Link to Kevin Tyler's Class Summary

Kevin Tyler April 7, 2011

Class Summary Essay Assignment

British Victorian Literature on the day of March 31st got off to a bit of an unusual start. I was startled at the figure that walked through the door and shouted "good morning;" Dr. Foss appeared to have abandoned his usual t-shirt/brown blazer mix, and I, for one, was caught horribly off guard. The blue jeans, however, were still present, effectively lending an at least moderate sense of normalcy to the situation. Following a particularly detailed and gruesome "reward" quiz, large group discussion opened with a statement that formed the essential analysis of Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; this being that the author's upbringing in an strict Scottish Calvinistic background influenced the story of Dr. Jekyll in virtually every way, including structures of religion, social class, and gender.

During initial discussion Dr. Foss provided concise insight as to the context of the author's childhood. Having been raised by stringent religious standards, it is not illogical to think that Robert Louis Stevenson applied the perspective from his youthful development to the characters and settings of his fictitious works. James Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner provides a useful understanding of this culture, a setting driven entirely by faith. Dr. Jekyll sits in an interesting light in the perspective of skepticism: is the good doctor's misfortunate a result of his own failures as a spiritual individual? Does the remedy to his own paradoxical nature lie somewhere in dialectic enlightenment? Doctor Foss reads a passage from 1779, stating that this text deviates in at least one distinct aspect from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Dr. Jekyll has no aspirations to serve humanity, nor any motivation to create that is not entirely selfish. Very arguably, Stevenson's tale is much more introspective than Shelley's, if not explicitly more religious.

Armed with these instructions, the class segmented in small groups. The sub-function I was a part of immediately pointed to a passage on page 1803, taking note that characters appear to be blaspheming religious texts. A character compares Mr. Hyde's annotated manuscript to a copy of the Bible containing overt handwritten notation (an action generally frowned upon by especially conservative Christian schools of thought). Furthermore, when Jekyll compares the nature of his relationship to Hyde he draws an allusion to well-known biblical figures, stating that he is "subject to Cane's legacy, but I let my brother go to the devil go to the devil in his own way." Another analogy on page 1781, "street after street, all lighted up as if for a procession and all as empty as a church," struck the attention of another member. The irony here being that houses of worship are (at least in America) thought of as traditionally containing a large and vivacious population; does this description offer insight as to Stevenson's dissatisfaction with the institutions he has been long-associated with? Irrespective to the answer to that question, the various inclusions of the subtle conflict between doubt and conviction throughout the text create an undeniable underlying theme of Christian theology.

Following brief dialogue regarding a minor character's sexuality, sexual crime, Law and Order SVU, the role the television show Arthur played on childhood literary understanding of the world, and a group member's recent purchase of an especially adorable puppy with an irresistibly soft underbelly small group discussion concluded and was replaced with classroom summary. Nick, a regular contributor to analysis, began the report with the idea that while Doctor Jekyll is portrayed as a bad scientist, there are other scientists present in the story depicted as good. This characterization further confirms the proposition made at the beginning of class that science is not inherently evil, and neither was the story written entirely under the thematic lens of science. This train of thought sparked further discussion, leading to an extended comparison made on the parallels between and Jekyll and Hyde and Cain and Abel. Another student suggested that the story is inverted; the "good" brother both creates and destroys the other. Also in Stevenson's take, there is no overt feeling that God will pass judgment in the end. However, the idea was postulated that perhaps society plays the role of a God in the story, and there is certainly harsh evaluation from the townspeople throughout.

Entering second and third literary perspectives of analysis, discussion shifted to include the dynamic of class and gender. Is Dr. Jekyll meant to represent the Englishman, while Hyde is indicative of societal perception of the Scott? Joe, a self-professed Scottish native, announces his offense at Stevenson's portrayal of Hyde, stating that the Scotts deserved a better representative in the story. Another student raises the idea of travel and empire; the British Empire during this time period conquered natives of various territories, and upon indigenous revolt they labeled the efforts as "barbaric." In Stevenson's world, is Hyde barbaric only because Jekyll created him? Is this a political commentary, asking whether or not England is responsible for the uprisings of numerous colonized citizens around the world?

Class concluded with a round of small groups. My associates discussed the premise that the setting Stevenson created is nearly exclusively masculine. As another group member proposed, should the audience be ready to critique the author for this choice? Is he even aware that the world he has envisioned is entirely male-dominated? The female characters have virtually no dialogue; even the girl trampled by Hyde seems to simply "take it like a champ." On page 1802, the author makes the comparison of a women to a "lost soul." The only other male occupant of the group came to Stevenson's aid, suggesting that he was only trying to convey the tones of a society in which women are devoid of public speaking privileges and political influence. Additionally, while it is a world run entirely by men, things are still going very, very wrong. Perhaps Stevenson is not as sexist as appears at first glance.

In the closing minutes of discussion, the group commented briefly on the role of Victorian ladies and gentlemen, pointing specifically to a passage denoting Utley's concern that Hyde could be blackmailing Jekyll for events that have occurred in his past. The extensiveness of this idea appears to give the idea certain plausibility- why did Stevenson spend so much time on the idea? Is Jekyll a latent homosexual, a drug addict, thief, or criminal? As far-fetched as the idea may be, it is certainly a thought-provoking one.

As the bell rang, I exited class with the conviction that the opening statements of the day had been compelling ones. Through examination of gender behavior, social strata, and religious depiction it becomes apparent that Stevenson has unintentionally divulged much of his views of society and his Calvinistic upbringing.