Context Flashcards
Duality
Due to the Industrial Revolution, the population of London grew from 1 million in 1800 to approximately 6.7 million in 1900 and became the largest city in the world
London was home to many people who lived in extreme poverty and the poor, who made up the majority of London’s population, lived in cramped and squalid conditions:
The city was a reflection of the stark inequality between the classes, with the wealthy living in luxury, and the poor struggling in poverty
This led to a stark contrast between the wealthy and the poor and this social divide was further defined by the differences in the locations they inhabited:
Duality is revealed in the novella’s setting of London as Stevenson presents the city with contrasting descriptions where affluent streets exist directly next to areas of degradation and poverty
The Industrial Revolution also resulted in a shift from a rural farming lifestyle in the countryside to that of technology and industry in the city:
As factories and railroads were constructed, smoke filled the city’s atmosphere and as a result, the air quality in London was heavily polluted:
Stevenson vividly describes the choking fog in the novella which hung over the city like a shroud
This heightens the atmosphere of mystery and secrecy
It also creates a gothic atmosphere
