“The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” is a novella, published in 1886, written by Robert Louis Stevenson and follows a London lawyer named Gabriel Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the malevolent Edward Hyde. The conflict between science and nature is at the core of the novella “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. In the novella Jekyll recognises in himself the "thorough and primitive duality of man". He calls them his "two natures" and imagines them in terms of the opposition of science and nature. Sometimes Jekyll sees nature as simply that, natural, but at other times he sees it as evil.
Essay: Comparing Setting, detectives, suspects and stories Intro: The two stories I will be contrasting and comparing in my essay are called ‘The man with the twisted lip ‘by Conan Doyle and ‘The case of the dubious daddy’ by McCall Smith. The Man with the twisted lip fits the detective genres because as this story develops and unfolds the truth, new characters are introduced e.g. Boone which is linked to some way to the mystery. Also because the Author drops clues that might help the reader unravel the truth. In The story of ‘The case of the dubious daddy’ fits the detective genre because the main characters in it have reasons and intensions which are revealed through dialogue.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written by Robert Louis Stevenson who was born in (1850 – 1894). The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written in 1886, it was partly written as a gothic horror story, other Gothic horror stories written near the same time were “Frankenstein” and “Dracula”. It’s also fits the detective genre because there is a character (Mr Utterson) who is a lawyer but his role in the novel is as a detective trying to find the link between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was writing in the Victorian times and during them times the Victorians really cared about their reputation and they were scared of being alone on the streets because there was not enough police men around so they didn’t feel safe on the streets. He also sets his novels based in London; Stevenson also wrote children books such as “Kidnapped” and “Treasure Island”.
Shelly suggests science is dangerous because of the enticing discovery of creation, striving for the ability to interchange death to life. She shows this enticement by Dr. Frankenstein’s utter infatuation with his occupation, he finds himself “engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some [new] discoveries.” Shelly displays the thought of science to be problematic when Dr. Frankenstein confesses that “I knew well, therefore, what would be my father’s feelings; but I could not tear my thoughts from my employment, loathsome in itself, but which had taken an irresistible hold of my imagination.” Shelly shows that Dr. Frankenstein is so enticed by the thought of restoring life upon the dead, that he
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was inspired by the rapid progress in the field of science and technology in the Victorian era. The story of this novel about dual personalities in major character, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll, a doctor who clever, rich and also honorable, he creating a potion that can transform his self into someone who is much different. Where as he drank the potion, he will transform into a figure of Hyde, which is very different from him. Hyde is a representative from the figure of Satan, the evil, the personification of a Jekyll with the body lean and also ugly face.
"The accomplishment of his toils" is the creature, created from human body parts Frankenstein harvested from graveyards (34). Frankenstein’s motivation for creating this abomination is his desire to play God: "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that [he] desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied [him]" (22). As Frankenstein becomes consumed in his
When one thinks of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the concepts of knowledge and science are deeply inscribed in the mind. In her work, Mary Shelley tells the story of how one man attempted to emulate the knowledge of his day. Burning with a passion to invent the science of life, Victor Frankenstein soon realizes that such a desire to go beyond current knowledge will backfire and torment the remainder of his life. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley conveys her attitudes towards science by portraying it as having the capability to exceed the bounds of human restraint. The overwhelming theme of science that is expressed in Frankenstein is that knowledge has the potential to go beyond the boundaries of human control.
Porfiry in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment has such an intellectual way of investigating Raskolnikov and his motives. Dostoyevsky creates a character with a small role, yet such an outstanding impact that he can be thought of as the antagonist of this novel. His methods can be defined as different and leave a permanent stain on Raskolnikov as a character. Although psychology was in effect long before Porfiry steps foot onto the scene. Raskolnikov wonders why so many crimes are committed so poorly.
Through the minds of Palahniuk and Stevenson a common ground is reached in the two books Fight Club and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; both the narrator and Dr. Jekyll create their own misfortune in trying to fix the problems of the world, or better yet what they perceive the problems to be. In a sense the doppelganger of Dr. Jekyll and The Narrator create a misery that is eerie. These characters could be considered Byronic heroes; they start off admirable individuals but by the end of their journey we pity them. Another observation than can be made is through the birth of their alter egos Dr. Jekyll is in essence attempting to play God, and Tyler Durden (The Narrator’s doppelganger) believes he is God. The consequences of their decisions lead them to, ceaseless misery,
With his tale of corrupt patriarchy filled with mystery, romance, and tragedy, Horace Walpole bridged the gap between the wantonly romantic and the excessively realistic (Scott 11); filling the space with dark settings, stark characters and tangled narratives. It was the sum of all these parts that became the formula that is still followed today by writers of the genre. This essay will outline various elements of the typical gothic novel, and the way in which they are associated with excess in the themes, characterisation, and style of writing. In doing so, the differences in the techniques used in Walpole’s novel Castle of Otranto, and M.R James’s short story Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad, will be identified and discussed. The primary objective of Gothic novelists is to rouse the reader into eliciting emotional responses such as shock or fear (Hume 284).