Stevenson

The Scottish novelist, essayist, and poet Robert Louis Stevenson was one of the most popular and highly
praised British writers during the last part of the nineteenth century.

Sickly childhood

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of a noted
lighthouse (faro) builder and harbour engineer. Though healthy at birth, Stevenson soon became a victim of
constant breathing problems that later developed into tuberculosis.

By the time Stevenson entered Edinburgh University at the age of sixteen to study engineering, he began to
write. For several years he attended classes irregularly, developing a bohemian* existence (an artistic
lifestyle different than that of mainstream society).

Early works

When Stevenson was twenty-one years old, he openly declared his intention of becoming a writer, against
the strong opposition of his father. Agreeing to study law as a compromise, in 1875 Stevenson was
admitted to the Scottish bar, an organization for lawyers. Having travelled to the European mainland
(continente europeo) several times for health and pleasure, he now swung (fece la spola) back and forth
between Scotland and a growing circle of artistic and literary friends in London, England, and Paris, France.

1. Stevenson's first book, An Inland Voyage (1878), related his adventures during a canoe trip on
Belgium and France's canals. In France in 1876 Stevenson met an American woman named Fanny
Osbourne. Separated from her husband, she was eleven years older than Stevenson and had two
children.
2. Three years later Stevenson and Osbourne were married. After accompanying his wife to America,
Stevenson stayed in an abandoned mining camp, later recounted in The Silverado Squatters (1883).
A year after setting out (partire)for the United States, Stevenson was back in Scotland.
3. But the climate there proved to be a severe hardship on his health, and for the next four years he
and his wife lived in Switzerland and in the south of France. Despite his health, these years proved
to be productive.

Popular novels

4. Treasure Island (1881, 1883), first published as a series in a children's magazine, ranks as
Stevenson's first popular book, and it established his fame. A perfect romance, according to
Stevenson's formula, the novel tells the story of a boy's involvement with murderous pirates.
5. Kidnapped (1886), set in Scotland during a time of great civil unrest (agitazione), has the same
charm.
6. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) he dealt directly with the nature of evil in
man and the hideous effects that occur when man seeks to deny it. This work pointed the way
toward Stevenson's more serious later novels.
7. During this same period, he published a very popular collection of poetry, A Child's Garden of
Verses (1885). After the death of Stevenson's father in 1887, he again travelled to the United
States, this time for his health. He lived for a year at Saranac Lake, New York, in the Adirondack
Mountains. In 1889 Stevenson and his family set out (partire) on a cruise of the South Sea Islands.
When it became clear that only there could he live in relatively good health, he settled on the island
of Upolu in Samoa.
 8. By the time of his death on December 3, 1894, Stevenson had become a significant figure in island
affairs. His observations on Samoan life were published in the collection In the South Seas (1896).

PLOT
The story is set in London where Dr. Jekyll, a bachelor of the upper class, lives and is told by lawyer
Utterson, a long-time friend of Jekyll. The narrative begins in the memory of old events: while strolling
through the streets of London, Utterson and his cousin Richard Enfield arrive in front of a basement that
reminds Enfield of an episode. In fact, some time before, he had seen a strange and repulsive man come
out of there who had run over and trampled on a little girl. Enfield had managed to reach that individual
and forced him to pay back the child's family. This also makes Utterson very suspicious, the keeper of the
will (testament) of his friend Dr. Jackill. Utterson also worries when Jekyll decides to give his entire
inheritance to Hyde in case he is dead or missing for more than three months. Determined to see clearly,
Utterson contacts a mutual friend, Dr. Hastie Lanyon, because he is convinced that Mr. Hyde is blackmailing
his friend Jekyll. He also discovers that Hyde has full access to Dr. Jackill's home and medical laboratory in
the basement. Suspicious, he decides to lurk (appostarsi) for days in front of the laboratory and also
manages to see Hyde better: his repugnance upsets him.

In fact, the man is short and hunchbacked (gobbo) , covered with hair and is above all very violent. Jekyll,
however, vaguely talks to his friend about his relationship with Hyde, reassuring him.
 The story moves a year later when a crime shocks London public opinion: Sir Danvers Carew, a client of
notary Utterson, is killed with a stick. Utterson leads the police into Hyde / Jekyll's study and there they find
the wooden stick used as a murder weapon; Hyde, on the other hand, has disappeared. Jekyll explains that
his relationship with Hyde has been completely interrupted. Indeed, Jekyll displays a letter written by Hyde
as proof of their friendship breakup. Utterson notes that the handwriting is very similar to Jekyll's. For a few
months Jekyll behaves normally but then hides back in his laboratory and leaves a letter for Utterson, to be
opened only after his disappearance.

