Novel Introduction & Background Information

1. Novel Introduction & Background Information

2. Robert Louis Stevenson • http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/ • Born 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland • Death 1894 • Author of Treasure Island • Fascinated by Deacon Brodie – cabinetmaker by day, thief by night • How are Stevenson’s personal experiences connected to the novel?

3. Stevenson and His Novel • Brought up in the wealthy part of Edinburgh. • Visited the ghettos of Edinburgh • Would wear disguises for his ventures • The idea for this book came in a dream • Wrote the first version in three days / burned it due to criticism from his wife • Wrote the second version in three days as well • Published in 1886 • Gothic literature

4. Background Information • Victorian Age: The reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) • The play came out in 1888; same time as Jack the Ripper. The two became intertwined. • Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – 1857. The science behind the theory. • Sigmund Freud: Id, Ego, Superego Why are these concepts important in regard to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

5. Victorian Era - The Upper Class • Upper Class – doctors, lawyers, members of Parliament; They lived like royalty • They attended balls and parties • Men socialized and worked with men only • The wealthy employed servants to cook, clean, answer the door, and help them dress • Butler – the head servant; also had the most contact with the master • Wealthy women stayed home to manage her children and the servants • Women could not vote, nor did wealthy women work outside the house

6. Problems during the Victorian Era • The population in London grew at a rapid rate. Large houses were turned into flats and tenements, and the landlords who owned them were not concerned about the upkeep or the condition of these dwellings. • Many destitute children lived by stealing, and to the respectable Victorians they must have seemed a very real threat to society. • Many cases of death caused by starvation and destitution were reported.

7. Setting: Victorian London • Cavendish Square: the area where Jekyll, Utterson, and Lanyon live. The wealthiest part of London. Yet, only a few blocks away one would find ghettos such as Soho. • People tended to keep to the main thoroughfares because a wrong turn could land you in the ghettos. • London was quite dreary at this time: foggy, dark, and poorly lit with gas lamps. The fog was horrible due to the coal fires used for heat. • Crime was rife at the time of the book’s publication.

8. Jack the Ripper East End of London, 1888 The murderer’s identity is still unknown. • Although the Whitechapel Murderer was only a threat to a small section of the community in a small part of London, the murders had a huge impact on society. • His so-called reign of terror: during twelve weeks he murdered five victims. • The murderer, in the eyes of the wider Victorian society, came to be seen as the personification of all the evils with which the East End of London was associated.

9. The Sciences • Charles Darwin: The Theory of Evolution, 1857 Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the notion that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor. • Natural Selection - Species vie for survival amongst each other. These natural processes of selection ensure that the fittest will survive. The species that cannot adapt or survive becomes extinct. • Controversy with the Theory of Evolution • Regardless of the controversy, it was a popular and new idea during Stevenson’s time. • Mr. Hyde is referred to as “ape-like.”

10. The Sciences continued… • Sigmund Freud, the Father of Psychotherapy • Ego – our conscious self • Id – our unconscious self • Superego – aspect of personality that holds our ideas about society, ethics, morals • Stevenson was on the cutting edge of science to be writing about division in the human mind. • Drug Use – Opium was frequently prescribed. This parallels Jekyll’s growing addiction.

11. What is Gothic literature? • Setting / mood • Death • Doppelganger • Horror / Terror • Madness • Supernatural • Dreaming / Nightmares • Entrapment • Imprisonment • Hero / Villain • Grotesque • Mystery

12. Important Vocabulary • Difficulty of vocabulary in the book • Visuwords.com & Wordles.com • Copy vocabulary • Vocabulary quiz

13. Lesson Plan • ReadingSchedule • Comprehension Questions • Vocabulary Quiz • Final: multiple choice, short answer, and essay

14. Works Cited • Use citationmachine.net to produce the proper Works Cited for the book. • In-text citation for quotes: “Put the quotes in quotation marks” (Stevenson 43). • In-text citation for paraphrases: Write the information in your own words, then cite your source (Stevenson 43).