Setting
In the strange case of dr jeykll and mr Hyde, Stevenson employs the
backdrop of late Victorian London to weave together the city’s
atomospheric streets with contemporary scientific and societal theories,
exploring themes of duality, degeneration, and the repression of the self.
Stevenson utilises the dark and foggy streets of London to echo the
mystery and danger lurking within and is reminiscent of the moral and
psychological duality of mr Hyde’s actions. Stevenson uses an ominous
and mysterious setting to exploit the prevalent societal fear of the beast
within the man brought about by the surge of scientific discovery with
notable theories like darwin’s theory of evolution 1859 and Freudian ideas
of the repressed self.
Stevenson employs Dr Jekyll’s dual environments- the respectable façade
of his home and the seclusion of his laboratory- in order to illustrate a
stark contrast between his public persona and his private experiments
into the depths of human nature. He uses this dichotomy to act as a
vehicle in which he can explore the façade of the upper class and critique
the hypocrisy of a highly ‘moralistic’ Victorian England. This intertwines
with max Nordau’s theory of upper-class degeneration to explore ideas
that the upper class engage in decadence and depravity behind the
veneer of their outward displays of virtuosity.
The urban settings such as the bustling streets of soho and the
impoverished areas of London not only provide a vivid backdrop but serve
to emphasise the social disparities and moral decay inherent in the fin de
siècle period. Stevenson’s exploration of the duality of man and the
disparities of Victorian society are echoed in his use of description of
setting.
Quotes
‘The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city’
The first fog of the season and a chocolate-coloured pall lowered over
heaven’
‘The fog had lifted a little and showed him a dingy street, a gin palace’
Quotes
‘Three dusty windows barred with iron’
‘Door which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker’
‘Dingy windowless structure’
In the strange case of dr jeykll and mr Hyde, Stevenson employs the
backdrop of late Victorian London to weave together the city’s
atomospheric streets with contemporary scientific and societal theories,
exploring themes of duality, degeneration, and the repression of the self.
Stevenson utilises the dark and foggy streets of London to echo the
mystery and danger lurking within and is reminiscent of the moral and
psychological duality of mr Hyde’s actions. Stevenson uses an ominous
and mysterious setting to exploit the prevalent societal fear of the beast
within the man brought about by the surge of scientific discovery with
notable theories like darwin’s theory of evolution 1859 and Freudian ideas
of the repressed self.
Stevenson employs Dr Jekyll’s dual environments- the respectable façade
of his home and the seclusion of his laboratory- in order to illustrate a
stark contrast between his public persona and his private experiments
into the depths of human nature. He uses this dichotomy to act as a
vehicle in which he can explore the façade of the upper class and critique
the hypocrisy of a highly ‘moralistic’ Victorian England. This intertwines
with max Nordau’s theory of upper-class degeneration to explore ideas
that the upper class engage in decadence and depravity behind the
veneer of their outward displays of virtuosity.
The urban settings such as the bustling streets of soho and the
impoverished areas of London not only provide a vivid backdrop but serve
to emphasise the social disparities and moral decay inherent in the fin de
siècle period. Stevenson’s exploration of the duality of man and the
disparities of Victorian society are echoed in his use of description of
setting.
Quotes
‘The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city’
The first fog of the season and a chocolate-coloured pall lowered over
heaven’
‘The fog had lifted a little and showed him a dingy street, a gin palace’
Quotes
‘Three dusty windows barred with iron’
‘Door which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker’
‘Dingy windowless structure’
