Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Third Edition

by Martin A. Danahay

First published in 1886 as a “shilling shocker,” Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde takes the basic struggle between good and evil and adds to the mix bourgeois respectability, urban violence, and class conflict. The result is a tale that has taken on the force of myth in the popular imagination. This Broadview edition provides a fascinating selection of contextual material, including contemporary reviews of the novel, Stevenson’s essay “A Chapter on Dreams,” and excerpts from the 1887 stage version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Also included are historical documents on criminality and degeneracy, the “Jack the Ripper” murders, the “double brain,” and London in the 1880s.

New to this third edition are an appendix on the figure of the Victorian gentleman and an expanded selection of letters related to the novel; the introduction and bibliography have also been updated to reflect recent criticism.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2015

Reviews

[Eve LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I shall be Mr. Seek” (41)

[Ridam · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the Frankenstein vibes and ending/explanation was satisfactory

[Aurelio Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do we all think we know the story, when most of us, I presume, have not read it?
There is a depth to the story that is difficult to convey outside the written narrative. For starters, the narrator's interpretation of the transformation could be read as simulation theory. Otherwise, how can an unconscious thing shape the body? The novella is explicit on this point.
The narrator himself, focalized as dr. Jekyll realizes that, although he is dealing with a double, we must be more than just 2, we are multiple, perhaps legion: this predates Pessoa's multiple beings or personalities by some decades.
There are some different points of view and focalizations in this novel which would require a more avant-garde rendition than what Hollywood could offer us.

[Grace ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great spooky read

[Rhys Bandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange case!

[mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.0) enjoyed the use of he and i from jekyll. also very curious about the contents of the first draft....

[kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

my lit professor described to us how hyde is seen as a representation of gender expression and transness and i think that that makes the book a million times cooler