Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories (Vintage Classics)
by Robert Louis Stevenson
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How thin is the line between good and evil? Discover the classic tale of gothic horror Dr Jekyll has been experimenting with his identity. He has developed a drug which separates the two sides of his nature and allows him occasionally to abandon himself to his most corrupt inclinations as the monstrous Mr Hyde. But gradually he begins to find that the journey back to goodness becomes more and more difficult, and the risk that Mr Hyde will break free entirely from Dr Jekyll's control puts all show more of London in grave peril. show lessTags
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A surprisingly underwhelming collection from the author of Treasure Island. I expected 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' to be more compelling than it was, given its reputation. It is rightly famous, and innovative for its time, but its baseless pseudo-science and Victorian scandal-horror has not aged well. It reads pleasantly enough, with a racy plotting that can be seen as an antecedent of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, but it has long since been surpassed in the horror genre.
Ditto for the second story in this collection: 'The Body-Snatcher' is a tight, atmospheric Gothic horror story that drips malevolence from the page, even if its campfire-horror-story ending can appear rather lame to modern readers. The show more other four stories are of little consequence and don't make the book into a satisfying collection. 'Markheim' was decent, though a weak Dostoevsky imitator, but 'A Lodging for the Night' was far too busy and wordy. 'Thrawn Janet', written almost entirely in thick Scots dialect, is probably good but it is hard to tell. The final story, 'The Misadventures of John Nicholson', is another busy story that has aged poorly. Though I am pleased to have finally read 'Jekyll and Hyde' because of its cultural importance, this collection has made me feel like I've been on a misadventure of my own. show less
Ditto for the second story in this collection: 'The Body-Snatcher' is a tight, atmospheric Gothic horror story that drips malevolence from the page, even if its campfire-horror-story ending can appear rather lame to modern readers. The show more other four stories are of little consequence and don't make the book into a satisfying collection. 'Markheim' was decent, though a weak Dostoevsky imitator, but 'A Lodging for the Night' was far too busy and wordy. 'Thrawn Janet', written almost entirely in thick Scots dialect, is probably good but it is hard to tell. The final story, 'The Misadventures of John Nicholson', is another busy story that has aged poorly. Though I am pleased to have finally read 'Jekyll and Hyde' because of its cultural importance, this collection has made me feel like I've been on a misadventure of my own. show less
I feel kind of weird even starting to review a story that is so well known so, instead of doing that, I'm going to keep it brief and leave this more as a 'recommendation'. First off, I realised how ignorant I was because I had no idea that this was written by Robert Louis Stevenson! Cue shame face...
Also, I might never have gotten round to reading this (thinking I already knew it!) if it hadn't been included in a '100 Free Classics' thing that came with my eReader. But it did, so I decided to give it a go. Lesson #2: This is actually a novella and a brief jaunt at only 80 pages (ePages that is...)
So, this story is more or less embedded in literary culture and is cited in loads of modern media (for some reason The League of Extraordinary show more Gentlemen is the one that sticks in my head!) - so no major surprises there. The narrator is a lawyer by the name of Utterson and, because the story is so short, the action kicks off right away with a tale of Mr Hyde's general despicability.
The chronology is really interesting and we hear all about Mr Hyde marauding about London before we understand why and Dr Jekyll's perspective doesn't come until the very end, making it a fantastic finale.
Overall: Try it - it's a great (short) example of 19th century literature and the dark and brooding London it portrays is fantastically atmospheric! This would probably serve best for someone looking to branch out into 'classic' literature but who is concerned about the time some such novels can take. show less
Also, I might never have gotten round to reading this (thinking I already knew it!) if it hadn't been included in a '100 Free Classics' thing that came with my eReader. But it did, so I decided to give it a go. Lesson #2: This is actually a novella and a brief jaunt at only 80 pages (ePages that is...)
So, this story is more or less embedded in literary culture and is cited in loads of modern media (for some reason The League of Extraordinary show more Gentlemen is the one that sticks in my head!) - so no major surprises there. The narrator is a lawyer by the name of Utterson and, because the story is so short, the action kicks off right away with a tale of Mr Hyde's general despicability.
The chronology is really interesting and we hear all about Mr Hyde marauding about London before we understand why and Dr Jekyll's perspective doesn't come until the very end, making it a fantastic finale.
Overall: Try it - it's a great (short) example of 19th century literature and the dark and brooding London it portrays is fantastically atmospheric! This would probably serve best for someone looking to branch out into 'classic' literature but who is concerned about the time some such novels can take. show less
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2,800+ Works 139,270 Members
Novelist, poet, and essayist Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. A sickly child, Stevenson was an invalid for part of his childhood and remained in ill health throughout his life. He began studying engineering at Edinburgh University but soon switched to law. His true inclination, however, was for writing. For several years show more after completing his studies, Stevenson traveled on the Continent, gathering ideas for his writing. His Inland Voyage (1878) and Travels with a Donkey (1878) describe some of his experiences there. A variety of essays and short stories followed, most of which were published in magazines. It was with the publication of Treasure Island in 1883, however, that Stevenson achieved wide recognition and fame. This was followed by his most successful adventure story, Kidnapped, which appeared in 1886. With stories such as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, Stevenson revived Daniel Defoe's novel of romantic adventure, adding to it psychological analysis. While these stories and others, such as David Balfour and The Master of Ballantrae (1889), are stories of adventure, they are at the same time fine studies of character. The Master of Ballantrae, in particular, is a study of evil character, and this study is taken even further in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). In 1887 Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, went to the United States, first to the health spas of Saranac Lake, New York, and then on to the West Coast. From there they set out for the South Seas in 1889. Except for one trip to Sidney, Australia, Stevenson spent the remainder of his life on the island of Samoa with his devoted wife and stepson. While there he wrote The Wrecker (1892), Island Nights Entertainments (1893), and Catriona (1893), a sequel to Kidnapped. He also worked on St. Ives and The Weir of Hermiston, which many consider to be his masterpiece. He died suddenly of apoplexy, leaving both of these works unfinished. Both were published posthumously; St. Ives was completed by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, and The Weir of Hermiston was published unfinished. Stevenson was buried on Samoa, an island he had come to love very much. Although Stevenson's novels are perhaps more accomplished, his short stories are also vivid and memorable. All show his power of invention, his command of the macabre and the eerie, and the psychological depth of his characterization. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories (Vintage Classics) (Vintage Classics)
- Original publication date
- 1886 (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde); 1884 (The Body Snatcher) (The Body Snatcher)
- People/Characters
- Henry Jekyll (doctor, called "Harry"); Gabriel John Utterson; Richard Enfield; Danvers Carew; Hastie Lanyon (doctor); Poole (butler) (show all 7); Edward Hyde
- Important places
- London, England, UK
- Disambiguation notice
- This contains six stories: Body-snatcher/Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/Lodging for the night/Markheim/Misadventures of John Nicholson/Thrawn Janet. Please DO NOT combine this with other editions of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde which do n... (show all)ot contain the same stories.
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- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 1
- ASINs
- 2
