Robert Louis Stevenson ( )

Born in Edinburgh. He rebelled against his father’s Calvinistic religion. He travelled a great deal, especially in the South Pacific. He died in Samoa. Stevenson’s Life

Treasure Island (1883) The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) Kidnapped (1886) The Master of Ballantrae (1889) Catriona (1893) His Works

A long, short story. A modern myth. It deals with the theme of double-personality. It shows how man embodies good and evil. These two forces may be separated and left to fight each other. The ultimate result is the destruction of the original personality. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

All the threads of the story are pulled together at the end of the book for the final explanation of the mystery. It is a crime story because of: a. its title  ‘case’ points to ‘police case’ b. the setting  a foggy London; most scenes take place at night; c. scattered clues  they may lead to the solution of the story. A Crime Story

A structure looking ahead to the XX century The shift of the narrative point of view It shows a new awareness of the human mind Psychoanalysis A Complex Novel

Dr Jekyll is obsessed with the idea that his evil tendencies can be separated from his good side. He discovers a drug that works this change and turns him into a new person  Mr Hyde. Hyde’s evil nature grows to the point that he commits murder. Jekyll is frightened, but he can’t get rid of Hyde  he has taken over Jekyll’s body without needing the drug to do so. Jekyll closes himself in his laboratory and commits suicide. The Story