Introduction to A Christmas Carol

             A Christmas Carol is a fairly straightforward allegory built on an episodic narrative structure in which each of the main passages has a fixed, obvious symbolic meaning. The book is divided into five sections (Dickens labels them Staves in reference to the musical notation staff--a Christmas carol, after all, is a song), with each of the middle three Staves revolving around a visitation by one of the three famous spirits. The three spirit-guides, along with each of their tales, carry out a thematic function--the Ghost of Christmas Past, with his glowing head, represents memory; the Ghost of Christmas Present represents charity, empathy, and the Christmas spirit; and the reaper-like Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death. Scrooge, with his Bah! Humbug! attitude, embodies all that dampens Christmas spirit--greed, selfishness, indifference, and a lack of consideration for one's fellow man.

from Victorian Age

http://www.guidanceassociates.com/victorianage.html

            The Victorian Age is a very elastic term used to denote an extremely dynamic period. Although the Victorian Age roughly spans most of the 19th century (from 1832 to 1900), it is not totally confined within these dates. The rumblings of change to come were felt for some time before 1832, and changes did not stop occurring as soon as Queen Victoria died in 1901. However, lifestyles did change more dramatically during this period than ever before in English history. England was suddenly pulled together by the railways, the penny post, and the rest of the newly constructed apparatus of fast, cheap communication. The country became unified in a way never before possible.

            Prior to the middle of the 19th century, education had been reserved for the nobility and those who could afford to send their children to exclusive private schools. Even if the poor had been able to enter their children in these schools, they would not have done so. A child of six was expected to start bringing home money to help support his entire family; he would be put to work as soon as possible. In those days work meant twelve to sixteen hours a day of grueling, hard labor in conditions that would today be considered totally unacceptable. There was no time spare for education. However, with the appearance of the modern public school system it became fashionable and necessary for the children of the lower classes to at least learn the rudiments of the 3 R’s. With these assets, they could go on to vocational apprenticeships in one of the trades.

            Great nationalistic spirit developed during the Victorian Age, and England struggled to place herself at the top of the international scene. At the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851, England was influential in many countries. By the end of the Victorian Age, the British Empire had reached the high point of its development.

            During this period the extreme poverty of the lower working classes was pointed up by the increasingly congested living conditions of city life. While the nobility still hung onto its money and its social barriers, and an individual’s birthright tended to be the deciding factor of his future, the rapidly expanding middle classes made steady inroads. The middle-class novelist, Charles Dickens, did more than any writer before or since to expose the sufferings of the working class. His books found their way into the drawing rooms of the titled and wealthy, and social consciousness began to rise. Emancipation of women and the rights of children became popular cases for the previously sheltered nobility. They brought their money and influence to bear in demanding better working conditions and broader education for the working class. A kind of feverish sentimentality of guilt gripped everyone.  The debt owed to Charles Dickens for the many reforms of the Victorian Age is certainly not a small one.

Major Themes Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde

Good vs. evil

Good vs. evil is basically the novel’s biggest theme. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is easily viewed as an allegory about the good and evil that exist in all men, and about our struggle with these two sides of the human personality. In this book, then, the battle between good and evil rages within the individual.

Repression

Repression is indisputably a cause of the troubles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repression here is that of Victorian England.  Everything is sober and dignified, and you’re really not supposed to be happy. (That would somehow take away from your focus on morality).

Friendship

Friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves to drive the plot forward. Aside from basic curiosity, Mr. Utterson is compelled to uncover the mystery of the evil man because of his friendship with Dr. Jekyll. In this sense, friendship acts as both a motivator and an enabler. differences of opinion.

Appearances

Appearances figure in the novel both figuratively and literally. Dr. Jekyll definitely wants to keep up a façade of respectability, even though he has a lot of unsavory tendencies. In a literal sense, the appearances of buildings in the novel reflect the characters of the inhabitants.

Science

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Science becomes a cover and justification for supernatural activities. Dr. Jekyll ostensibly derives his potion in some sort of scientific manner, as opposed to finding a magical amulet or something that releases evil as you might find in other stories.

