Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Writer's Methods and Techniques (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

‘Methods’ is an umbrella term for anything the writer does on purpose to create meaning. Using the writer’s name in your response will help you to think about the text as a conscious construct and will keep reminding you that Stevenson purposely put the text together. This guide includes the following sections:

• Form and structure

• Narrative

• Gothic genre

• Setting

• Imagery, motifs and symbolism

Form and structure

• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is written the form of a novella and consists of ten chapters

• It is a mix of a gothic, science fiction and detective story 

• Stevenson delays introducing the character of Jekyll into the narrative until Chapter III:

  • Stevenson may have chosen to introduce Hyde in the narrative before Jekyll to reinforce the reader’s perception that he is a separate entity

• In Chapter IV, Stevenson chooses to move the events of the narrative on by one year and provides no information as to what Hyde may have been doing during this period:

  • By omitting this from the narrative, Stevenson increases the sense of mystery and foreboding, as the reader is left to wonder what further crimes he may have committed during this period

  • This is further heightened in this chapter as it is revealed that he savagely beats an elderly man to death, which also suggests that his capacity for evil is increasing

• The structure of the novella is used to create a sense of mystery throughout and it is only the final chapter that resolves the identity of Hyde:

  • Stevenson narrates and structures the novella in a way which makes the reader think that Jekyll and Hyde are two separate characters

  • However, throughout the narrative, Stevenson does provide hints about Jekyll’s character which indicate an alternative side to his character:

    • For example, Jekyll is described as having “something of a slyish cast” and that he “was wild when he was young”

• Stevenson makes some of the chapters in the novella quite concise in order to quicken the pace and increase the tension

Narrative

• The narrative of the novella is fragmented and largely follows the character of Utterson:

  • There are a number of occasions when the narrative introduces other accounts which could be seen to help piece events together

  • These shifts in narration could also be seen as increasing the level of doubt in the version of events and presents the possibility of additional meanings being agreed upon

• Stevenson largely uses an omniscient third-person narrator, which enables the narrator to be aware of all of the characters’ thoughts and emotions:

  • This could be viewed as giving the narrative a sense of objectivity and truthfulness as the narrative mainly depicts events through the seemingly dependable Utterson 

• The last two chapters are written in epistolary form from the perspective of Lanyon and Jekyll:

  • These first-person accounts present the reader with a more unreliable narrator as they are recounted solely from the perspectives of Lanyon and Jekyll:

    • This heightens the sense of mystery and forces the reader to question the credibility of their version of events

    • For example, Lanyon’s account of Jekyll’s transformation is described in very contrasting terms from the manner in which Jekyll recounts it

• Stevenson uses a significant amount of dialogue in order to add an element of realism to the characters and settings:

  • This enables the reader to be fully immersed with the character's feelings and thoughts

Gothic genre

• Stevenson firmly situates his novella within the gothic genre of literature and the narrative employs many of its conventional features:

  • A sinister, grotesque and mysterious atmosphere 

  • A setting within a dark place or ruined building

  • Experiences on the margins of normality which lead to horror, madness or despair

  • Supernatural elements

• Gothic literature was intended to create an atmosphere of terror and/or horror, suggesting some unknown entity exists which is evil and dangerous:

  • Stevenson achieves this through his use of setting, language and characterisation

Setting

• Stevenson uses the city of London as the setting for his narrative and the perpetual fog and darkness depicted in the streets creates a disturbing and threatening atmosphere

• London functions as an appropriate backdrop due to its vastness and Stevenson establishes a link between the urban setting of the city with the evil crimes committed by Hyde:

  • Imagery depicting dark and sinister landscapes suggest Hyde is at home in his surroundings, where he can remain hidden and unexposed

  • The vastness of the city enables Hyde to carry out his obscenities in the more secluded parts of London, remote from his upper-class environment

Imagery, motifs and symbolism

• The fog is used as a motif to signify the moral ambiguity and hidden darkness of the city which creates an oppressive atmosphere:

  • It is used to represent the blurred boundaries between good and evil and alludes to hidden secrets and desires

  • It also serves to heighten the novella’s atmosphere of suspense, tension and mystery, highlighting the uncertainty of human nature

• Pathetic fallacy is used throughout the novella and London is made to appear as a duality of good and evil: 

  • For example, “reinvasion of darkness” and “black winter morning” suggests the weather appears oppressive and a struggle exists between darkness and light

  • It also hints at the darker aspects of human nature that the reader encounters through the character of Hyde

• Stevenson uses doors and keys as a metaphor throughout the novella as they symbolise the barrier between Jekyll and Hyde and the two worlds in which they inhabit:

  • Further, they symbolise the inner struggles of the two identities and the doors are a physical representation of the duality of the characters

• Hyde is described in terms of animalistic imagery which increases as the novella develops: for example, “savage”, “snarled”, “with ape-like fury” and “hardly human” all allude to his aggressive, predatory and primitive nature:

  • Stevenson’s deliberate use of animal imagery is used to suggest Hyde’s separateness from human society and his unrestrained nature

• Religious symbolism and biblical allusions are used repeatedly throughout the novella:

  • For example, Stevenson refers to “I incline to Cain’s heresy”, which is a biblical reference to the tale of Cain and Abel (which depicts one evil and one good son) and Stevenson does this as a further symbol of the duality of Jekyll and Hyde