Jekyll and Hyde: Context

Context for Jekyll and Hyde

• A Y10 knowledge test will contain 50 multiple choice questions focused on the context of the 19th-century text, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

Historical Context

• Published in 1886 during the Victorian era in London, which was known for its strict moral code and emphasis on propriety.
• There was a stark contrast between respectable society and the poverty in London's underground reflected in Jekyll/Hyde.
• Gothic fiction was becoming popular and exploring the supernatural side of human nature, influencing Stevenson's story.
• Advances in science, including theories about the subconscious mind, psychology, and medicine, sparked Stevenson's interest in the duality of human nature and chemical transformations.
• Debates around evolution, humanity's animalistic instincts, and hypocrisy helped shape the themes Stevenson examined.
• Upon release, the novella was an instant success, sparking debates about human personality and psychology but received criticism for being gruesome.
• The late 19th century saw rising crime rates in London, a fascination with criminal psychology, and Cesare Lombroso's theories about 'born criminals' influencing depictions.
• London was known for its thick, yellow fogs caused by coal smoke and atmospheric conditions, becoming a symbol of the hidden and ambiguous in the novella.
• In the 1870s and 80s, there was a theory about the brain having two hemispheres with distinct functions, suggesting imbalances could lead to 'split personalities'.
• Freud proposed that the human psyche is divided into the id, ego, and superego which represents Hyde, Jekyll and the Victorian Society in the text.
• Darwin's theory is that species evolve by adapting to their environment, with traits that enhance survival being passed down.
• Stevenson's university years marked by close male friendships and intellectual exploration influenced the portrayal of all-male social circles in the novella.
• Fanny Stevenson critiqued the first draft of "Jekyll and Hyde," leading to its revision.
• Stevenson claimed the novella's core idea came from a vivid nightmare.
• Stevenson was fascinated by William Brodie, a respectable Edinburgh cabinet-maker by day and burglar by night.
• The Victorian era saw rising concerns about addiction to substances like opium, mirroring the anxieties surrounding loss of control and forbidden pleasures.

Literary Criticism

• Vladimir Nabokov argued the story was unconvincing due to unexplained gaps.
• Elaine Showalter suggested Hyde represented Victorian fears about homosexuality.
• Sandra Gilbert saw the novella as depicting Victorian anxieties about evolutionary degeneration.
• Stephen Arata argued Jekyll and Hyde is an allegory for late 19th-century imperialism.
• Dani Cavallaro interpreted Jekyll and Hyde as an allegory for capitalism and labour exploitation.
• Richard Dury saw the story as grappling with Victorian rationalism vs. romanticism.
• John Nelson believed Stevenson criticized psychological repression mechanisms.
• Karl Miller argued Jekyll and Hyde critiqued bourgeois professionalism and duty.
• Peter K. Garrett interpreted Hyde as embodying anxieties over Late-Victorian slumming and voyeurism.
• Jenny Davidson saw the novella as engaging with debates on evolutionary degeneration.
• Kelly Hurley interpreted Hyde as embodying fears of regression to primitive ancestry.
• Julia Reid argued Jekyll and Hyde reflected concerns about criminal anthropology and degeneracy.
• William Veeder believed the story critiqued Victorian hypocrisy by fostering reader identification with Hyde.
• Stephen Heath saw the tale as grappling with fin de siècle concerns over mankind's beast-like impulses.
• Patrick Brantlinger viewed the novella as dramatising anxieties related to imperialism, race, and criminal anthropology.
• Vladimir Nabokov believed Stevenson failed to plausibly depict Jekyll's scientific experiments.
• Judith Halberstam interpreted Hyde as representing technologies that threaten and deform humanity.
• Alexandra Warwick saw Jekyll and Hyde as engaging with debates about evolutionary kinship.

Critical Lenses

• Psychoanalytic Criticism: Explores the psychological dynamics of the characters, often using Freudian concepts like the id, ego, and superego.
• Marxist Criticism: Analyses the novella in terms of class conflict and social inequalities, focusing on how power structures shape the characters and their actions.
• Feminist Criticism: Examines the role of gender and the representation of women considering patriarchal norms.
• New Historicist Criticism: Places the novella within its specific historical context, exploring social, political, and cultural forces of the Victorian era.
• Post-Colonial Criticism: Investigates how the novella reflects anxieties about race, otherness,nature, connecting it to the context of British imperialism.
• Queer Theory: Explores the novella's potential homoerotic subtext and how it reflects anxieties surrounding sexuality and gender identity in Victorian society.

Adaptations

• 1920, John S. Robertson emphasized Jekyll's internal struggle and transformation, featuring John Barrymore.
• 1931, Rouben Mamoulian introduced a more sexualised Hyde, with innovative transformation scenes and Fredric March's portrayal.
• 1941, Victor Fleming offered a more psychological interpretation, starring Spencer Tracy.
• 1971, I, Monster offered a faithful adaptation focused on Utterson's perspective, starring Christopher Lee.
• 1971, Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde took a unique take with Jekyll transforming into a female Hyde.
• 1980, Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype provided a comedic twist.
• 2008, Jekyll (TV series) gave a modern update exploring the duality of a Jekyll descendant named James Nesbitt.
• Stage adaptations often introduce romantic subplots emphasizing the spectacle of transformation.

Ways to Revise

• Practice Retrieving Information: Doing a brain dump, writing everything you remember and quiz each other.
• Use Memory Tricks: Create mnemonics to help you remember theories (e.g., “I Eat Sweets" for Id, Ego, Superego).
• Make it Visual: Draw mind maps and sketches organize ideas.
• Practice Applying Knowledge: Answer short questions connected to the knowledge.

Revision Cards

• Key Terms and Definitions: Write the term on the front and the definition on the back.
• Dual Coding: Draw small sketches to represent duality in Jekyll and Hyde.
• Active Recall Practice: Go through your flashcards regularly, separating them into "I know this" and "I need to revise this more" piles.
• Challenge Yourself: Mix up the order of your flashcards each time and ask someone to quiz you.