Curiosity

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Curiosity drives the characters to seek knowledge. This curiosity is either suppressed or fulfilled in each character. Curiosity lacks any negative connotations; instead, characters who do not actively seek to unravel the Jekyll and Hyde mystery may be viewed as passive or weak.

Secrecy and Deception

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the plot is frequently driven forward by Secrecy and Deception; Mr. Utterson doesn’t know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he wants to find out. Also, by omitting the scenes of Mr. Hyde’s supposedly crazy debauchery, Stevenson allows our imaginations to run to wild and eerie places.

Violence

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde details two crimes of Violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little girl, and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the question of whether or not violence is an inherent part of man’s nature.

Religion

God and Satan figure prominently in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as many general references to religion and works of charity. As part of their intellectual lives, the men in the novel discuss various religious works. One sign of Mr. Hyde’s wickedness, for example, is his defacing Dr. Jekyll’s favorite religious work.

Women & Femininity

Most female characters in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are passive and weak. The first female we see is a young girl mowed over by Mr. Hyde. Although she is "not much the worse, more frightened," she still kicks up an incredible fuss and a large group of people come to her aid.  The next woman we see is the maid who witnessed the Carew murder. After watching Mr. Hyde beat the man to death, she faints, waking up long after the murderer is gone. She is a passive spectator.

A Christmas Carol Vocabulary

Choose 4 words from each Stave to define (and find any Latin or Greek roots, naturally!) 

Note:  You may choose up to 5 extra words to do for extra credit.

Stave 1	Stave 2	Stave 3	Stave 4	Stave 5
Unhallowed Entreaty Impropriety Multitude Executor Trifle Resolute Tremulous Legatee Implore Lunatic Rapture Garret Covetous Replenish Credentials Congeal Misanthropic Solitary Intimation Ominous Caustic	Plaque Reclamation Expend Tumult Recumbent Jocund Transition Capacious Tunic Instantaneous Loath Deftly Brigands Lustrous Latent Condescension Corroborate Pillaged Conducive Laden Decanter Aspiration	Consolation Glee Subsequently Withered Seething Demurely Prematurely Goblets Demeanor Conspicuous Shabby Exulted Grog Compulsion Swarthy Ubiquitous Blithe Abyss Intricate Bilious Ensued Dismal	Repute Flaunting Beseech Inexorable Disgorge Repent Relents Replete Reek Scanty Faltered Foreshadow Repulse Slipshod Revered Essence Intercede Dwindle Beetling Avarice Tarry Strive	Gruel Recompense Jiffy Hearty Peals Portly Feign Sealingwax Jovial Pang Waistcoat Illustrious Extravagance Loitered Sidled Endeavor Amends Giddy Poulterer Array Borough Dispelled

Introduction to A Christmas Carol

  

            A Christmas Carol is a fairly straightforward allegory built on an episodic narrative structure in which each of the main passages has a fixed, obvious symbolic meaning. The book is divided into five sections (Dickens labels them Staves in reference to the musical notation staff--a Christmas carol, after all, is a song), with each of the middle three Staves revolving around a visitation by one of the three famous spirits. The three spirit-guides, along with each of their tales, carry out a thematic function--the Ghost of Christmas Past, with his glowing head, represents memory; the Ghost of Christmas Present represents charity, empathy, and the Christmas spirit; and the reaper-like Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death. Scrooge, with his Bah! Humbug! attitude, embodies all that dampens Christmas spirit--greed, selfishness, indifference, and a lack of consideration for one's fellow man.

from Victorian Age

http://www.guidanceassociates.com/victorianage.html

            The Victorian Age is a very elastic term used to denote an extremely dynamic period. Although the Victorian Age roughly spans most of the 19th century (from 1832 to 1900), it is not totally confined within these dates. The rumblings of change to come were felt for some time before 1832, and changes did not stop occurring as soon as Queen Victoria died in 1901. However, lifestyles did change more dramatically during this period than ever before in English history. England was suddenly pulled together by the railways, the penny post, and the rest of the newly constructed apparatus of fast, cheap communication. The country became unified in a way never before possible.

