Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Nov. 2009

[Sara]

Opening the discussion for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

The only version of this I have to read is the Children's Illustrated Classics version. :(

[Sara]

It might be fun to read that version and see how the adult version is different. I already own this book, so I hope to be adding to discussion soon. Just need to get through an Ancient Greek quiz tomorrow. Grad school always takes the fun out of everything.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

Okay Sara, I dug out my lil 4 x 5 1/2in children's illustrated classic paperback of this. Original price sticker from Woolworth's is 59 cents. lol It's 239 pages and every other page is a black woodcut drawing. Shouldn't take long to read.

Good luck on your quiz.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

OKay, seeing as it's so short, the version I have anyway, I read it today. It's enough of a classic, of course, I knew the ending, but I still find this a creepy story. Even though I have the children's edition, I wouldn't let my 9 year old read it. He gets scared too easily. The 12 year old could, but he hates the easy children's classic editions.

[[deleted user]]

Wow...I guess I'm really supposed to read this book! We selected this one for my f2f book club this month too! :D

[Sara]

How is everyone doing with the book? I haven't started it yet, even though I have noticed that the actual story isn't that long, if you don't read the other stories with the book. To start some conversation about the book though I have a few questions for everyone to consider:

1. The book has been described as ‘one of the best guide books of Victorian times.’ Do you agree with this statement?

2. Why do you think, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has remained such a classic since its first release in 1886?

3. The main narrative is provided by Utterson, how does this evoke suspense?

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ]

1. I don't agree since it only shows the seedier side of Victorian life. And the book isn't long enough to show you much.

2. I think it's remained a classic since it shows the good and bad side of a single personality, something we can all identify with to a certain degree.

3. I wasn't that impressed that it came mainly from his point of view.

[C.nick]

I don't really have and opinion on the first question.

On the topic of the second question, I would have to say, anything that pries into our minds and personalities is bound to intrigue us; that Stevenson did it in away that was meant to both horrify and intrigue, could only mean more selling points.

Now I am going by what I remember from the last time I read it a little less than a year ago, Utterson was to put it plainly, he was very plain, yet how this mundane man had nightmares and forebodings says a lot about how we are suppose to feel towards Mr. Edward Hyde. If Hyde can set fear into the heart of a unimaginative Victorian lawyer who discounts the supernatural, how much more should we, the imaginative readers feel? It sets up the suspense by giving us someone to gauge our reactions on; as if we should think 'If someone as boring as this finds it odd, it must really be bad and he doesn't even know it! Wounder what's going to happen next."

[Shawna]

1. I don't see how this book could possibly be one of the best guide books of Victorian times because it's too short. I could barely get a sense of the setting.

2. Everybody has good and evil in them and people are interested in what would happen if they were allowed to let the evil side out and do whatever they wanted. Also, the book isn't so far-fetched that you can't relate to it.

3. The narrative by Utterson evokes suspense because he doesn't really know what's happening. He's hearing things and seeing things but doesn't have an explanation for them.

Overall, I thought the book was okay. It wasn't as creepy as I thought it would be, but then again, maybe I just had high expectations.

[Sara]

I'm about half way through the tale. Probably will finish it tonight. I don't find it that creepy either, but I always thought that the tale was more creepy in the sense of making you think about things you wouldn't want to normally think of, instead of bump in the night kind of creepy.

3. Utterson seems to be learning things as we do just coming into the story and through him information is slowly revealed, which I do think provokes suspense.