context Flashcards
when was the book published?
5th January 1886
where was Stevenson from?
Scotland
what was he best known for writing?
pirate stories and children’s poems
what was his inspiration for the novel?
he had a very adult nightmare- he saw Hyde in his nightmare
what is important about Jekyll’s name being pronounced in a certain way?
meant to rhyme with seek-all
the Scottish accent of saying the name
what is Hyde’s name an aptronym for?
to “hide”
what was Stevenson’s childhood like?
joyless-filled with insomnia, fear, painful days
where did Stevenson grow up in Edinburgh?
17 Heriot Roe
what was significant about Heriot Roe?
it was the new town in Edinburgh
what profession was RLS’s dad involved in?
his father came from a family of engineers who built most of Scotland’s deep sea lighthouses
what profession was RLS’s mother involved in?
from a family of advocates and minister of the church
how did RLS grow up?
he was an only child that grew up to the Victorian rules of Edinburgh’s highest class- respectable being a honourable phrase
who was Stevenson’s closest relationship to?
his full time Calvanist nurse- she read the Bible to him many times
what did he said the idea of sin was like to him?
the idea of sin was “strangely attractive”- perhaps links to the idea of Jekyll’s sin (turning into Hyde) being attractive
what is the setting of where RLS grew up in comparisable to?
he grew up in Edinburgh- the city was clear and bright (like Cavendish Square)- the other side was a medieval old town- dark and dangerous (Soho)
what did RLS become fed up of?
the oppressive, presbyterian views of his parents- was drawn to the old town- symbolic of the setting of Jekyll’s lab
who built his wardrobe in his bedroom?
Deacon Brodie
what is symbolic about Deacon Brody?
he was a respected cabinet maker by day, burgular at night- just like Jekyll and Hyde
what idea began to take place in RLS’s mind?
the idea that behind a man’s eyes, there was an inner darkness
what did RLS break away from?
the established Edinburgh society
what did RLS study at university?
engineering- he was a man of science
what did RLS spend his days at university doing as opposed to his nights?
at uni- spent his days working in a surgical theatre and his nights climbing a never-ending circular staircase in the old town (was just a dream)
what happened due to his recurring dreams?
the doctor gave him a sedative
what was RLS’s recuring dream about?
the ambition that was expected of him- the “never-ending spiral staircase”