            Prior to the middle of the 19th century, education had been reserved for the nobility and those who could afford to send their children to exclusive private schools. Even if the poor had been able to enter their children in these schools, they would not have done so. A child of six was expected to start bringing home money to help support his entire family; he would be put to work as soon as possible. In those days work meant twelve to sixteen hours a day of grueling, hard labor in conditions that would today be considered totally unacceptable. There was no time spare for education. However, with the appearance of the modern public school system it became fashionable and necessary for the children of the lower classes to at least learn the rudiments of the 3 R’s. With these assets, they could go on to vocational apprenticeships in one of the trades.

            Great nationalistic spirit developed during the Victorian Age, and England struggled to place herself at the top of the international scene. At the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851, England was influential in many countries. By the end of the Victorian Age, the British Empire had reached the high point of its development.

            During this period the extreme poverty of the lower working classes was pointed up by the increasingly congested living conditions of city life. While the nobility still hung onto its money and its social barriers, and an individual’s birthright tended to be the deciding factor of his future, the rapidly expanding middle classes made steady inroads. The middle-class novelist, Charles Dickens, did more than any writer before or since to expose the sufferings of the working class. His books found their way into the drawing rooms of the titled and wealthy, and social consciousness began to rise. Emancipation of women and the rights of children became popular cases for the previously sheltered nobility. They brought their money and influence to bear in demanding better working conditions and broader education for the working class. A kind of feverish sentimentality of guilt gripped everyone.  The debt owed to Charles Dickens for the many reforms of the Victorian Age is certainly not a small one.

Major Themes in Jekyll/ Hyde

Good vs. evil

Good vs. evil is basically the novel’s biggest theme. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is easily viewed as an allegory about the good and evil that exist in all men, and about our struggle with these two sides of the human personality. In this book, then, the battle between good and evil rages within the individual.

Repression

Repression is indisputably a cause of the troubles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repression here is that of Victorian England.  Everything is sober and dignified, and you’re really not supposed to be happy. (That would somehow take away from your focus on morality).

Friendship

Friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves to drive the plot forward. Aside from basic curiosity, Mr. Utterson is compelled to uncover the mystery of the evil man because of his friendship with Dr. Jekyll. In this sense, friendship acts as both a motivator and an enabler. differences of opinion.

Appearances

Appearances figure in the novel both figuratively and literally. Dr. Jekyll definitely wants to keep up a façade of respectability, even though he has a lot of unsavory tendencies. In a literal sense, the appearances of buildings in the novel reflect the characters of the inhabitants.

Science

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Science becomes a cover and justification for supernatural activities. Dr. Jekyll ostensibly derives his potion in some sort of scientific manner, as opposed to finding a magical amulet or something that releases evil as you might find in other stories.

Curiosity

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Curiosity drives the characters to seek knowledge. This curiosity is either suppressed or fulfilled in each character. Curiosity lacks any negative connotations; instead, characters who do not actively seek to unravel the Jekyll and Hyde mystery may be viewed as passive or weak.

Secrecy and Deception

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the plot is frequently driven forward by Secrecy and Deception; Mr. Utterson doesn’t know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he wants to find out. Also, by omitting the scenes of Mr. Hyde’s supposedly crazy debauchery, Stevenson allows our imaginations to run to wild and eerie places.

Violence

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde details two crimes of Violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little girl, and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the question of whether or not violence is an inherent part of man’s nature.

Religion

God and Satan figure prominently in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as many general references to religion and works of charity. As part of their intellectual lives, the men in the novel discuss various religious works. One sign of Mr. Hyde’s wickedness, for example, is his defacing Dr. Jekyll’s favorite religious work.

Women & Femininity

Most female characters in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are passive and weak. The first female we see is a young girl mowed over by Mr. Hyde. Although she is "not much the worse, more frightened," she still kicks up an incredible fuss and a large group of people come to her aid.  The next woman we see is the maid who witnessed the Carew murder. After watching Mr. Hyde beat the man to death, she faints, waking up long after the murderer is gone. She is a passive spectator.

