Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales (Oxford World's Classics) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

This book is a nice collection of Robert Louis Stevenson stories. Included is the main attraction, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," and the following short stories:

A Lodging for the Night

The Suicide Club

Thrawn Janet

The Body-Snatcher

Markeim

Obviously Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the selling point of this book. Stevenson crafts a wonderful tale of mystery surrounding a few characters in England. I truly wish that I never knew anything about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde prior to actually reading the book because I think that Stevenson did a spectacular job of keeping the mystery alive. Unfortunately, I already knew the relationship of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The other stories included are nice little additions to this book. I personally did not enjoy them that much; but, it is still nice to get a little bit more with this collection that just getting Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I found "Thrawn Janet" particularly interesting, almost thrilling. It is written in the old English dialect which made for more difficult reading, but a more cultural experience.

Also included in this edition is a nice timeline and of RLS's life and accomplishments. I found the introduction to be particularly intersting because it talks about the culture and the reactions to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, both the book and the play.

Overall, this is a nice book with a lot of extra information about RLS and his works. However, the short stories, in my opinion, are not worth buying this book only for the short stories. It is worth the entire collection though, with all the resources therein.

_The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror_, in the Penguin Classics series, consists of three tales by Robert Louis Stevenson, an essay by Stevenson, as well as an introduction and "diagnosis of Dr. Jekyll" by the editor Robert Mighall. Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish writer in the Victorian period who grew up to a strict Presbyterian upbringing which would lead him to become obsessed with sin, the nature of evil, and death throughout much of his life. Originally Stevenson wrote adventure tales and stories of pirates (_Treasure Island_ for example); however, he was to turn his writing talents to tales of horror and the supernatural, particularly with the stories seen here. Stevenson wrote these stories to be read during the Christmas season (one traditionally associated with the supernatural and tales of dread). While Stevenson was much influenced by his own strict upbringing, he also was influenced by the various evolutionary theories of criminology then popular in the Victorian period. In particular, the eugenic theories of Francis Galton and the criminological theories of Caesare Lombroso (who claimed to have found the source of the "atavistic criminal type") were then popular. Stevenson also may have been interested in sexual pathology (a taboo topic during the Victorian era). In particular, many of his stories hint at homosexuality or possibly sexual sadism (and the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was to influence the writing of Oscar Wilde who was convicted of sodomy in his time). Stevenson's stories reveal the dark side of man and the hypocrisy of the "respectable" during the Victorian period.

This book contains the following tales (and essay):

_Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde_ (1886) - This is the classic tale of a double consciousness. The respectable Dr. Jekyll, an upright citizen of a higher status, begins to develop a secret nature (to become a "secret sinner") which eventually leads him to construct the personality of a Mr. Edward Hyde as an alter. Mr. Hyde is a repulsive figure to behold, uniformly despised by those who see him, short in stature, possibly deformed, and bearing some resemblance to the simian. Mr. Hyde is also the classic atavistic criminal type, believed to be lower on the evolutionary ladder than the righteous Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll concocts a potion which he intakes and becomes the sinister Mr. Hyde. Thus, begins a classic conflict between the good and evil natures within man. While Dr. Jekyll leads an upright life, his alter Mr. Hyde engages in brutal activities, nearly plows over a child on the street, and eventually murders a man. The story unfolds as Dr. Jekyll's lawyer and friend tries to understand why Dr. Jekyll should choose such a repulsive individual as Hyde as his benefactor to his will and the ensuing transformation in Jekyll. Eventually the transformation begins to occur in Jekyll without the use of the potion, so Jekyll vows to stop taking it. However, he returns to the potion again eventually (perhaps hinting at the horrors of alcoholism or other addiction) and becomes Mr. Hyde again. Eventually the personality of Mr. Hyde is to overcome completely Dr. Jekyll (as his potion runs out). Thus is revealed the dual nature of man.

"The Body Snatcher" (1884) - This tale involves the procurement of bodies to be dissected by medical students. At the time, the bodies used by medical students were in short supply. These bodies are supplied to a Dr. K__ (perhaps, Robert Knox, a real life physician who was implicated in a similar scandal); however, it soon becomes apparent that they have been murdered. The story ends with a bizarre twist. This story was a precursor to _Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde_, and it features many of the same surroundings.

"Olalla" (1885) - This is a classic Gothic tale featuring a voyage by a man suffering from tuberculosis (which Stevenson himself was to suffer from) to Catholic Spain. There he stays with an ancient family which is under a horrifying curse - degeneracy of the blood. Stevenson based this story on many of the evolutionary beliefs popular at the time, including the hereditary nature of madness and "bad blood". The family described in this story, though of noble birth, has a history of this "taint of the blood" brought about by too much inbreeding. The story involves vampirism (the longing for blood, which perhaps influenced the later writings of Bram Stoker, whose Dracula was also an atavistic criminal type of a tainted heritage) and the narrator falls in love with Olalla, a daughter of the family.

"A Chapter on Dreams" (Abridged) (1888) - This is an essay written by Stevenson in which he discusses his dreams (the role of the "Brownies" (elfin creatures) in their creation) and the source of his inspiration for _Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde_.

The final section of this book is an essay by the editor Robert Mighall, entitled "Diagnosing Jekyll: The Scientific Context of Dr Jekyll's Experiment and Mr Hyde's Embodiment". This essay discusses the role of double-consciousness (the possibility of multiple personality), moral insanity, criminal responsibility, and sexual perversion in the character of Dr. Jekyll. It is most interesting for its remarks on the evolutionary theories of criminology popular at the time and the possible sexual perversion of Dr. Jekyll. This essay also discusses the case of "Jack the Ripper", which played out in London at the same time as _Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde_ was appearing on the stage, and its relationship to this story.

This book includes several interesting stories by Stevenson which reveal his continuing obsessions, the dual nature of man and the evolutionary taint of "bad blood". They show us how even the most respectable, upright individuals may have a dual nature (a dark side), though it is often hidden. They also have much to say about the societal hypocrisy which makes such a thing possible to begin with. The need to "keep up appearances" often betrays a darker side.

The original version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is much different than you would expect, if you haven't read it before. It plays out as a mystery of sorts. A lawyer friend of Jekyll tries to find out what the relationship is between the respectable Dr Jekyll and the lowlife Mr Hyde. It is not revealed until near the end of the story that they are in fact the same man. Of course, nowadays everyone is aware of that before they have even read this story. Naturally, a lot of the suspense of the story is lost due to this. Still, this story became a classic for a reason and is well worth a read. And it's short too, for you kids looking for a short book to read for a book report. There are two other suspense stories by Stevenson included here, too. These two are not classics, but they are also enjoyable.