Featured Reading Guide
Robert Louis Stevenson
How thin is the line between good and evil? Dr Jekyll has been experimenting with his identity. He has developed a drug which separates the two sides of his nature and allows him to occasionally abandon himself to his most corrupt inclinations as the monstrous Mr Hyde.But gradually he begins to find that the journey back to goodness becomes more and more difficult, and the risk that Mr Hyde will break free entirely from Dr Jekyll s control puts all of London in grave peril.
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topAbout the Book
How thin is the line between good and evil? Dr Jekyll has been experimenting with his identity. He has developed a drug which separates the two sides of his nature and allows him to occasionally abandon himself to his most corrupt inclinations as the monstrous Mr Hyde.But gradually he begins to find that the journey back to goodness becomes more and more difficult, and the risk that Mr Hyde will break free entirely from Dr Jekyll s control puts all of London in grave peril.
topRobert Louis Stevenson interview/review
topStarting Points for Discussion
- The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has often been adapted for film and cinema. How do you think the book differs from the adaptations? Has your opinion of the story changed? Discuss using one example. (eg. the recent BBC series starring James Nesbitt, or the film Mary Reilly )
- The main narrative is provided by Utterson, how does this evoke suspense?
- How do you think the environment of Victorian Britain, which provides the setting for the story, emulates the dark themes portrayed by Stevenson?
- Do you think the duality represented through Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde represents an element of everyone’s inner psyche? Does everyone have a good and evil side?
- Mr Hyde is often described in biblical terms, e.g. ‘Satan’s signature’. What significance do you think these Biblical references bear to the plot?
- Dr Jekyll talks about the pleasures he wished to experience through his transformation. What pleasures do you think he was talking about?
- In modern society drug related crime is more apparent than ever. What parallels do you think one can draw from Dr Jekyll experience with narcotics in relation to modern times?
- The book has been describes as ‘one of the best guide books of Victorian times.’ Do you agree with this statement?
- In the final chapter, through the letter from Henry Jekyll to Utterson we are able to hear an account of events from the inside. What affect does this have on your feelings towards Dr Jekyll? Does it make you empathise with his character or add to your disdain?
- Why do you think, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has remained such a classic since its first release in 1886?
Other Books by Robert Louis Stevenson
A Child’s Garden Of Verses…
Perhaps one of the most popular of Stevenson’s works, A Child’s Garden of V…
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and …
How thin is the line between good and evil? Dr Jekyll has been experimenting…
Kidnapped
When young David Balfour is orphaned he discovers some surprising truths about…
Treasure Island
Suggested Further Reading
- Frankenstein ~ Mary Shelley
- The Turn of the Screw ~ Henry James
- The Woman in White ~ Wilkie Collins
- The Woman in Black ~ Susan Hill
- The Picture of Dorian Grey ~ Oscar Wilde
- Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs ~ Irvine Welsh
- Dracula ~ Bram Stoker
- Murders in the Rue Morgue ~ Edgar Allan Poe