Study Guide for Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde

Study Guide

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

Chapter 1 – Story of the Door

1. In the beginning of the book, the readers are presented with what seems like a detective novel, beginning with a sinister figure, a mysterious act of violence, and hints of blackmail and secret scandal.  Give examples from the text (direct quotations) that indicate these aspects.  Include the phrases and page numbers.
2. What of the characteristics of the two men, Enfield and Utterson, seem to be Victorian attributes?  In other words, in what ways do they act and speak that different from men of our day?
3. Victorian society highly valued reputation, even at times at the expense of reality.  What ideas about reputation can you draw from this first chapter?
4. A major theme of this book is the conflict between the rational (reasonable, logical) and the supernatural (otherworldly, metaphysical).  What examples of this conflict do you find in the first chapter?

Chapter 2 – Search for Mr. Hyde

1. What causes Mr. Utterson to be concerned about Dr. Jekyll, and what does he do about it?
2. What significance does his dream have?  What affect does it have on the plot?  On the atmosphere? Symbolically?
3. Describe Hyde’s appearance.  Give specific details (along with page numbers).  What significance does the word “troglodyte” have? 
4. What is Dr. Lanyon’s relationship to Dr. Jekyll?  Describe his opinions and response to Jekyll’s experiments.

Chapter 3 – Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease

1. What attracted people to spending time with Utterson?  What was Jekyll’s opinion of him?
2. What reasons does Jekyll give for his interest in Hyde?  Are they acceptable to Utterson?  Why?  Why not? 
3. Why do you think Jekyll asks for justice for Hyde?

Chapter 4 – The Carew Murder Case

1. How much later does the next part of the story take place?
2. List 5 new characteristics that the readers learn about Hyde.
3. How can Hyde be viewed as “otherworldly”  as a result of this chapter and the author’s descriptions?

Chapter 5 – Incident of the Letter

1. How does Utterson behave like the proper Victorian English gentleman?
2. How is the importance of reputation expressed in this chapter?  Which is more important?  Reputation or truth?  Outward appearances or evil potential?
3. How is London described?  What is the mood or atmosphere caused by this description?
4. One analysis of this book says that much “of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in a brisk, businesslike, and factual way, like a police report on a strange affair rather than a novel.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?  Give specific examples from the book to back up your opinion.

Chapter 6 – Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon

1. How is Jekyll different when Hyde is not around?
2. Describe Dr. Lanyon’s condition and situation.  How does he account for his condition?
3. What might be the reason for the author not telling us exactly what happened to Lanyon?  What other important details are left unexplained at this point?
4. Why is Utterson both desirous AND reluctant about seeing Jekyll again?

Chapter 7 – Incident at the Window

1. When Jekyll talks to Utterson and Enfield from his window, what comparison does Stevenson make?
2. What does Jekyll mean when he says “It will not last very long” to the men?
3. How did their conversation end?  What do you think happened?

Chapter 8 – The Last Night

1. How would you describe Jekyll’s butler, Poole?  What are some of his characteristics?  Give specific examples from this and previous chapters.
2. What was the weather like when they hurry to Jekyll’s house?  What specific language does Stevenson use?  How does this affect the story?
3. Appearances and decorum continue to be important to Utterson.  Give examples from this chapter.
4. What reasonable and, to him, logical explanations does Utterson give for the present situation and for Poole’s concerns?
5. Gothic literature often conveys a sense of the uncanny, of dark and disturbing events or deep secrets that break upon everyday life.  Could this book be considered a gothic novel?  Explain.
6. Give 5 – 6 words that describe the atmosphere of this chapter.

Chapter 9 – Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative

1. What mysteries are cleared up in this chapter?  What details remain unclear or unexplained?
2. Why were Jekyll’s experiments with “transcendental medicine” and its results so shocking to Lanyon?

Chapter 10 – Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case

1. Describe the struggle that Jekyll, as a young man, had between his good side and his bad side.  Give specifics from the story.
2. What was the dual life that he led?
3. Why was Hyde smaller in stature?  What were his other physical characteristics?
4. Why did Jekyll cave in and take the potion after repressing Hyde?
5. What further points of the mystery of Jekyll and Hyde are cleared up?  Do any questions remain unanswered?
6. What motivated Jekyll in the first place? What drove him to separate his personalities?

Introduction to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

Information about Robert Louis Stevenson[1]

            Robert Louis Stevenson, born in 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland, was a sickly child. His father was a designer of lighthouses, and he wanted his only son to study engineering.  However, when Stevenson entered Edinburgh University, he chose to study literature.  After graduation Stevenson was forced to split his time between the French Riviera and southern England because the warmer climates helped his deteriorating health, now known to have been caused by tuberculosis. His travels in France led to his first book, An Inland Voyage (1878), the story of a canoe trip on the country’s many canals. While in France, he fell in love with Fanny Osbourne, a married American.

