Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
As we all know, in Gothic literature, setting is very important as it sets the mode and sometimes provides you with vital information to understand what is going on within the literature. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Stevenson does not use a castle but he does use other settings such as the laboratory and house of Dr. Jekyll, the city of London and the courtyard to create the element of terror. In the story it states that the morning Mr. Utterson and Inspector Newcomen of Scotland Yard went to look for Mr. Hyde, It was very dark and heavily foggy with high winds which makes the scene seem a bit scary. The weather conditions are in correlation with the personality of Mr. Hyde.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well also Mr. Hyde's incidents seem to happen at night when it's dark, when he's not worried about anyone seeing what he might do. Do you think the dark in also in correlation with his mood and personality? Dark and mysterious? I might be way off but there's a reason why some author's write in specific times of the day, or at least that's what I think. I really like how you noticed how when they went to go look for Mr. Hyde in Soho that it was dirty and foggy and windy, makes you feel a little spooked and almost just want to skip that part of the book.
ReplyDeleteI like also how Stevenson describes the giant doors Hyde goes in and out of, this could also be used as the "castle" of the story. I believe Hyde goes out at night because it is dark, scary, grotesque in a way much like what Hyde can be considered. The reader can almost imagine how grotesque of a figure Hyde is and Stevenson does well in helping the reader understand what is happening and why.
ReplyDeleteI agree the setting does give a look into the personality of Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll's house was described as handsome and in a prominent neighborhood and then Mr. Hyde's house was in the foggy part of London and the street was described as "a street in the distict of a nightmare". Stevenson uses the setting very well to show the duel personalities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
ReplyDelete