The Life of a Great
As the author of the most beloved adventure novels of all time, including masterpieces such as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, literary genius and famed novelist Robert Louis Stevenson was heavily influenced by his parents, home, environment, and health. Born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson in Edinburgh, United Kingdom on November 13, 1850, Stevenson was the only child of Thomas Stevenson and Margaret Balfour, who were devoted and ardent members of the Church of Scotland. Stevenson never enjoyed good health; he often suffered from digestive upsets, feverish colds, gastric fever, bronchitis, and pneumonia. The cause of Stevenson’s poor lungs is unknown; it is believed that he inherited his weak lungs from his mother but it is also speculated that he “had an endocrinal problem due to the oddity of his bone structure” (Authors and Artists for Young Adults). Nonetheless, because of Stevenson’s poor health, he was always travelling in search of an environment/climate that would soothe his illnesses, which in turn led to his irregular attendance at school. Thus, Stevenson’s lousy health and his innate wanderlust permitted him to become one of the best adventure novelists of all time. Stevenson’s education was insufficient because of both his health problems and his father’s doubts in an orthodox
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Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses a formal tone to create a dark, grim mood. Stevenson examines how humanity is both savage and civilized. According to Adam Colman, Stevenson’s writing emphasizes “on addictive pursuit of possibility rather than attainment” (Colman). Throughout the novel, Dr. Jekyll seeks to separate his good side from his bad. This is the “addictive pursuit if possibility” Colman is referring to. Once again, Stevenson delays the “attainment” of one’s goals to emphasize the journey, or the “addictive pursuit of possibility[,]” to give his readers a greater sense of
Stevenson writes ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ with the intention of showing the reader the duality of man and explores this through the juxtaposition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this novella, Stevenson also uses the environment and setting of the story to represent the contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. It concerns a lawyer, Gabriel Utterson, who investigates the strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the reclusive Mr. Edward Hyde. This novel represents an ideology in Western culture; the perpetual conflict between humanity’s virtuosity and immorality. It is interpreted as an accurate guidebook to the Victorian era’s belief of the duality of human nature. This essay will explore Mr. Edward Hyde and whether Stevenson intended for him to be a mere character in the novel or something of wider significance.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a Scottish author. Written and published 1886, this novella reflects on the individual, and societal behavior during the Victorian era. During the Victorian era people, were supposed to behave like a normal person. Certain behaviors were highly restricted for example, showing evil. Instead, they were expected to give respect for everyone. People who acted out against the norm during this period were usually sent to asylums because such behaviors were unacceptable. People in this society did just that, they behaved as if they were perfectly normal. This does not mean that their bad side did not exist. Instead, they hid their
to say that Dr Henry Jekyll is very much the best in what he does and
This story is also a way for Stevenson to have a go at hypocroisy and
In this essay I am going to look at Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll, the first
Stevenson's Use of Literary Techniques in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Jekyll seems to be in control of his desires and temptations but as Hyde he can fulfil them and not feel guilty. Stevenson is stating that everybody has evil inside of the, wanting to get out and that everyone gets a thrill of letting it out sometimes.
“But it is more than ten years since henry Jekyll became too fanciful for me”. (12 Stevenson)
The sophisticatedly-constructed novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was devised in 1886, during the revolutionary Victorian era, by the author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson developed a desire to write in his early life and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ cemented his reputation. The novel is widely known for its shocking principles that terrified and alarmed the Victorian readers. ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ plays with the idea of the dual nature of man, his two identities. On the surface, Dr Jekyll is a conventional, Victorian gentleman, but below the surface lurks the primitive, satanic-like creature of Mr Edward Hyde. One of the elements that play a significant part in the novel is setting. Stevenson subtly uses the setting to
This essay will focus on how Robert Louis Stevenson presents the nature of evil through his novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. Using ideas such as duality, the technique used to highlight the two different sides of a character or scene, allegories, an extended metaphor which has an underlying moral significance, and hypocrisy; in this book the Victorians being against all things evil but regularly taking part in frown able deeds that would not be approved of in a ‘respectable’ society. This links in with the idea of secrecy among people and also that evil is present in everyone. The novel also has strong ties and is heavily influenced by religion. Stevenson, being brought up following strong
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, is a story rife with the imagery of a troubled psyche. Admittedly taken largely from Stevenson’s dreams, it undoubtably sheds light on the author’s own hidden fears and desires. Written at the turn of the 19th Century, it also reflects the psychology of society in general at the same time when Sigmund Freud was setting about to do the same thing. While Freud is often criticized for his seemingly excessive emphasis on sexual suppression as the leading cause of psychological disturbances, the time period in which he lived was exceedingly strict on what constituted appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Essay To an extent, Stevenson gradually manifests the desolated settings throughout the novella in a solitary way in linkage with what the protagonists are perspectively going through and what contentions come across within the Victorian novella. Jekyll and Hyde are the main characters who are illuminatingly what and who the drip-feed plot line circulates around, and the settings connect deeply with the reader with a "sense of strangeness". The setting in the extract by the ludicrous description which is given, clearly composes that it's clinging to the reader that it's about the antagonist, Mr Hyde.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, depicts the constant struggle between virtue and desire with a man by the name of Dr. Jekyll, and his counterpart, Mr. Hyde. The story of these two sides of the same coin shed light on the internal battle between right and wrong. While Dr. Jekyll represents the acceptable, lighter side of humanity, Hyde portrays the selfish side with no concern for any consequence of his actions. Dr. Jekyll is the crème of the crop
Although Robert had a great passion about writing, it wasn’t from the start supposed to be his source of income. Both his father and grandfather were lighthouse engineers and it looked like Robert would be following their footsteps as he began studying engineering himself. Robert didn’t feel any passion for what he was studying. He finished his courses but never began working as an engineer, instead he started studying law. Stevenson didn’t enjoy studying law either and after this he decided