Introduction: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1. Introduction: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

2. Robert Lewis Stevenson • Born 1850 ~ Edinburg, Scotland ~ Sickly • Studied literature at Edinburg University • Had to move to a warmer climate because of his deteriorating health • His first great writing success was Treasure Island • Doctors told him he would die in a few months, but he lived until 1894

3. Other Interesting Facts • Robert Louis Stevenson has a good claim to be the inventor of the Sleeping Bag, taking a large fleece-lined sack with him to sleep on the journey through France described in his book Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes

4. Background • Stevenson was interested in what made up a person’s character: How a person can be both bad and good

5. Central Themes in Dr. Jekyll • human ugliness originates in the soul • people who succumb to the temptations of evil risk losing their capacity (ability) for good • people who suppress, or restrain, their natural desires risk having them surface out of control.

6. First Interpretation: Man is born Evil • RLS had a strict Christian and moral upbringing. The idea of good vs. evil was informed by his knowledge of the Bible. • Thomas Hobbes thought that humans were naturally bad and would be like animals in a “state of nature” • In Christianity, original sin says that people are born inclined toward evil and struggle to be good

7. Second Interpretation: Society makes us evil • Context: Takes place in Victorian Era (1837-1901) in London, England • Members of the upper class in Victorian times were especially expected to behave virtuously and properly at all and times.

8. Society: A Class Divided • Victorian society was divided. • Social classes did not mix. Behavior, among members of the upper class, was expected to be exemplary at all times. • The unrealistically rigid morality of upper class Londoners led many to live double lives.

9. 2nd Interpretation (Continued) : Tabula Rasa • The Enlightenment view was that people are born blank slates • society shapes the person into good or evil • Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy, believed that human beings are powerfully influenced by impulses they are not aware of

10. Personality • Freud said there were three parts to a person’s psychology • Ego- the conscious part of oneself (adult) • Id- the unconscious part of oneself (childlike) • Superego- as society, ethics, and morals. • To many readers, Hyde represents Dr. Jekyll’s subconscious desire to be freed from society’s restrictions. • People need to repress desires for society to work.

11. What to consider… • Are good and evil innate OR • Is it society who makes us who we are? • Are people basically good or basically bad? • Can “good” people do “bad” things? • Is everyone capable of doing horrible things such as the committing hideous crimes?

12. The Victorian Era • 1830s to the beginning of 1900s • Britain’s Queen Victoria ruled 1837-1901 for sixty-four years • Britain was leading economic and military power and controlled a vast empire • changes include: railroads, postal system; improved medical and sanitary advances; government supported schools; growing industry and cities

13. Victorian period (continued) • Poverty increases • Empire’s power compromised by foreign wars • Workers demand more power • Women enter workforce • Anxieties about changes inspire parts of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde