Note: this review is for the paperback “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” published by Signet Classics in 2003.)
I have seen many movie versions of this classic. So, I made the assumption that I knew the true story. Then I read this book. Was my assumption ever wrong!!!
This particular book of less than 150 pages has five parts:
(1) Opening Pages. They include a brief biography of Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 to 1894).
(Comprises 4% of the book.)
(2) Introductory Essay. This was written by the late, famous Russian author Vladimir Nabokov. (Comprises 20%.)
(3) The Actual Story. Its original title is “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1886).
(Comprises 65%.)
(4) Afterword to the Story. It is written by a modern writer. (Comprises 8%.)
(5) Selected Bibliography. Outlines great works by and about R.L. Stevenson. (Comprises 3%.)
The introductory essay was an actual lecture Nabokov gave when he was associate professor at Cornell University from 1948 to 1959. It gives a thorough, detailed analysis of this “seldom read” classic.
The afterword consists of a shorter analysis of this classic by the modern writer Dan Chaon. I felt that this afterword provided valuable insight regarding the story of Jekyll and Hyde.
Chaon sums up the entire story: “The structure of [‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’] follows a path as indirect and elusive as its multiple narrative voices. With its obliquely recorded incidents, its eyewitness accounts and sealed confessions, it resembles…a [police detective’s] casebook–a collection of gathered clues, fragments, through which the clever detective may be able to…project a complete narrative. Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of this novel [of ten chapters] is that, in fact, there’s so much left here for [the reader] to fill in, so many scenes that [the reader] can only imagine. Such a structure creates fertile ground for allegory [a story with symbolic meaning] hunters, and there are indeed many convincing interpretations of this novel…The puzzle-like structure of the novel [which only has eight major male characters] creates a kind of Rorechach test, open to various interpretations.” (A Rorechach test is where a person interprets inkblot designs.)
The Homework on Jekyll Hyde Musical Show Made
When we see a movie it is difficult to notice the work and effort that the cast puts in. The same applies to a TV show, or music video. This is because hundreds of hours have been put into editing, cutting, and buffing clips and scenes of the film. As a result, the finish product is flawless to the audience. However, when we step through the doors a stage theatre, all that begins to change. We are ...
The inspiration of this short novel is said to have come from a dream (or, perhaps more accurately, a nightmare) Stevenson had. His actual writing is amazing and skillful in all chapters. The writing especially of the last two chapters, chapters nine and ten, stood out for me. Here, for example, is his actual description of what happened when somebody observed someone using Dr. Jekyll’s concoction:
“He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp. A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; as I looked there came, I thought, a change–he seemed to swell–his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter–and the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arm raised to shield me…[and] my mind submerged in terror.”
Finally, the cover of this particular book is interesting. It shows the shadow of a man in a top hat behind a window shade. This can be taken to represent Hyde who is a shadowy character.
In conclusion, this particular book has it all: an introduction by a late, well-known author, an intriguing mystery/horror story by a late, famous nineteenth century author, and an afterword by a gifted, modern writer. Be sure to read this book to learn the true story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!!!
The Term Paper on Book Becoming Attached
... for herself, merely for her ideas. Karen concludes the chapter and his book by looking at how attachment theory has developed and ... Looking Back: Bowlby and Ainsworth In the final chapter of his book, Karen offers a closing to the life of John Bowlby, ... Cultural Roots of Anxious Attachment In this chapter, Karen offers a conclusion to his book by looking at how society has changed, ...
