The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde

by Robert Louis Stevenson

122 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2025

About the author

Robert 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.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a classic for a reason. Easy read, spooky, and now I understand better all the ways in which this book is referenced and all the dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde interpretations

[Eric Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read. The story was ok. There wasn't much in the way of plot and the characters were decently developed but nothing spectacular. Overall this book is just ok. If your looking for a fast read just so you can say that you read it, then go for it.

[🎀 Anaya 🎀 · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man.”

Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a compelling and unsettling exploration of human nature and repression. Jekyll is presented as a respectable Victorian gentleman who admits he was “committed to a profound duplicity of life.”His language is often hyperbolic, especially when he describes his experiment as “so singular and profound,”which highlights his arrogance and belief that he can control human nature through science.

Hyde acts as a didactic character, used by Stevenson to warn Victorian society about the dangers of repression. He is described as violent and animalistic, ”trampling calmly over the child’s body,”and Jekyll explains that his darker self had been kept “caged” before it “came out roaring.”This imagery suggests that repressing desires only makes them more dangerous, criticising Victorian moral strictness.

The theme of duality is central to the novel, shown through the idea that ”man is not truly one, but truly two.” Stevenson links this to Victorian society, where appearances were everything and immorality was hidden beneath respectability. The contrast between Jekyll and Hyde reflects a society that preached morality while secretly indulging in vice.

Stevenson also explores the conflict between religion and science, a major issue in the Victorian era. Jekyll’s attempt to separate good and evil shows scientific ambition overriding moral boundaries, as he describes Hyde as “something troglodytic.” This reflects fears that abandoning religion for science could cause humanity to regress rather than progress.

[Lexi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m glad I finally got around reading this. The one thing I thought of reading this was “No. This is Patricia” or whatever that line from Split was lol