Jekyll And Hyde - Prose Study Coursework Why read "The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde"?

William Deacon Brodie was a very respectable man, being a member of the local government and a fine gentleman, much like Jekyll in the book. What people didn't know, however, is that at night he would leave his house using the back entrance (similar to Jekyll's second door), and go to Brothels and Cock fights, indulging in unrespectable acts to a man of his status. This idea of there being two sides of Edinburgh - the respectable side and the unrespectable side. This is also in the book, with the two sides of London portrayed as Cavendish Square and Soho - with the two very much next to each other.

Evidently the idea of duality began in the very inspiration for the book. The most obvious example in the book if the double life of Jekyll/Hyde. But duality follows in other ways, like Hyde's rooms. The house is in a run-down area of London - Soho, yet the interior is described as "A closet was filled with wire; the plate was of silver, a good picture hung upon the wall, a gift from Henry Jekyll", so the house itself has an idea of duality about it.

Another example of duality is made clearer later in the book, several chapters in. 'The door', as it is referenced by characters, is simple a wooden door on a wall with no windows, and is revealed to lead to Dr. Jekyll's

Characterisation plays a big role in the memorability of the Novella. Stevenson presents and utilizes characters in regards to their importance, and uses characters to unfold the story in a true detective style, while keeping a 3rd person narrative.

It could be said that the Novella focuses around Utterson - but Utterson is used as a device more than anything else in this novella. He is used to present the story to us, and it is by no means a coincidence that he is given the appointment of a Lawyer - this gives him access to critical documents such as Jekyll's Will, which play a vital role in the unfolding of the story, and give reason to Utterson's suspicions. This clever device adds to the story's memorability and aids in it's unique style of storytelling.

Hyde is also a character that makes this Novella a classic story. The language Stevenson uses to describe him fuels the reader's hatred for the character, and their understanding for the hatred shared by the cast of the Novella. One example of this is 'That human Juggernaut trod the child down', which continues to add 'regardless of her screams'. Hyde is shown to us by Stevenson as an evil character through the use of the word 'Juggernaut', which has a sense of overpowering strength for a evil purpose, and the child makes us see how Hyde is abusive and does not care for other people.

It is hard to explain how Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is worth reading. The characterisation lets us understand the characters in a way that modern-day horror doesn't - and the method of storytelling is unique and compelling. Stevenson uses thorough use of language throughout that helps us understand characters emotions and the environments that Stevenson chose to set the novella in. So in Conclusion, there is not a single reason why you should not read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which in every way, is a perfect horror story.