The Victorian Era

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Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 13, 1850.

Stevenson's childhood

He was unwell in his youth and he suffered from tuberculosis.
He did very well at school, and was able to attend university at 17.
Stevenson’s parents wanted him to become an engineer, but he decided to study law instead.
He was a young rebel, and he did not follow his parent’s expectations of him as a religious scholar. He saw his parent’s religion as an outrage and he became a bohemian who was critical of upper-class hypocrisy and bourgeois values.

Rebel

Just like Jekyll, Stevenson had a shameful dimension to his character.
His parents, from the New town, campaigned against prostitution and crime that occurred in the Old Town of Edinburgh. However, unbeknown to his parents, Stevenson visited the dark corners of the town to visit brothels and engage in activities that would have horrified his parents.
Crossing over from the respectable side of the city, to the impoverished side of the city was, in a way, the start of the journey to writing Jekyll and Hyde. The New Town of Edinburgh might have had impressive houses and attractive façades, but behind the classy veneer, the same kinds of scandalous acts and indecency were occurring.

London and Urban Terror

Robert Louis Stevenson first published the novella in 1886. England was undergoing social changes, and urban terror was rife.

Changes in England

The book was written when the economic growth in England was booming, induced by the industrial revolution.
The Victorian period also saw a change in societal conventions - science played a more important role and there was a shift from religion to scientific theories.
The views of morality also changed: people started to engage in questionable activities and behaviours.

Class system

There was a strict division between the rich and the poor parts of the city of London.
The rigid class system defined where people were allowed to live, work, eat and travel in London. The class system also dictated how you were educated, how you behaved and what was expected of you as a citizen.
The location of Hyde’s door in the first chapter was chosen by Stevenson, because it was notorious for crimes and criminal activities, prostitution and opium dens where well-respected men would visit brothels and consume opium.

Significance of fog

The fog of London is a motif (repeated image) in the novella, and Hyde’s character is associated with the fog for two reasons.
- The fog is dirty and is associated with the depraved parts of London.
- The fog also disguises and hides Hyde’s criminal activities.
Soho is described as being “attacked” by darkness throughout the novella, which illustrates how the fog was an overwhelming force, much like the crime of Soho.

Urban terror

In the 1850s and 1860s, there were occasional waves of crimes and appalling offences in Victorian England.
The murders of Jack the Ripper in the autumn of 1888 were committed in a small area of London’s East End. These murders evoked nation-wide panic and horror amongst citizens, and press sensationalism was emphasised to sell newspapers.
Violence, especially crimes and violence with a sexual element, increased sales of papers and news stories. The most common crimes were prostitution and drunkenness or disorderliness.

1Plot Summary

1.1Chapters 1-10

1.1.1Chapters 1 & 2

1.1.2Chapters 3 & 4

1.1.3Chapters 5 & 6

1.1.4Chapters 7 & 8

1.1.5Chapters 9 & 10

1.1.6End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-10

2Characters

2.1Jekyll & Hyde

2.1.1Dr Henry Jekyll

2.1.2Jekyll - Name & Quotes

2.1.3Mr Edward Hyde

2.1.4Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapters 1-9

2.1.5Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapter 10

2.1.6End of Topic Test - Jekyll & Hyde

2.1.7Exam-Style Questions - Mr Hyde

2.2Other Characters

2.2.1Mr Gabriel John Utterson

2.2.2Dr Hastie Lanyon

2.2.3Minor Characters

2.2.4End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3Gothic Genre

3.1Gothic Elements

3.1.1Gothic Conventions

3.1.2Gothic Settings & Symbolism

3.1.3End of Topic Test - Gothic Conventions

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes & Quotes

4.1.1Science

4.1.2Dual Nature of Man

4.1.3Religion & Sin

4.1.4Violence & Horror

4.1.5Victorian Gentlemen

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Quotes

5Context & Author

5.1Context & Author

5.1.1The Victorian Era

5.1.2Deacon Brodie & Freud

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context & Author

6Literary Techniques

6.1Literary Techniques

6.1.1Language

6.1.2Structure & Form

6.1.3End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

7Grade 9 - Key Character & Theme Questions

7.1Key Character & Themes - Linked Questions

7.1.1Grade 9 - Key Characters & Themes

7.1.2Extract Analysis - Jekyll

7.1.3Extract Analysis - Duality

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