Context of Jekyll and Hyde Flashcards
(19 cards)
What scientific progress had been feared?
- Darwin’s theory of Evolution
- Published ideas in the book ‘Origins of Species’
Why had the idea of Evolution scared people?
- Society was very religious and the theory of Evolution went against the Bible
- Lead to worries that better species could evolve and take over or that the human race could deteriorate (reverse evolution)
- Animals thought to be lesser and soulless - scary to think we developed from them
What quotations show strong religious belief?
-‘child of Hell’
-‘devil had long been caged’
-‘Satan’
‘Hell’, the ‘devil’ and ‘Satan’ are all linked to the religious belief of being punished in the afterlife if you did wrong.
What did the Victorians fear?
- Migration
- Threats of disease (syphilis)
- Sexuality
What were the key Victorian Values?
- Sexual restraint
- Low tolerance of crime
- Religious morality
- Follow a strict social code of conduct
In this era, many people had to suppress their desires. What quote gives an example of how Utterson has suppressed his desires?
‘and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years’
Because the values were so strict, many were hyprocrites - they claimed to be moral when they weren’t behind close doors. What quotation implies that Enfield has been immoral?
‘I was coming home from some place at the end of the world’
Reputation was of utmost importance in this era. Name some examples from the text that show the characters are keen to protect their reputation.
- Utterson and Enfield do not want to gossip
- Jekyll creates Hyde so he can fulfill his desires without damaging his reputation
- Even when Utterson suspects Jekyll is up to no good, he does not report him to the police as he wants to protect his friend’s reputation
The population of London had increase from 1 mil to 6.7 mil from 1800 to 1900. What were the effects of this?
- Crime increased
- City grew wealthy but poverty grew too
What was a common Gothic theme related to Victorian London?
Sinister individuals could be hidden by the crowds.
Huge increase in migration meant it felt like the city was being invaded by strangers. How is this idea linked to the text?
- Hyde is an outcast/stranger because he behaves differently to everyone else
- Stevenson felt like a stranger because he was Scottish
What is physiognamy?
The theory that criminals can be recognised by physical features.
What quotes show that Hyde fits the the theory of physiognamy?
- ‘ape-like’
- ‘strong feeling of deformity’
- ‘deformity and decay’
Jekyll contradicted the theory of physiognamy. Why would this have scared Victorian society?
It scared them that even the most respectable people could be evil - almost felt like you couldn’t trust anyone.
What theme that is commonly explored in Gothic fiction was used throughout the text?
Duality of human nature
In what way does Stevenson explore duality differently to usual Gothic fiction?
- He explore the duality of society in general instead of just one individual.
- Stevenson explores the idea that everyone had good and evil within them
What quotations linked to duality are used to describe Jekyll and Hyde?
- ‘these polar twins’
- ‘man is not truly one but truly two’
- ‘chief of sinners,chief of sufferers’
What quotations/parts of the text are used to show everyone has good and evil within them?
- the women on the angry mob were ‘wild like harpies’
- Utterson becomes obsessed - ‘even in his dreams’ and ‘if he could but once set eyes on him’
- Lanyon can’t resist knowing Jekyll’s secret
How is duality linked to Stevenson?
- He has a dual identity: Scottish and British
- Scotland has 2 sides, he was raised on the wealthy side but explored the darker side as he got older.
