Jekyll and Hyde A Comparision Essay - 1210 Words

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Stevenson’s â€Å"The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† was one of the most famous works of horror fiction of all time in English literature. It was based in the nineteenth century. It reflects the influence of two important ideological forces in the Victorian era. The text uses gothic and detective elements to interest the reader as they were very popular at the time. The focus of the text is concentrated on the issue of Jekyll and Hyde’s personality which was described as someone who lived a double life of outward sanctity and secret iniquity. This is so that it would to create a mystery for the reader as they are trying to unravel who Hyde is. The writer emphasises the idea of Mr Hyde being â€Å"apelike†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦To continue the Gothic imagery the writer mentions scenes when Hyde, a wholly evil creature, kill the character â€Å"Sir Danvers†. The image of decay corrupting bodies where horrific and left a disturbed effect on the reader. The Attributes of the Detective Genre are shown in this novel, such as how the character Utterson unravels the mysterious case surrounding Jekyll and hyde. This non-linear narrative gets the reader more involved as they start to solve the mystery too. The quote â€Å"incident at window†, which is a chapter heading develops a mysterious effect as it was about a woman observing a crime through a window. The heading for each chapter creates a more interactive reading experience. Stevenson discovered many themes that interested Victorian readers, one of which was the battle between â€Å"good versus evil†. Good being Dr Jekyll as he suffers thr ough out the story trying to get rid of the evil creative Hyde. This theme shows the idea that everyone has a good and evil side to their personality. In addition the theme of rich and poor is also shown as we learn that Hyde’s mysterious dwelling is run down and neglected. In contrast Jekyll’s home is extremely well kept, majestic and beautiful. To get the image of what individual characters were like Stevenson had to give clear and detailed information on the description of each character. This was essential as in the Victorian times there was no television and the book had