            In 1879, Stevenson undertook an extremely risky voyage to California, where Fanny was divorcing her husband. The dreadful transatlantic crossing to New York and the cross-country train trip to the West Coast nearly killed him. The strain was so hard on his health that when he reached California and finally married Fanny, he was barely able to stand. His doctor told Fanny that her new husband could live for only a few months.

            Fortunately, the doctor was wrong. The couple returned to Scotland. It was there that

Stevenson began to write his first great success, Treasure Island (1883), the thrilling story of a

swashbuckling pirate named Long John Silver.  The writer’s deteriorating health prompted the

couple to move to the south of France, where Stevenson completed A Child’s Garden of Verses

(1885). At his next home, in southern England, Stevenson wrote Kidnapped. Nonetheless, financial

worries were never far away. One night Stevenson had a nightmare so strange that he decided to use it as the basis for a novel. This novel, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), became one of Stevenson’s most popular creations and helped to ease his financial strain. 

            In 1888, an American publisher asked Stevenson to write a travel book about the South Pacific. The couple jumped at the chance to escape to the tropics. They chartered a yacht and sailed from San Francisco to the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and Hawaii. The author’s health improved in the tropical sun, and in 1890 the Stevensons decided to settle in Samoa.

            On his estate in Samoa, Stevenson finished David Balfour (1893), a sequel to Kidnapped, as well as several books about nature and life in the South Seas. His descriptions of his exotic and romantic lifestyle captivated readers. During his years in Samoa, legends grew up about Stevenson that led to his reputation of being one of the most beloved storytellers of his time.  

            Stevenson died in Samoa on December 3, 1894, at the age of forty-four. At the time of his death, he was working with friends in Scotland to prepare an edition of his complete works.

Introduction to the Novel[2]

            Why has Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde touched so many readers so powerfully? One answer lies in

the spirit of the time in which it was written. At the end of the 1800s, Britain was experiencing a period of intense social, economic, and spiritual change, after many decades of confident growth and national self-fulfillment. Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde perfectly captured some readers’ fears that their carefully built society was hypocritical.

            Stevenson was aware of the new ideas about economics, science, and the workings of the mind.  To many readers, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a symbolic representation of these threats to traditional British society. Political reforms had given many more men the right to vote, and the working classes were beginning to flex their political muscles. Karl Marx’s ideas about the struggle for power among the different social classes were becoming more influential. To some of Britain’s upper-class readers,  the character of Edward Hyde represented the increasing political power of the working class.

            Other readers saw in the novella echoes of Charles Darwin, who earlier in the century had challenged the long-held religious belief in God’s creation of the universe. Darwin had claimed that life-forms developed as a result of evolution, the extremely slow and gradual changes species underwent in response to their environments.  Gone was the certainty of the religious model of life. It was replaced by social Darwinism, a radical new conception of life as a struggle in which only the fittest survived. Some readers considered Hyde to be a model of the strong yet evil individual who would survive while Jekyll fell. Hyde was the natural man, free of the civilizing influences  of society and religion. Stevenson himself had received an extremely strict religious upbringing, which  emphasized sin and the punishments of hell. He seems to have reacted against this upbringing, and the conflict between religion and science probably interested him greatly.

            Still other readers found in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a reflection of the new ideas about the workings of the human mind. A Viennese doctor named Sigmund Freud had begun the investigations

that would lead him to create psychoanalysis, a method of analyzing psychic phenomena and treating emotional disorders. Freud believed that human beings are powerfully influenced by impulses of which they are not aware and which are often expressed in dreams. To many readers, Hyde represented Dr. Jekyll’s subconscious desire to be freed from his society’s restrictions.

THE TIME AND PLACE

            The novella takes place in London in the 1880s. The settings include Jekyll’s fine home in a formerly grand neighborhood now in decay; Lanyon’s comfortable home in Cavendish Square, where

many distinguished doctors have their houses and offices; and Hyde’s house in Soho, a part of London known for its immigrant populations.

