This series examines the creation and popularity of the classic literary horror novels of the Victorian Era. The genre of the horror story gained immense popularity during the late nineteenth century and has retained its popularity for over a century. The classic gothic horror novels reveal the ambiguities of the Victorian Era, an era that experienced the changes of the Industrial Revolution and social repression at the same time. Nightmare! The Birth of Victorian Horror would be useful for classes on Literature, Western Civilization, Drama, Culture and Psychology. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

Jekyll & Hyde

Popular for his classic children's adventure Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson shocked Victorian society with his macabre tale of a good doctor with an evil alter ego. Stevenson, tormented by ill health and recurrent nightmares, based The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on a particularly disturbing nightmare. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been critiqued as the story of the inner fight between good and evil, a Victorian morality tale, and as an example of Freudian id and ego.

• aberration
• advocates
• affinity
• allegory
• convalescence
• degradation
• dejected
• derelict
• distilled
• embellish
• fundamentalist
• gait
• hone
• hypocrisy
• impetuously
• insomnia
• interminable
• ornate
• promenade
• reiterate

1. Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was different from the genre of horror stories that came before the Victorian era. What were some of the differences between pre-Victorian horror stories and Victorian horror stories? How does The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde exemplify these changes?

2. The term Jekyll and Hyde has become part of the English language, signifying the impact of Stevenson's work. What other literary titles or terms have become part of the English language? Why do some terms and titles become so embedded in a culture?

3. How does the story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personify or illustrate one aspect of the struggles and complexities of the human condition?

4. Works of art and literature are often reflections of the inner workings or conflicts of the artist or author. Discuss how The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dramatize Robert Louis Stevenson's own personal conflicts.

5. Discuss the influence of Stevenson's childhood on his writings, including The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

6. Some scholars and critics have pointed out that the story of Jekyll and Hyde is a reflection of the dichotomy of the city of Edinburgh, Stevenson's home. Discuss how The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde could be a representation of Stevenson's home.

7. Every culture has certain rituals that accompany the death of its members. Why are death rituals so important to a society? What are some of the death rituals of your culture or society? How do rituals differ from culture to culture?

8. Discuss the influence of Stevenson's privileged position on his writings.

9. Robert Louis Stevenson's wife, Fanny Stevenson, perpetuated a myth of a burned first draft of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Why did she do this?

1. Using the medium of your choice, create a visual representation of the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

2. Create a poster that illustrates the two distinct sides of the city of Edinburgh. Use your illustration to discuss how The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde could be a representation of Stevenson's Edinburgh.

3. Write a short story that is your own version of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the twenty-first century.

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