as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? A story so well-known, one that has permeated our culture so completely (perhaps rivaled only by Frankenstein and Dracula), most everyone knows the gist without ever having read the novella or watched a film adaption. I daresay, little, if anything new, or at the very least, "fresh." Thus I will stick to my personal reaction in this review.

From a writer's perspective, I applaud (and appreciate) the structure and narrative style. Stevenson built upon (and relied on) the reader's natural curiosity and desire to solve the mystery of Mr. Hyde, to know what was "really" happening, which probably made this quite the sensational page-turner during its initial publication in 1886. I read the story much slower than I do with most modern fiction; there's much to savor and digest for those patient enough to nibble. One of the story's less subtle themes - repression of one's curiosity and not asking questions that "shouldn't" be asked - was ingenious, wasn't it? Given the tools Stevenson utilized to engage readers. OH! And the descriptions throughout the story often knocked me for a loop they were so ... distinct; Stevenson knew exactly what images he wanted to conjure up in readers' minds.

I will definitely give this one a re-read whenever I want a refresher in (1) allegory and (2) the characterization and theme of duality and hypocrisy.

Disclaimer: If you are bored or confused by complex sentences, extended paragraphs, and/or Victorian Era prose, then The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde probably won't float your boat. ( )

I liked this book a lot. It's a short book but it still has lots of mystery and exciting parts within it. It's about a man named Mr. Utterson who tries to learn about the mysterious Mr. Hyde who is Dr. Jekyll's evil side.

In the book, the setting is based in England. Dr. Jekyll finds a way to make a compound that allows him to transform into a separate personality, Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde is a younger and pure evil being. I personally like Mr. Hyde's name a lot. His name sounds like the word "hide" and Mr. Hyde's personality reflects his name. He tries to be discreet and tries to not talk to anyone unless he has to. Throughout the book, Mr. Utterson tries to learn about this mysterious Mr. Hyde. Almost nobody knows about him. Finally, after many mysterious encounters with Dr. Jekyll and one murder, he learns who Mr. Hyde truly is when he reads a letter that was left for him. I also liked this book a lot because the story isn't just told from the point of view of one person. It's mainly told from the point of view from one person, but it's also told from the point of view of two other people.

This book is very good! It makes you feel multiple emotions as you read it. It makes you excited, scared, surprised, and curious. I would recommend it to many people. ( )

Original and longer post, in French, on my blog:
It's">http://moncoinlecture.over-blog.com/article-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-robert-louis-stevenson-87578643.html

It's kind of funny to realise that I knew this story very, very well… and that I hadn’t read the original. I was sure that I had, in fact but when I opened the book, oh surprise, no evil laboratory and dim lights, no explosions and bubbling green bottles, but a stoic lawyer, Mr. Utterton, who wants to find out why on the earth a good and sensible man like his friend Dr. Jekyll wants the company of the most disagreeable Mr. Hyde.

I really liked this story, even If I knew what was happening. It’s fast paced, the construction was great and the point of view is interesting. It’s mostly through exterior eyes that we witness the conflicts of Dr Jekyll, his attempts to dissociate the good and the evil in himself and finally his fall. I loved the writing and at the first words, I was transported in this 18-something London.

It’s a novella. It’s short, and it only opens the way to our own thoughts about duality in men, about passions and their repression, and about shades of grey. I guess that in Victorian England, this subject was kind of capital (only guessing, hey... unfortunately, I’ve never been there... or then... anyway!).
( )

Everyone who knows pleasant Dr. Jekyll is surprised that he has taken the brutish Mr. Hyde under his wing. Hyde is a horrible person, and everyone who meets him claims to be immediately repulsed by him. It's obvious that there's more to the relationship than meets the eye, but no one guesses exactly how twisted this relationship is.

Okay, you probably know the basic story. I think that takes a lot away from the book. I can imagine that this novella was shocking and horrifying when it was first published, but I just felt a little "meh" about it. I understand that there's a message about pride and ambition and man's dual nature and all that, but I'm usually looking for a good story. I'm not saying that this is a bad story, or that it shouldn't be a classic or anything like that, I just found it a little disappointing.

If you're interested, pick it up. If you somehow don't know what's going on with these two men, go ahead and give it a try too. It's a pretty easy read for a classic, it's short, and it would be creepy if you didn't know what was going on. ( )

Post-read:

Well... not my favorite thing ever, but it was worth the read, as it's such a short book and a classic. I thought it was really interesting that the bulk of the story is told from Dr. Jekyll's lawyer-friend's point of view. It's a mystery, really. The friend knows there is a connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but he can't figure out why an upstanding citizen like Jekyll would have ANYTHING to do with the nefarious Hyde. So, over the course of the story, he's trying to figure out what's going on between the two of them.... It's interesting!

I'm really surprised that this book (even the picture-book version) would be in the juvenile fiction section of the library! First of all, I doubt a j-fic reader would understand half of the words in the story (it's 1895 language, after all). Second, it has a QUITE violent scene, where Mr. Hyde beats a guy to death with his cane. Geez! I was like, "Whoa! Holy cow!" But it was quite an interesting tale about the duality of a person's character... not that I necessarily agree with late 19th century psychology or anything.... but it was interesting...


Pre-read:

This may "technically" be a children's book, but it contains the full text, just with pictures and insights into the Victorian Era. I'm kind of excited about that. Books with pictures are fabulous, aren't they? ( )