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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Fables & Other Stories and Fragments
Includes the short biographical essay, Stevenson at Thirty-Seven by Lloyd Osbourne, Stevenson's stepson and literary collaborator.
- GenresFiction
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1924
54 people want to read
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson
6,864 books6,952 followersRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of English literature. He was greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling and Vladimir Nabokov.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their narrow definition of literature. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the Western canon.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 2, 2024
I don't think horror is a genre. I am really interested in it! It's very interesting writing but I don't love it!
September 6, 2008
my friend is making it me read it with them. oh well. its not long.
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9/06
Okay soo... I liked it. However, the usual interpretation of this book irks me a bit. The idea that Jekyll is the manifestation of good and Hyde of evil does not work. Jekyll is the just a human being. Good, but with inclinations towards self-interest and such born of weakness. So Jekyll is not in any way the manifestation of pure good. Throughout the book, he still acts as a usual human would, putting their reputation and image first before admitting to truth, being deceitful, etc. Hyde, however, is the manifestation of pure evil. He has no counterpart to this. He is, in a way, the extraction of all the bad in Jekyll, but more potent; he could be thought of as an unrestrained outlet for all of the evil that Jekyll has to reconcile with his goodness and social etiquette.
There is another theory that Hyde is the primitive nature of Jekyll and that Jekyll is the conditioned creature of society. This theory doesn't work either. If Hyde is primitive, you can liken him to an animal in the wilderness with no conditioning whatsoever. While animals are self-interested and uncivilized in the pursuit of this self-interest, an animal will not cause another animal any harm or pain unless it fits into the pursuit of something the animal wants. In fact, animals form communities much like humans do in the interest of self-preservation. Even in primitiveness, we may look out for others to protect ourselves. Hyde, however, arbitrarily hurts and kills other humans with no apparent gain whatsoever to himself, which is not like that of an animal's reason to compromise another animal's well-being. In this way, Hyde is not primitive at all, but rather very conspicuously and consciously evil.
I guess I don't know what to make of it. But it's an interesting concept.
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9/06
Okay soo... I liked it. However, the usual interpretation of this book irks me a bit. The idea that Jekyll is the manifestation of good and Hyde of evil does not work. Jekyll is the just a human being. Good, but with inclinations towards self-interest and such born of weakness. So Jekyll is not in any way the manifestation of pure good. Throughout the book, he still acts as a usual human would, putting their reputation and image first before admitting to truth, being deceitful, etc. Hyde, however, is the manifestation of pure evil. He has no counterpart to this. He is, in a way, the extraction of all the bad in Jekyll, but more potent; he could be thought of as an unrestrained outlet for all of the evil that Jekyll has to reconcile with his goodness and social etiquette.
There is another theory that Hyde is the primitive nature of Jekyll and that Jekyll is the conditioned creature of society. This theory doesn't work either. If Hyde is primitive, you can liken him to an animal in the wilderness with no conditioning whatsoever. While animals are self-interested and uncivilized in the pursuit of this self-interest, an animal will not cause another animal any harm or pain unless it fits into the pursuit of something the animal wants. In fact, animals form communities much like humans do in the interest of self-preservation. Even in primitiveness, we may look out for others to protect ourselves. Hyde, however, arbitrarily hurts and kills other humans with no apparent gain whatsoever to himself, which is not like that of an animal's reason to compromise another animal's well-being. In this way, Hyde is not primitive at all, but rather very conspicuously and consciously evil.
I guess I don't know what to make of it. But it's an interesting concept.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews