Reader discussion: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Public reader discussion about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

TIL that in 1890 author Robert Louis Stevenson ('The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde') publicly denounced a well-known priest for slandering Father Damien of Molokai, who had dedicated his life to treating leprosy and died of it as a result. The priest's name was Dr. Charles Hyde.

By GrandHorse

As a kid, Treasure Island was totally my escape book. I also liked that Child’s Garden of Verses. He was such a beast of a writer, though—hard to deny.

Finally picked up The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

By paperbackmarket2003

I’m really, really enjoying this book so far. I’m only on page 63 and I’m honestly kind of baffled by how much it’s got me. The writing is super engaging, and the story never really slows down, plus it’s got that mystery going on, so my brain is basically on the whole time. I already knew the twist going in, but I still keep wanting to jump back in every time I have to stop. It’s also making me think about why school made me read so much stuff that felt so dull. I think part of it is just that I hate being told what to do, so required reading never landed for me. Anyway—I'm glad I’m back in classic lit. It feels like my last shot, because I usually only end up scrolling through TikTok nonsense. I’ve actually deleted most of my social media now. Jekyll and Hyde is fully taking over my attention.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde First Half Discussion

By window_verse

Heads up—this has spoilers for the first half of *The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (Robert Louis Stevenson). If you’ve already read it, feel free to jump in! On the book: I didn’t expect it to get as dark/psychological as it does. It’s basically about a respectable guy being tied up with Edward Hyde, then the whole hunt in foggy London for what’s going on, and it ends up with that final reveal about Hyde. Honestly, it’s a pretty creepy look at how awful people can be. A few questions to throw out there: - What did you think about the writing style? - Did it match what you thought it would be like? - Does it count as horror to you? Why/why not? You don’t have to answer any of that—just wanted a way to start talking. If you’ve got any reactions so far, I’m curious. Schedule-wise: - First Half Discussion: October 16 (yeah, I’m a day late—my internet died) - Final Discussion: October 29 - Nominations soon, too - Announcement: October 1