Later Hastie Lanyon dies from a severe shock, which he probably suffered right at Jekyll's house. Utterson
and Enfield are increasingly worried and during one of their walks they stop under the window of Jekyll's
house, chat with him until Jekyll closes the window and goes back into the house. One evening, Jekyll's
servant named Poole comes to Utterson and asks him to go to Jekyll's house. Utterson goes and listens at
the locked laboratory door where strange noises are heard. Poole tells Utterson that the laboratory has
been locked for days. The person inside the laboratory keeps asking for chemicals and complains that the
ones Poole has found aren't 'pure'. Then, Utterson and Enfield go to the studio. On the floor there is a
small, deformed person wearing Jekyll's clothes, he is twitching and holding a vial. On the desk there is a
copy of Jekyll's will with Hyde's name crossed out and Utterson's instead. There is also a confession written
by Jekyll. Utterson takes the documents home to study. Utterson reads the documents. In the first letter
the reason for the trauma that killed Lanyon is revealed: he had seen Hyde drink a potion that transformed
him into Jekyll. The second letter Jekyll tells Utterson the true nature of his experiments and the true
identity of Mr Hyde, confessing his dark experiments and how Hyde had become too controlling. Utterson
is amazed and shocked by it all.

Social and historical context

In the Victorian era, scientists were viewed with some superstition and their discoveries, in some cases,
were seen as un-Godly. Charles Darwin's The Origins of the Species was published in 1859. This book
became famous as it discussed the theory of evolution. Many people saw it as an attack on religion because
the book made many of the Bible's teachings impossible. Therefore, many people thought scientists were
untrustworthy and engaged in doing the 'devil's work.'

Characters

Dr Jekyll in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

At the beginning of the novel Dr Jekyll is shown to be:

 Respectable  Dr Jekyll is respected due to his wealth, reputation as a charitable man and his
discoveries in science.
 Determined  as he wants his experiment to succeed. He is so determined that he risks losing
everything in order for him to succeed - his friendships, reputation and wealth.
 intelligent  Dr Jekyll is intelligent due to his innovative experiments which are perceived by some
others as worldly and un-godly, particularly by the conventional scientist, Dr Lanyon.
 Erratic (imprevedibile)  Dr Jekyll becomes more erratic as the novel develops. This is because he is
trying to conceal Mr Hyde from everyone. He's also trying to control his experiment but failing.
Dr Jekyll is a well-respected and intelligent scientist. He is a wealthy man and lives in a house with his
butler, Poole. To the rear of his house, with a separate entrance onto a side street, he has his own
laboratory. It is here that he is conducting his most ambitious experiment yet - and it is this experiment
which causes him to become erratic and alienated from his friends and Victorian society.

As the novel progresses, Jekyll becomes unpredictable and decides to leave all of his belongings and wealth
to the scoundrel (mascalzone), Mr Hyde, in his will. This causes his friend Utterson to become very
concerned and very anxious to find out more about Mr Hyde.

Mr Hyde in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

 evil
 murderous
 Jekyll's alter ego

Mr Hyde is described as devilish, evil and a criminal mastermind. Stevenson makes Hyde more mysterious
by only hinting (accennando) at his physical appearance - he is smaller than Jekyll and whenever people
see him, they are deeply affected by his looks and spirit.

He is violent and commits terrible crimes - the trampling of an innocent young girl and the murder of
Carew. He is unforgiving and doesn't repent for his crimes and sins. He is selfish and wishes for complete
dominance over Jekyll.

He is described as ugly and Stevenson suggests he has the face of Satan. Everybody Hyde meets in the
novel is afflicted with his 'nightmarish' appearance. Towards the end of the book, Hyde becomes the
dominant side to Dr Jekyll's personality. Each time Dr Jekyll turns into Mr Hyde, Mr Hyde gets stronger and
makes it more difficult for Dr Jekyll to turn to his 'original' self.

In the Victorian era, many people were religious and believed in the devil. Many believed that people
harnessed (sfruttare) the Devil's power when they committed evil acts and crimes.

Victorian literature shows this through the opposition of good and evil, reflecting the good and evil in
people. Many texts from the Victorian period have this clear motif.

Mr Gabriel Utterson in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

 rational
 curious
 calm
 respectable

Most of the novel is seen from Mr Utterson's perspective. Utterson is a notary and therefore a respectable,
wealthy man in Victorian London. Stevenson shows Utterson's personality to be rational, calm and curious.

It is through these personality traits that Utterson uncovers the mystery of Dr Jekyll's will. This confuses
him, as Jekyll's wish is to leave all of his belongings and wealth to the mysterious criminal Mr Hyde.
Utterson's persistence leads him to discover the truth about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde's relationship.

Utterson is persistent in his quest to uncover the true reality of Mr Hyde and his relationship with Dr Jekyll.
Indeed he cares about his friend, Dr Jekyll and really admires him and values him as a friend - he wants to
see Jekyll happy. Utterson is outspoken (schietto) when it comes to his dislike for Mr Hyde, Jekyll's
beneficiary.
Dr Hastie Lanyon in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Doctor Lanyon and Dr Jekyll were once great friends and both enjoyed the field of science. However they
had a disagreement about Dr Jekyll's latest experiment which Dr Lanyon describes as 'scientific balderdash.'
(stupidaggine), claiming that they are ridiculous and not the 'correct' science. This disagreement caused
them to fall out with each other and Jekyll was further isolated from his friends.