The Victorian Era

            Robert Louis Stevenson was born at the height of the Victorian Era, which stretched from the 1830s to the beginning of the 1900s. Britain’s Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 at the age of

eighteen and ruled until her death in 1901.  During her sixty-four-year reign, Great Britain was the world’s leading economic and military power and controlled a vast empire.

            Queen Victoria’s reign was a period of intense change in many arenas. Railroads and a postal system expanded to link almost every corner of the nation, making transportation and communication much faster. Medical and sanitary advances led to improvements in health. The government began to support schools financially. Political reforms allowed more people to participate in self-government. Industry grew rapidly, while agriculture became less important to the economy. Cities like London, Manchester, and Glasgow became densely populated as masses of people flocked to them in search of work.

            The prosperous decades between 1850 and 1870 were characterized by a general optimism and a sense of accomplishment. By the 1880s, however, pessimism and worry had begun to cloud the thoughts of many Victorians. With the increase in the urban population, poverty became a formidable problem.  The strength of Britain’s vast empire was challenged by difficult foreign wars. Workers  demanded more power, and women were entering the workforce in greater numbers. The changes in traditional society disturbed and frightened many Britons.

            It was at this historical juncture that Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. As you read, look for signs of a society undergoing major changes

---

[1]  "Study Guide for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Glencoe Literature Library. McGraw Hill Education. Web. 1 Jan 2013. <http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/strangecase.html>.  p. 2.

[2] . "Study Guide for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Glencoe Literature Library. McGraw Hill Education. Web. 1 Jan 2013. <http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/strangecase.html>.  p. 3 – 4.

Study Guide -- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Study Guide

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

Chapter 1 – Story of the Door

1. In the beginning of the book, the readers are presented with what seems like a detective novel, beginning with a sinister figure, a mysterious act of violence, and hints of blackmail and secret scandal.  Give examples from the text (direct quotations) that indicate these aspects.  Include the phrases and page numbers.
2. What of the characteristics of the two men, Enfield and Utterson, seem to be Victorian attributes?  In other words, in what ways do they act and speak that different from men of our day?
3. Victorian society highly valued reputation, even at times at the expense of reality.  What ideas about reputation can you draw from this first chapter?
4. A major theme of this book is the conflict between the rational (reasonable, logical) and the supernatural (otherworldly, metaphysical).  What examples of this conflict do you find in the first chapter?

Chapter 2 – Search for Mr. Hyde

1. What causes Mr. Utterson to be concerned about Dr. Jekyll, and what does he do about it?
2. What significance does his dream have?  What affect does it have on the plot?  On the atmosphere? Symbolically?
3. Describe Hyde’s appearance.  Give specific details (along with page numbers).  What significance does the word “troglodyte” have? 
4. What is Dr. Lanyon’s relationship to Dr. Jekyll?  Describe his opinions and response to Jekyll’s experiments.

hapter 3 – Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease

1. What attracted people to spending time with Utterson?  What was Jekyll’s opinion of him?
2. What reasons does Jekyll give for his interest in Hyde?  Are they acceptable to Utterson?  Why?  Why not? 
3. Why do you think Jekyll asks for justice for Hyde?

Chapter 4 – The Carew Murder Case

1. How much later does the next part of the story take place?
2. List 5 new characteristics that the readers learn about Hyde.
3. How can Hyde be viewed as “otherworldly”  as a result of this chapter and the author’s descriptions?

Chapter 5 – Incident of the Letter

1. How does Utterson behave like the proper Victorian English gentleman?
2. How is the importance of reputation expressed in this chapter?  Which is more important?  Reputation or truth?  Outward appearances or evil potential?
3. How is London described?  What is the mood or atmosphere caused by this description?
4. One analysis of this book says that much “of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in a brisk, businesslike, and factual way, like a police report on a strange affair rather than a novel.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?  Give specific examples from the book to back up your opinion.

Chapter 6 – Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon

1. How is Jekyll different when Hyde is not around?
2. Describe Dr. Lanyon’s condition and situation.  How does he account for his condition?
3. What might be the reason for the author not telling us exactly what happened to Lanyon?  What other important details are left unexplained at this point?
4. Why is Utterson both desirous AND reluctant about seeing Jekyll again?

