Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde notes

Jekyll and Hyde

Themes in Jekyll and Hyde include: science vs. religion, regression vs. evolution, the duality of man, the importance of reputation, and the rational vs. the irrational.

Contextual references that can be used:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) relates to gothic novella previous to the time of Jekyll and Hyde’s publication. Her novel is based around an artificially created monster from sewn-together body parts whereas Stevenson’s is the horror that something bestial could be living within the human personality and it’s invisible to the human eye. This is horrifying to Victorian readers who believed in ideas such as physiognomy. ‘Troglodytic’ ‘the man trampled calmly over the child’s body’ ‘with ape-like fury’ ‘bestial’ 'hardly human'

Physiognomy can also be referenced because it was relevant at the time – the supposed art of judging someone based off their facial characteristics. ‘a certain sinister block…