DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE Context Guide & Plot Summary GCSE English Literature
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Course
English
Institution
GCSE
3 SIDES OF A4
This resource contains the cultural and historical context of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, as well as a separate document detailing the entire plot from start to finish, in a succinct pdf. It is intended to be a SUMMARY, perfect for saving time during a busy revision period. The context page...
R O B E R T L O U I S S T E V E N S O N
The strange case of dr jekyll & Mr hyde
C O N T E X T
LITERARY CONTEXT HISTORICAL CONTEXT SOCIAL CONTEXT
Gothic literature experienced an increase The duality presented in Dr Jekyll and Mr At the end of the 19th century, great
in popularity towards the end of the Hyde is perhaps a reflection of the dual advances were made in science.
eighteenth century. The references to the nature of the society Robert Louis Victorian society was largely still one
supernatural captured the attention of Stevenson was living in. Though the book that embraced Christian ideas and
Victorian England. Gothic literature often is set in London, it was inspired by beliefs about how life is created, as
entails a mystery, with fear and suspense Edinburgh, the city that Stevenson was well as how to conduct one's life. It is
being built up throughout. Oftentimes the born and grew up in. The Edinburgh easy to imagine the seismic waves
reader may notice some bad omens Stevenson grew up in was split between created by Charles Darwin when he
appearing in the book. Weather is a typical old town and new town. Old town was proposed the theory of evolution,
device used to set the ominous tone of the flooded by crime and prostitution, with the challenging Christian beliefs. Charles
novella, or perhaps forebode a disastrous lower classes having to reside in this area. Darwin published 'The Origin of
event. In Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson The new town on the other hand was Species' (1959) which promoted the
establishes a gothic setting in Dr Jekyll's where aristocrats and wealthy individuals idea that human beings evolved from
laboratory, where Dr Jekyll's monstrous resided. Perhaps the divided Scottish city apes, perpetuating the idea that
transformations take place. The consistent influenced the way in which Stevenson humans originate from a primitive
fog described in the novella also adds to decided to present the presentable Dr state. Given that this contrasts the
the mystery of the story, perhaps Jekyll and the deplorable Mr Hyde. creation story detailed in the Bible, this
symbolising the difficultly of seeing Dr Jekyll Similarly, London was a divided city, with was met with much backlash by
for who he is. The struggle between good the division established by the unequal Christians at the time. The primitive
and evil that the reader sees at play in the wealth distribution. Wealthy individuals in side of man likely influenced the
novella is a reflection of Victorians own early 20th century London lived alongside characterisation of Mr Hyde, the
struggle to suppress the unfavourable and those living in poverty, often times only unpresentable, ill-mannered version of
less presentable aspects of their separated by a street. The evolution in Dr Jekyll. Victorians had general
personality to remain reputable. London is also captured by Stevenson's suspicions about the ever-growing
repeated use of pathetic fallacy. scientific revolution,
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