The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Everyone has a dark side. Dr Jekyll has discovered the ultimate drug. A chemical that can turn him into something else. Suddenly, he can unleash his deepest cruelties in the guise of the sinister Hyde. Transforming himself at will, he roams the streets of fog-bound London as his monstrous alter-ego. It seems he is master of his fate. It seems he is in complete control. But soon he will discover that his double life comes at a hideous price ...



What an intensely sad moral fable. In some ways I thought it similar to 'The Invisible Man' by HG Wells. Both narratives express a keen interest in science, and warn in their own way of the danger of transgressing the borders or what one may call moral or ethical acceptability and experimentation.

The clever Dr Jekyll invents a potion which allows him to temporarily change his appearance, age and nature, in order to live a life of villainy without fear of detection. From that point onwards all goes awry, unitl eventually the hideous transformation (Mr Hyde) begins to take over Dr Jekyll's natural self.

Dotted with beautiful use of language, "Instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged", although at times (after all it's Victorian) somewhat laborious.

Interestingly Stevenson's narrative reads unemotionally, even though the content is so highly charged. Different viewpoints are used in the book, allowing Dr Jekyll the final words which explain all. Mr Hyde is never allowed a voice, reinforcing the victory of good over evil, even though the only possible outcome is the death of both Jekyll and Hyde, naturally.





Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), Scottish essayist, poet and author of fiction and travel books, was known especially for his novels of adventure. Stevenson became famous with the romantic adventure story Treasure Island, which appeared in 1883. Among his other popular works are Kidnapped (1886), The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and The Master Of Ballantrae (1889).

Ficção / Horror / Línguas Estrangeiras / Literatura Estrangeira / Suspense e Mistério / Terror / Fantasia / Romance