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ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON PHILOSOPHICALLY: DUALISM WITHIN THE GOTHIC CONVENTION

Delve into the complex character of Mr. Hyde in Robert Louis Stevenson's Gothic novel, exploring themes of duality, split personality, and moral conflict. Discover how Hyde's appearance and actions evoke mystery and terror in this classic tale of human nature.

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ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON PHILOSOPHICALLY: DUALISM WITHIN THE GOTHIC CONVENTION

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  1. UrszulaCzyzewska ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON PHILOSOPHICALLY: DUALISM WITHIN THE GOTHIC CONVENTION

  2. Describing Hyde • “He isnoteasyto describe. Thereissomethingwrongwithhisappearance; somethingdispleasing, somethingdownright detestable. I neversaw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarceknowwhy. He mustbedeformedsomewhere; he gives a strongfeeling of deformity, although I couldn’tspecifythepoint”. (p. 9)

  3. Thepassageindicatesthatthemysterious figure of Mr. Hyde isone of thekeyelements of theentireatmosphere of the novel, oreven more-one of themostimportantcomponents of Stevensonianphilosophy. Appearance of Hyde seemsto cause thefeelings of terror and mysterygrowingwitheverysentence. Theprogressivesplitpersonality of themaincharacter leads tohisself-destruction.

  4. Theorigin of thedualityhereisneither new, nor original, and itsinceptionreferstoonthe concept of theduality of man’smorality, i.e.strugglinginternallywithgood and evil. Thewritermadehisinnerconflictthetheme of the novel, and throughtheplot of thestorythereader can trace theproblem of thesplit-personalitydisorder of Dr. Jekyll, thewidelyrespected London physician and inventor of a medicine whichsupposedlyallowstoseparatethegood and badspheres of humannature.

  5. Movie clip: Dr. Jekyll’sspeech(4:00)

  6. Today, Stevenson’sworkisone of themostclassic horror and sensationalstories, whichisalsokept in theframework of theGothictradition. Perceivedfrom a differerentperspective, TheStrange Case isprimarily a novel thatunveilsthe ideas of the era in whichitwaswritten. As previouslyemphasized, the 19th centurywasthe time of science and technology, whichresulted in thecult of science and beliefthatobjectivetruth can beexpressedonly in terms of mathematics and natural sciences. Thepublic of that time wasdelugedwithinformationaboutfurtherdiscoveries and inventions. • What are somediscoveries and inventions of that era?

  7. Discoveries • Radioactivity • X-rays • Periodictable • Theory of evolution (Darwin) • Theory of psychoanalysis (Freud) • Theory of relativity • Neptune • Electricity

  8. Inventions • Locomotive • Telegraph • Telephone • Rifle • Ironcladships • Light bulb • Photography

  9. Henry Jekyll v/s VictorFrankenstein • Dr . Jekyll and Mr. Hyde wasnotcompletely original whenthe concept of duality of humannatureisconcerned. One of theprecursors of hisworkwas Mary Shelley’sFrankenstein (1818). However, Stevenson’s novel embodiesthe 19th centuryambitions and illusions. Dr. Jekyllisconvincedthat he has understoodtheproblem of humannature and conductsexperimentsdevotedtofinding a solution. • Howdoesthetheory of evolutionfit in here?

  10. Apparently, thecharacter of DrJekyllcreatedby Stevenson resembles theonefrom Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. VictorFrankensteinisalsotryingtodiscoverthemysteries of humannature in thelaboratory. Experimentscarriedoutbytheresearcherbring a disasteruponhimself and hislovedones. In both cases, aninterferencewiththelaws of nature and theattemptstochangehumanpersonality lead tounleashingforceswhichonecannot control.

  11. Works cited • Czyzewska, Urszula. Robert Louis Stevenson Philosophically: Dualism and ExistentialismWithintheGothicConvention, 2014. 22 May 2016 <https://www.kul.pl/files/581/Roczniki_Filozoficzne/Roczniki_Filozoficzne_62_3_2014/Czyzewska_Glab_19.pdf> • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dir. Robert Mamoulian. ParamountPictures, 1931.

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