Public reader discussion about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the WeRead Catalog by Robert Louis Stevenson.
By Jar1975
Honestly, it feels like Stephen King was so messed up when he wrote Cujo that he probably doesn’t even remember doing it. Like, that book is a big 319-page bestseller, but the way people talk, it sounds like he was drunk and drugged enough to have no memory of writing it.
By SealSpring
Tomorrow I’m going to put up a wrap-up post for the whole book, so for now let’s talk about the final chapter. Some things to think about: - What did you make of Dr. Jekyll’s explanation of how it all started and how it ended? - Now that the story’s finished, does it make sense that Hyde looks different from Jekyll? - Did this chapter clear up most of your questions, or do you still have some? - How do you feel about Dr. Jekyll after hearing his version? - Anything else you want to bring up? Also, I know the wrap-up thread will technically go up on Saturday and we usually take weekends off. If you can’t get to it right away, that’s fine — it’ll stay pinned through the weekend, so just stop by whenever you can and add your thoughts. Links: Project Gutenberg Standard eBook Librivox Audiobook Last Line: So now I set down the pen and seal my confession, and with that I bring the sad life of Henry Jekyll to its end.
By basilcomet77
Uh, who’s that? I feel like I’m done for.
By midnightsummer
Hey all, I just finished my first horror novella, *The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*, and I was wondering what other people got from it while I get ready to move on to my first full horror novel, *The Monk*. I know the Jekyll and Hyde story is meant to work as an allegory, but what did you think it was saying the first time you read it? The part where Dr. Jekyll wants to do the more “evil” and “sinful” things without any punishment or guilt made me think of drug/alcohol addiction at first, before I started thinking about human evil or the darker side of people, which seems like the more common reading. Also, I thought the writing in *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* was pretty easy to follow, aside from a few times I had to check a dictionary, especially for something from 1886. Since *The Monk* was written about 100 years earlier, should I expect it to be a lot harder to get through?
By DistantValleyCougar
It kind of depends on what you’re asking, but my take is that The Strange Case isn’t really meant to be a pure “psychological case study” so much as a look at good vs. evil (kind of seems like that’s what the whole long title is hinting at). On the “split personality” side, I guess Hamlet is the earlier example—he acts polite and put-together after what he does to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, so that dual vibe is there, even if I’m probably messing up spelling. And Plato’s love ideas in the Symposium definitely lean on some kind of duality too. I’m not super knowledgeable here, but I feel like Freud’s case studies have to touch on stuff like dual personalities, bipolar disorder, or something pretty close. Also, it doesn’t feel like Freud was just collecting what happened—he was pushing his own psychology theory more than strictly sticking to the facts in front of him. (That last part is kind of a joke, but you’d need to know Freud to really get it.) Hope that helps.
By delta-hare91
Hey! I’m pretty new to reading, but I really want to start “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” I just don’t know which version to buy since there are a lot out there. Since it’s an older classic, I was hoping to get one that’s not written in old-style English. Any recommendations? Thanks!
By wilddog1979
Strange Case is probably one of my favorite books, so I keep wondering if there are any other books that were really inspired by it. I’ve had good luck with adaptations of classics I love—stuff like Pride and Prometheus and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein—but I haven’t run into many that are based on Strange Case specifically. The only ones I’ve found so far are Hyde by Daniel Levine and “Further Developments in the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Kim Newman, and I’m kind of surprised there aren’t more. If anyone knows of other similar stories, I’d love the suggestions—thanks!
By IcyBear5
I’m in my 6th year doing Advanced Higher English (basically last year) and we’ve got to write a dissertation linking two novels by theme. I’ve picked *Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde* for the whole “good vs evil / human nature” duality thing, but I’m really stuck on what to use as my second book. Any ideas for something similar? Ideally the main character should be kind of torn by free will and have that whole murderous urge like Jekyll does with Hyde.
By GooseBookmark
It feels like because the character is so well-known in pop culture now, most readers today kind of walk in already expecting the big twist right before the end. Once you know what’s coming, it’s easy to spot the setup leading into it. Like, around the middle, Utterson compares the handwriting of Jekyll and Hyde and notices they’re pretty much the same, but then he goes with the idea that Jekyll could’ve faked the letter Hyde supposedly wrote. That feels like a totally reasonable explanation, so I’m not sure if Victorian readers would’ve picked up that they’re actually the same person. Anyone else have thoughts on whether the clues would’ve landed differently at the time, especially with how the book was first received?
By PlainBucket
Hey! I’m pretty new to reading, but I really want to start “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Since it’s an older classic, I was hoping to find a version that’s not written in old-style English. Thanks!
By DeskRiver
I can’t say I fully predicted where this was going, but I definitely wasn’t just zoning out either. I liked the tension and the whole build-up right before they finally broke the door down—honestly that was my favorite part of the chapter. Also, I’m still side-eyeing the whole Mr. Hyde suicide thing. I don’t think I had it on any bingo card, and I keep wondering why he picked that instead of just running or fighting since it seemed like he had options right before everything went down. And now it sounds like the book’s wrapping up with two different narratives. Kinda wild, especially after our last book that was basically all narrative the whole time. I’m curious how this strange case is actually going to get explained, and I’m hoping a few things make sense. One question I can’t stop thinking about: the “knife-boy.” Without looking it up, I’m guessing it’s some kid who handles knives or helps out in some kind of violent/dirty way, but I’m not really sure.
By IslandSleepy
Originally came out in “The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson in One Volume” — seriously, what a title. The novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by the Scottish author is probably one of his most famous works, along with Kidnapped. I mean the Dover Thrift Editions version of it. It’s short, sure, but the story really pulls you in. There’s a nice mix of mystery and horror that makes it hard to stop reading. And yeah, it’s been turned into movies too. Not a long read, but definitely worth it!
By Reed_Shadow
It feels like mind-altering drugs have been tied into a lot of famous artistic, music, and literary stuff for ages.
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.
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.
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