Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil

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Considering The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an Effective Representation of Evil The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, originally published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson, arguably remains a popular novella even today because of its representations of evil and themes concerned with evil such as morality. Originally written for a Victorian audience, the text follows the conventions of the time - for example, the Georgian style of introducing and portraying characters by their social class and status. In writing his classic, Stevenson wanted to "focus on the suggestion that evil is potentially more powerful than good"1 - an idea which would have been out of place then. Indeed, though the Victorian era was a period of great scientific advancement, society was still firmly routed in religion: Sunday would be reserved for Church, a copy of the Bible would be the only book possessed by many, and blasphemy was considered both morally and legally a major crime. Though Charles Darwin had challenged the Biblical theory of Creation some seven years earlier in his thesis The Origin of Species, his works were generally not accepted by the majority of the population - it is extremely likely, as well as logical, that most of his support would have come from the scientific community, which is ironic considering that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde focuses around the medical profession. Therefore, by focusing on the suggestion that "evil is potentially more powerful than good" 1 - i.e. that God was not almighty or prevalent - Stevenson risked not only the popularity of his novella, but of his reputation as an author. The defi... ... middle of paper ... .../ 3 See: Stafford News 4 Mike Wolfe, Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent 5 Wikipedia [www] http://www.wikipedia.org/ 6 Genesis 4:11 - The Bible (The King James Version) 7 The Inland Voyage, Robert Louis Stevenson 8 Classic Notes [www] http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/jekyll/ 9 Essay Crawler [www] http://www.essaycrawler.com/viewpaper/55322.html/ 10 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Criticism [www] http://www.enotes.com/dr-jekyll/7417/ 11 The Carew Murder Case 12 Wikiquote [www] http://www.wikiquote.com/ 13 Peter Bell the Third, P.B. Shelly 14 Wikipedia [www] http://www.wikipedia.org/ and Dr. Mumtaz Pardhan 15 The Placebo Effect: Harnessing Your Mind's Power to Heal [www] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031231084101.htm. 16 Leil Lowndess, Relationship Psychologist

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