The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, my thoughts

Book in question.

We have our first novella! The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, an 1886 short novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. I’ll try to keep up the pop culture references, and mention that Stevenson is the writer of Treasure Island, which would go on to get a sci-fi adaptation by Disney called Treasure Planet.

A fun fact I got from the introduction by Jenny Davidson is that Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel murders took place only two years after the book’s publication. And the hysteria was such that some people accused an actor who played Mr. Hyde on stage of being the killer, arguing that no one could fake such a heinous character as Hyde and not be an actual murderer.

For a little literary context, Stevenson’s work was influenced by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and itself might have influenced Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

As a side note, I read this book as a part of a bigger project called The Monster inside Rei Ayanami, where I try to tie classic literary monsters to the enigmatic Neon Genesis Evangelion character.

Now, the first thing I want to highlight is how short and concise this book is. A treat. I’m far from being the appropriate person to give Stevenson any significant praise for his writing. But as a reader, I can say that it’s both impressive and enjoyable to be able to experience such a tale in such a limited amount of words.

Secondly, how much the writing does to avoid having you drop the book. You could almost feel Jekyll’s firm and stern hand taking you along for the ride. And when things got scary and you felt anxious about reading the next word, that’s when Hyde forcefully grabs you and throws you to the excellence of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I am amazed not only by the literary feats of the novella, but also its social critique and its light jabs at the readers of the time. Stevenson masterfully makes a critique of Victorian repression and hypocrisy almost without mentioning them at all.

As for the horror aspects, I’m too much of a scaredy cat to be a proper judge. What I can recognize is, though, that despite the familiarity and the simplicity of the scenarios that Utterson navigates, the eerie feeling, the unease, the uncanniness of it all are on a constant buildup climaxing with our encounters with Hyde.

Personally, I welcome any work that tries to shine light on the ugliness of human existence. I wasn’t expecting it here, and yet I got it. So more than satisfied. All in all, an excellent read and a highly recommended book.