Dr Lanyon witnessed Jekyll's transformation into Hyde and it scarred him deeply. He couldn't believe what
Jekyll had done and he thought it was unnatural. Lanyon never recovered from what he had seen and
shortly after, had a fit and died. Dr Lanyon is stubborn as he will not forget or forgive Dr Jekyll for his
experiments with Mr Hyde. The fact that he is saying he is 'done with that person' shows that Lanyon
doesn't forgive easily.

Themes
In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde there are many themes you can analyse.

 scientific development
 good vs evil and the duality of human nature
 nature and the supernatural

1. Scientific development in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

In the Victorian era, religion was important to communities and individuals. Many people believed that God
created the universe, and he was the sole creator, therefore the principles and the word of the Bible must
be followed.

Due to the society's interest in religion, people were afraid of scientific developments and feared what this
would do to mankind. Charles Darwin wrote the Origins of the Species in 1859. It was a text that shook
Victorian society and was condemned and banned due to its theory that God had not created the universe
as outlined in the Bible. Consequently, people were cautious of science and its developments.

How is the theme of scientific development shown in the novel?

In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson shows the fear of scientific development through:

 Dr Jekyll's scientific experiments

 how the experiment goes badly wrong
 how Dr Lanyon fears the experiment

How does Stevenson show this?

 Jekyll is relentless (implacabile) in his goals to complete the experiment of releasing his hidden self,
ie Mr Hyde. He stops at nothing to achieve his goals and doesn't listen to his friends.
 Dr Jekyll's experiment kills him, as he has to die in order for the overpowering (a Mr Hyde to die
also.
 Dr Lanyon dies of shock because of what he has witnessed – he sees Mr Hyde turning into Dr Jekyll.
Duality of human nature in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Stevenson writes about the duality of human nature – the idea that every single human being has good and
evil within them. Stevenson describes how there is a good and an evil side to everyone's personality, but
what is important is how you behave and the decisions you make. The choices people make determine
whether a person is good or not.

In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll is a well-respected, intelligent scientist who secretly has a dark, immoral
side to his personality. This side of his personality is not active, however, he decides to activate it through
his experiments. This side becomes active through the persona of Mr Hyde - a criminal man who commits
cruel acts of violence against others. Through this change in Jekyll's character, Stevenson shows the duality
in human nature - the idea that everyone is capable of good and evil deeds.
Social and historical context

The pious nature of Victorian society meant that many people suppressed their desires and feelings. This
resulted in many people questioning their 'goodness' as a human being due to the fact that religion
condemned these 'evil' thoughts.

Nature and the supernatural in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Stevenson shows the binary opposites of the supernatural and nature in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The idea of
the supernatural is evident in Dr Jekyll's experiment and the release of Mr Hyde into the world. In contrast,
nature or the natural order is implicit in Dr Lanyon's horrified response to Jekyll's experiment.

Social and historical context

In the Victorian period, change was apparent due to the Industrial Revolution. Factories were being built
and technology was advancing - this resulted in a shift from the 'natural' farming type of life to one filled
with technology and industry. This change is presented in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde through Jekyll's experiment
- his desire to change the natural course of his being through science.

How is nature and the supernatural shown in the novel?

In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson shows the binary opposites of the natural and the supernatural
through:

 Jekyll's supernatural experiment of releasing Mr Hyde into the world

 Jekyll's death – how his interference with the supernatural caused his natural end
 Dr Lanyon's response
How does Stevenson show this?

 Jekyll meddles with the supernatural when he creates a potion that will release his other being, Mr
Hyde, into the world.
 Jekyll's supernatural activities are quickly put to an end when Hyde takes over and Jekyll must kill
Hyde and therefore himself, to put an end to his wicked ways.
Form, structure and language in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson chooses to write in the novel form, uses the features of
the Gothic genre, and uses different first-person perspectives.

 The Gothic - a literary genre originating from the 18th century, which describes a sinister,
grotesque or mysterious atmosphere. Such novels are often set in dark places or ruined
buildings.
 Stevenson's choice of London as his setting suggests that the rapidly changing city was becoming to
some of its inhabitants a strange and frightening place.
 First-person perspectives – a narrative which is told from a character's viewpoint using 'I'. In Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson uses three first-person narratives: Utterson, Dr Lanyon and Dr
Jekyll.

Use of structure in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

When analysing structure, think about how Stevenson has ordered his text and put it together on
several levels:

 Text level - this is how the text is constructed as a whole: the opening, middle and ending of Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Within this, we look at how a character or a theme progresses and develops
in the narrative.
 Sentence level - this is how the text is constructed at a sentence level. Within this, we look at
sentence types, lengths and the ordering of events.