context

Question 1

hypocrisy of London

Answer 1

Victorian London was a highly hypocritical as it portrayed a veneer of respectability through its obsession with moral rectitude as shown with the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 despite its hidden flaws.The Act included provisions for the suppression of brothels However behind the reputable facade, there remained a sordid city with a prevailing prostitution industry.
This hypocrisy in London was imbued throughout the novella ranging from female workers to middle class gentleman and the setting.

Question 2

Victorian Gentleman

Answer 2

The Victorians were infatuated with the idea of the Victorian Gentleman’ during their period of moral purification. Although the middle class men in the novella seem to embody the characteristics of a gentleman(wealthy,educated and reputable), they all seem to struggle with the expectations placed upon them, Jekyll in particular. His creation of Hyde reveals the pressure on Victorian men to repress their darker impulses and the fragility of the Victorian Gentlemen’.

Question 3

physiognomy

Answer 3

-[physiognomy] in 19th century England was a pseudo-scientific theory that physical abnormality was an implication of transgression against God, society and nature. Stevenson conforms to this theory through his portrayal of Mr Hyde’s hideous appearance and his moral perversion. However, he also criticises the theory through the seemingly respectable Dr Jekyll who is equally capable of evil

Question 4

religion (and science)

Answer 4

in the Victorian period, religion was the foundation of morality and the idea of evil was inextricably tied with the ‘Fall of Man’ from Genesis.The Novella explores Jekyll’s scientific overreach which mirroring Adam and Eve’s doomed pursuit of knowledge, aligning Jekyll’s exploration’s with original sin and therefore showcasing the catastrophic consequences of scientific ambition .Jekyll serves as the archetypal tragic scientist, a common character in gothic novella’s such as Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.

Question 5

darwinism

Answer 5

Darwinism was popularised following the 1859 release of Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’. Darwinism threatened Christian ideas about the Creation story and began the process of disillusionment.

Question 6

fin de Siècle

Answer 6

the fin de Siècle ,meaning the end of the century, refers to the Victorian anxieties of about the mystery surrounding the turning of the century. A common trope of fin de Siècle gothic literature was ‘devolution’ following the rise of Darwinism. The novella conforms to the wider existential crisis of the era and questions whether progress is an illusion.

Question 7

freudian perspective

Answer 7

from a Freudian perspective, Mr Hyde could be representative of the ‘id’-the instinctive part of the human psyche that contained hidden sexual and aggressive desires and Dr Jekyll represents the ego-the outward portrayal of an individual.

Question 8

atavism

Answer 8

in the novella, Stevenson both adheres to Lombroso’s theory that criminals exhibit regressive traits linked to early stages of evolution through the wicked character of Mr Hyde. Simultaneously, he ridicules the theory through the character of Dr Jekyll. Through his character, Stevenson suggests that criminality is not confined the lower classes but instead extends to all individuals