How Far Does the Novel “the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson Conform to the Conventions of Victorian Gothic Horror Genre?

How Far Does the Novel “the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson Conform to the Conventions of Victorian Gothic Horror Genre?

  • Submitted By: nabilab
  • Date Submitted: 02/01/2010 9:21 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1288
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 1259

The conventions of Victorian Gothic horror are: literary suspense; barbarism as opposed to elegance; stereotyped characters, the seeker of forbidden knowledge; the supernatural; portraying the terrifying and archaic old settings.
Also this was a time when people started to look into the human mind and became interested in psychology. It began when Doctor Frankenstein created his monster in 1818. It was a time when people were concerned about death, rebirth, imperial decline, sexual epidemics, urbanization and sexual revolution. Split personalities were being discovered.
Closely linked to the Victorians' increasing sense of the conflict between science and religion was the idea that humans have a dual nature. On the one hand, they saw the calm, rational, everyday normality of family life and employment; on the other, fantasies, nightmares, anger and violence. This is what the novel explores.
Dr Henry Jekyll is a physician in London. He is very well respected and is currently experimenting the dual nature of mankind. Edward Hyde is a manifestation of Dr Jekyll’s personality. He is accused of committing evil acts throughout the novel. The dual character is a doctor who has covered up a secret life full of cruel deeds. He feels as if he is constantly battling within himself between what is good and evil, and is pushing people away that mean a lot to him. After drinking the potion of his own creation, Jekyll is transformed into a smaller, cruel, evil Edward Hyde, representing the hidden side of Dr Jekyll’snature. Dr Jekyll has many friends and has a friendly personality, but as Mr. Hyde, he becomes mysterious, violent and secretive. As time goes by Mr Hyde grows in power. After taking the potion repetitively, he no longer relies upon it to unleash his inner demon. Eventually, Mr Hyde grows so strong that Jekyll becomes reliant on the potion to remain himself. Dr Jekyll created Hyde because he had a theory that man has a good and bad side to them. While...

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