[Music] considered the master work of great British author Robert Louis Stevenson The Strange Case of dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde often shortened to just dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde is a beloved classic of Gothic literature that speaks to not just great mystery and supernatural storytelling but endures as a short novel that represents the duality of human beings are composed tactfully crafted public personas and our dark primal sometimes even evil urges that underscore our societies and the narratives that prop them up and maintain civil order Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh Scotland on November 13th 1850 his father's side of the family were a line of lighthouse engineers his mother's side of the family were Gentry Stevenson was born with weak lungs and was subject to illness much of his life this impeded his formal education nonetheless his nurse would read him religious stories as well as ghost tales at a young age he became enthusiastic about writing stories Stevenson traveled widely throughout his life partly for adventure and partly for his health he had tuberculosis he visited the United States traveled through Europe and even sailed the South Pacific he used his adventures as inspirations for his works like Treasure Island Stevenson's breakthrough as a writer came with the publication of dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde the story came to Stevenson in a dream in 1885 and he wrote the entire novella in only a few days it sold 40,000 copies in the first six months and has since become a classic stevenson died on December 3rd 1894 in Samoa now dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde falls under the gothic movement and specifically gothic horror fiction unlike romantic writers who focused on natural beauty writers of the Gothic movement focused their attention on death and the irrational their works carried dark and mysterious tones both literally and symbolically structurally these novels only offer glimpses of perspective leaving it up to the reader to weave together information and draw conclusions furthermore dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde comments on Victorian morality especially its contradictions as it relates to poverty crime sex and class conduct the idea of evolution also contributes to the novel's characters most notably mr. Hyde 15 years before dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man the idea that humans carry animalistic and primitive traits crept into literature and in the novella Hyde is described as troglodytic or ape-like and is driven by primitive desires although there is no explicit homosexuality in the novella Stevenson alludes to perceptions of homosexuality in 1800s England to Utterson as well as readers from the time the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde would look like a homosexual affair throughout the novella Jekyll suspicious actions point to this leaving everything in his will to hide giving hide keys to his home the appearance of being blackmailed or exposed people are already making suspicious connections between the two men the story opens with Utterson and Enfield on a walk one Sunday night and field tells Edison that mr. Hyde trampled a girl and bribed her parents Utterson goes home to see his client dr. Jekyll and sees that he's left everything to the strange Hyde he visits Jekyll science partner Lanyon tells him that he and Jeckle no longer work together Utterson goes to check on Jekyll who isn't home and Jeckle servant tells him hi it has keys later Jekyll hosts the dinner Utterson inquires but Jekyll assures him he won't see Hyde again a year later it is found Hyde has murdered a man one of utter 'sons clients he goes to Jekyll's to make sure he's not hiding hi Jekyll gives him a forged letter Utterson visits Lanyon who has fallen deathly ill after a shock but he won't talk about it now after lanyons death Utterson tries repeatedly to visit Jekyll but Jekyll still refuses to see him he and Enfield go on a walk and talk to Jekyll through his window pool Jekyll servant visits Utterson and tells him something is wrong with Jekyll they go to his house a strange voice comes from Jekyll's lab insisting the men don't enter Utterson and pool break down the door to find Hyde dying from ingesting poison they find letters revealing the truth about the two men being the same the narrative shifts the Lanyon who reveals how he saw Hyde transform into Jekyll the last chapter is a letter from dr. Jekyll explaining how he invented a potion that turned him into his uncivilized primitive side mr. Hyde darkness symbolizes evil sin and crime all throughout the novella houses symbolize the psyche of their owners doors symbolize passageways into the mind the walking stick symbolizes identity as a gentleman clothing the Jekyll and Hyde symbolizes hides under development and half being there are a number of key themes in dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde good and evil recur throughout the novella good is civil public life bad desires and passions the most obvious divided self is dr. Jekyll he consciously and literally splits himself into two people so he can retain the good reputation of his public self Jekyll while indulging his dark passions high self-control is represented through Utterson and Enfield practicing their own forms of self-control as gentlemen Jekyll himself uses science so he doesn't have to class dictates how characters should behave and how they are tied to expectations inquiry how different characters go about seeking the truth if they seek it at all is a key part of the entire mystery at once an engrossing story and a study of the human condition Stevenson's dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde presents an engaging paradox the conflict between our public and private personas a best-seller upon its initial release dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde has entered the lexicon of common nomenclature to such an extent that we compare those in a sudden bad mood to the title characters of the novella it has maintained a constant and powerful influence upon popular culture the world