What are the Main Difficulties for a twenty-first Century reader in fully appreciating Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde(TM)
What are the Main Difficulties for a twenty-first Century reader in fully appreciating 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' The most prominent factor that affects how a twenty-first century reader can fully appreciate the novella, is simply the 'old-fashioned' grammar and vocabulary. This novella displays expressions that have either died out or changed meaning over the years. There are concepts within the novella that may have been controversial and new at the time it was written but have now have been discovered as a result of scientific advancement. The description in the novella is limited in such a way that the reader has to know a lot about London before the introduction of modern transport and roads. "...the low growl of London..." (p21), which most likely refers to the sounds of a horse and cart going along the cobbled roads. Although nowadays the 'low growl' could be related to the noise of cars, it is not a thought-provoking image as the reader has to relate the sound to something in the reader's experience and cars are an unrealistic idea to imagine in this novella. A twenty-first century reader could have difficulties in understanding the surroundings, as the writer assumes that the knowledge of the conditions is already there and he just needs to build on that. A likely difficulty for a twenty-first century reader is that this novella frequently switches between
Dr Jekll and Mr Hyde
Explore How Stevenson Creates a Sense of Intrigue and Engages the Reader's Interest in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde In this essay I am going to be exploring how Stevenson examines Victorian hypocrisy and human nature, the duality of man, in his famous tale, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. His novella, written in 1886, was set in London, and is described as a gothic horror. Stevenson uses Mr Utterson, a 'modest' lawyer, to guide us through the novella, unravelling to the mystery gradually throughout the novella. By revealing a few clues at a time, many questions emerge in the reader's mind, however, only a few of these are answered throughout the tale. Stevenson uses a wide range of language and structural devices to build a sense of intrigue and engage the reader. Dr Jekyll, a renowned London scientist, was born into a wealthy family with great honour and had gained respect from his fellow men. Dr Jekyll struggled with the dual nature of his nature and although he was loyal to his friends, Jekyll had a dark side, which he choice to express in the person of Mr Hyde. He noticed that 'man is not truly one, but truly two' and this lead him to 'recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man'. Jekyll saw the need to hide Hyde from the world since he was forced to be respectable and loyal to everyone around him due to his class since birth. However, Dr Jekyll had
How does Stevenson create a sense of dramatic tension in the chapter The Last Night(TM), in the context of the novel as a whole?
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde How does Stevenson create a sense of dramatic tension in the chapter 'The Last Night', in the context of the novel as a whole? By the time we reach 'The Last Night', many disturbing events have taken place. Dr. Jekyll, a ponderous establishment figure, has begun to act out of character after some unknown discovery and has been closeted in his laboratory for several days. His good friend Mr. Utterson, an upright and estimable lawyer, has become concerned about it: he senses that something strange is going on in London. Two more central characters have also emerged- Mr Hyde and Poole (Dr. Jekyll's manservant). Mr Hyde, a man with an unnatural, even repellent aura, commits a savage murder and disappears after having some strange involvement with Dr. Jekyll. Poole has become increasingly worried for his master and has turned to Mr. Utterson for guidance on what to do. Both the plot, and the way the characters have reacted to it, have, by the time we reach this chapter, set up an atmosphere of ominous anticipation. -------------------------------------- From the beginning of 'The Last Night', Robert Louis Stevenson creates a sense of dramatic tension and mystery by delaying the dénouement. Neither the reader nor the characters know what has happened to Dr Jekyll; the longer we do not know, the more we want to know, and so the