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To Write A Book Report On Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Decent Essays

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 …show more content…

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

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