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A review by joshkiba13
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
". . . all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil."
What a dark little piece of literature! I'm about to start a class where our subject material will be The Picture of Dorian Gray, which I've heard is a companion novel to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I therefore took it upon myself to read the latter in one sitting as a way to prepare myself for my study of the former in class.
I thought I knew the gist of this story going into it having seen The Pagemaster and Arthur, but I was pleased to find that there was so much more to the novel than just a scientist with a creepy alter ego. The story not only covers mankind's darker side, but also shows us how our friends and dear ones become alienated from us as we delve into the darkness. Utterson and Lanyon dearly missed their friend, andupon learning the truth, Lanyon even took ill and shortly thereafter died .
I enjoyed Utterson as a character, and I thought it was cool to see the story through the eyes of a friend and bystander rather than through Jekyll's perspective. It's kind of like how the story of Dune revolves around Paul Atreides, but is greatly told from the perspectives of the Lady Jessica and others under Paul's influence. I just wish that at the very end of the story we could have seenUtterson's reaction to Henry's letter !
Robert Louis Stevenson described the setting of 19th century London so visually (though it took time to get accustomed to some older-styled prose). I could see the brown fog and the crowded (or deserted) streets. He used a lot of creative description, such as referring to the large streets as arteries, or describing moon being tilted as if the wind had knocked it over, or how he described Jekyll's tincture going from red to purple to green with effervescence. I think the most visual part of the story was when Utterson and Enfield encounter Dr. Jekyll in his window:
"But [Jekyll's] words were hardly uttered, before the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below. They saw it but for a glimpse for the window was instantly thrust down; but that glimpse had been sufficient, and they turned and left the court without a word . . . They were both pale; and there was an answering horror in their eyes."
I loved how the story began in the middle of the events; Enfield describes his dark encounter with Mr. Hyde to Utterson, who then takes it upon himself to investigate. The mystery unfolded slowly and satisfyingly. I found that even though I knew from pop culture that Jekyll and Hyde were one in the same, the story was still gripping and dark.
That's the other thing, too. It's thought-compelling that Mr. Hyde was not a product of some magical potion, but actually a manifestation of Jekyll's previously repressed darker side. Hyde is smaller in stature because Jekyll's evil was not fully developed as was the kind facade he'd put on himself.
A great read, and one that springs a lot of compelling questions about friendship and human nature.
What a dark little piece of literature! I'm about to start a class where our subject material will be The Picture of Dorian Gray, which I've heard is a companion novel to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I therefore took it upon myself to read the latter in one sitting as a way to prepare myself for my study of the former in class.
I thought I knew the gist of this story going into it having seen The Pagemaster and Arthur, but I was pleased to find that there was so much more to the novel than just a scientist with a creepy alter ego. The story not only covers mankind's darker side, but also shows us how our friends and dear ones become alienated from us as we delve into the darkness. Utterson and Lanyon dearly missed their friend, and
I enjoyed Utterson as a character, and I thought it was cool to see the story through the eyes of a friend and bystander rather than through Jekyll's perspective. It's kind of like how the story of Dune revolves around Paul Atreides, but is greatly told from the perspectives of the Lady Jessica and others under Paul's influence. I just wish that at the very end of the story we could have seen
Robert Louis Stevenson described the setting of 19th century London so visually (though it took time to get accustomed to some older-styled prose). I could see the brown fog and the crowded (or deserted) streets. He used a lot of creative description, such as referring to the large streets as arteries, or describing moon being tilted as if the wind had knocked it over, or how he described Jekyll's tincture going from red to purple to green with effervescence. I think the most visual part of the story was when Utterson and Enfield encounter Dr. Jekyll in his window:
"But [Jekyll's] words were hardly uttered, before the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below. They saw it but for a glimpse for the window was instantly thrust down; but that glimpse had been sufficient, and they turned and left the court without a word . . . They were both pale; and there was an answering horror in their eyes."
I loved how the story began in the middle of the events; Enfield describes his dark encounter with Mr. Hyde to Utterson, who then takes it upon himself to investigate. The mystery unfolded slowly and satisfyingly. I found that even though I knew from pop culture that Jekyll and Hyde were one in the same, the story was still gripping and dark.
That's the other thing, too. It's thought-compelling that Mr. Hyde was not a product of some magical potion, but actually a manifestation of Jekyll's previously repressed darker side. Hyde is smaller in stature because Jekyll's evil was not fully developed as was the kind facade he'd put on himself.
A great read, and one that springs a lot of compelling questions about friendship and human nature.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Suicide