The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I can't imagine why it's taken me until now to read this novel, but it has.

Obviously I'd been missing something wonderful.

Can't say what I'd expected before starting—likely a somewhat trashy pulp type novel. Instead, I got a gorgeously written introspective story of a highly tortured protagonist. Fantastic stuff.

As a side note, after reading this, it becomes very clear where Stan Lee came to borrow ideas for the Hulk character.

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 show more 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. show less

This struck me as less about the conflict between good and evil in a person's soul, and more about Victorian bourgeois hypocrisy.

Prior to Jekyll's transformation, he uses the shield of medical respectability to indulge his unnamed, and therefore probably sexual, vices (the other main vices of Victorian England, gambling and alcohol, not being unnameable), and had already been leading a double life.

His potion, Jekyll says, has the potential to emphasise either the "good" or "evil" traits of the personality, in his Case unleashing Hyde due to his preexisting affinity for wickedness. Before the transformation, Jekyll had to hide this part of his life; as Hyde he is both more concealed and more visible to "polite society", which is more show more concerned with appearances than substance. Although we don't get to follow Jekyll or Hyde into the world of their indulgences, it is likely that the people of that echelon of society better knew the quality of Henry Jekyll, and were of old acquainted with the qualities, if not the figure, of Edward Hyde. show less

A slim and elusive narrative, on which following generations have built their own psychodramas. The idea of duality, of the personality as a construct of differences, has a grip on our modern psyches and is made concrete in Jekyll and Hyde. Stevenson turns our internal dramas outside, giving them a Victorian packing of pea souper fogs, hansom cabs and mysterious smoking potions.

Muy buena adaptación. La idea de suprimir el misterio para centrarse en el tema de la dualidad refuerza los personajes (a la vez que muestra a Jekyll como un gran hipócrita) y el dibujo de Olivares le da un aire siniestro que refleja muy bien la atmósfera de la historia.

There are books I’m surprised to realize I haven’t read, yet they seemed a pervasive part of culture as long as I can remember. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of them. Of course, I’d seen the old movie with Frederic March numerous times, thanks to Channel 9’s Million Dollar Movie. I suppose that’s why I never picked up the book.

My interest was recently awakened, again via television, when the BBC aired a dramatic reading that included nearly a third of the book’s text.

The book is psychologically acute and builds well the sense of horror. A few parts drag; in particular, the letter from Dr. Lanyon rehearses more of the plot than necessary. This was an easy cut for the BBC adapters. I liked how, after the show more story is told mainly from the point of view of Utterson, the lawyer, the final chapter is narrated by Dr. Jekyll via a confessional letter he quickly wrote before his final transition to Edward Hyde.

The best part of the confession is that there are no specifics of the base crimes Jekyll alludes to, other than those few that have already come up in the plot, such as the murder of Carew. This empty space allows each reader to fill in the narrative gap however he chooses. I think the name Hyde says enough. Stevenson has created no role for Miriam Hopkins in his plot.

“Zwei Seelen wohnen, ach! in meiner Brust” lamented that pre-Romantic, Goethe. He was hardly the first to wonder at the dual nature in each of us. Imagine if one could separate these two natures and delegate all we wish we wouldn’t do to that “other”? Theoretically, the good me could become more consistently philanthropic. What could go wrong?

Imagine it Stevenson did, and long before Lumon Industries engineered “Innies” and “Outies,” he shows that it’s not a good idea. If science was the new religion of the nineteenth century, Stevenson follows Mary Shelley and others as a dissenter. show less

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has, I fear, suffered a fate quite similar to books such as Gulliver's Travels by having been popularized as being something it is not. The latter is too often misinterpreted as a children's book while the former is either misrepresented as a simple horror story or, worse yet, as an inspiration for comic books (excuse me, I suppose I should have said “graphic novels”) or the films made from them, such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In any case, the original stories have too often been simplified, and far too many people have thoroughly erroneous ideas of the real stories.

Stevenson's theme in The Strange Case is the duality of human nature, every man (he does not address the show more distaff side of humanity) being possessed of both good, beneficent, generous, helpful qualities and evil, malevolent, spiteful, destructive qualities. These opposites are not equally balanced within a man, and whichever qualities are practiced and strengthened will predominate. With every good intention in the world, Dr. Jekyll experiments on separating these opposing qualities and inadvertently exercises those of negative bent until they come to predominate. Stevenson's protagonist readily admits that men are more complex than this simple duality suggests but explains that his initial interest must focus on the two basic sides of the personality, leaving more complex divisions to the future.

The composition of this short novel (which some deem a long short story) reminds me of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The author relies heavily on suggestion, hint and innuendo to develop the plot. It is as though the facts of the story are imperfectly glimpsed through a thick London fog, leaving the reader/viewer to wonder whether what he saw was actual or a phantom of his imagination. Not until the final chapter does Dr. Jekyll speak directly to readers, confirming what we have suspected for some time and providing a very satisfactory dénouement.

Those whose understanding of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been gleaned from hearsay, movies, or comics owe it to themselves to read Stevenson's short novel. They may come to realize that their understanding is flawed, and they will surely enjoy observing Stevenson's "suggestive horror" style of writing. Is there any sort of lesson to be learned from this little work of fiction? Indeed, humans are complex creatures so be careful of which characteristics you choose to develop, practice and strengthen! show less