Chapter 7 – Incident at the Window

1. When Jekyll talks to Utterson and Enfield from his window, what comparison does Stevenson make?
2. What does Jekyll mean when he says “It will not last very long” to the men?
3. How did their conversation end?  What do you think happened?

Chapter 8 – The Last Night

1. How would you describe Jekyll’s butler, Poole?  What are some of his characteristics?  Give specific examples from this and previous chapters.
2. What was the weather like when they hurry to Jekyll’s house?  What specific language does Stevenson use?  How does this affect the story?
3. Appearances and decorum continue to be important to Utterson.  Give examples from this chapter.
4. What reasonable and, to him, logical explanations does Utterson give for the present situation and for Poole’s concerns?
5. Gothic literature often conveys a sense of the uncanny, of dark and disturbing events or deep secrets that break upon every day life.  Could this book be considered a gothic novel?  Explain.
6. Give 5 – 6 words that describe the atmosphere of this chapter.

Chapter 9 – Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative

1. What mysteries are cleared up in this chapter?  What details remain unclear or unexplained?
2. Why was Jekyll’s experiments with “transcendental medicine” and its results so shocking to Lanyon?

Chapter 10 – Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case

1. Describe the struggle that Jekyll, as a young man, had between his good side and his bad side.  Give specifics from the story.
2. What was the dual life that he led?
3. Why was Hyde smaller in stature?  What were his other physical characteristics?
4. Why did Jekyll cave in and take the potion after repressing Hyde?
5. What further points of the mystery of Jekyll and Hyde are cleared up?  Do any questions remain unanswered?
6. What motivated Jekyll in the first place? What drove him to separate his personalities?

Introduction to Robert Louis Stevenson

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

Information about Robert Louis Stevenson[1]

            Robert Louis Stevenson, born in 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland, was a sickly child. His father was a designer of lighthouses, and he wanted his only son to study engineering.  However, when Stevenson entered Edinburgh University, he chose to study literature.  After graduation Stevenson was forced to split his time between the French Riviera and southern England because the warmer climates helped his deteriorating health, now known to have been caused by tuberculosis. His travels in France led to his first book, An Inland Voyage (1878), the story of a canoe trip on the country’s many canals. While in France, he fell in love with Fanny Osbourne, a married American.

            In 1879, Stevenson undertook an extremely risky voyage to California, where Fanny was divorcing her husband. The dreadful transatlantic crossing to New York and the cross-country train trip to the West Coast nearly killed him. The strain was so hard on his health that when he reached California and finally married Fanny, he was barely able to stand. His doctor told Fanny that her new husband could live for only a few months.

            Fortunately, the doctor was wrong. The couple returned to Scotland. It was there that

Stevenson began to write his first great success, Treasure Island (1883), the thrilling story of a

swashbuckling pirate named Long John Silver.  The writer’s deteriorating health prompted the

couple to move to the south of France, where Stevenson completed A Child’s Garden of Verses

(1885). At his next home, in southern England, Stevenson wrote Kidnapped. Nonetheless, financial

worries were never far away. One night Stevenson had a nightmare so strange that he decided to use it as the basis for a novel. This novel, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), became one of Stevenson’s most popular creations and helped to ease his financial strain. 

            In 1888, an American publisher asked Stevenson to write a travel book about the South Pacific. The couple jumped at the chance to escape to the tropics. They chartered a yacht and sailed from San Francisco to the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and Hawaii. The author’s health improved in the tropical sun, and in 1890 the Stevensons decided to settle in Samoa.

            On his estate in Samoa, Stevenson finished David Balfour (1893), a sequel to Kidnapped, as well as several books about nature and life in the South Seas. His descriptions of his exotic and romantic lifestyle captivated readers. During his years in Samoa, legends grew up about Stevenson that led to his reputation of being one of the most beloved storytellers of his time.  

            Stevenson died in Samoa on December 3, 1894, at the age of forty-four. At the time of his death, he was working with friends in Scotland to prepare an edition of his complete works.

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[1]  "Study Guide for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Glencoe Literature Library. McGraw Hill Education. Web. 1 Jan 2013. <http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/strangecase.html>.