The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

It occurred to me that, despite being a horror enthusiast, I'd never actually read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Being part of the classic horror canon, I decided to put this wrong to rights, and was not disappointed. The novella, which is very slight and can be read in a couple of sittings, documents the case of the titular character(s) in the form of an informal legal inquiry. Lawyer Utterson has been called upon by his respectable friend Dr Jekyll to include a Mr Edward Hyde in his will, an unorthodox arrangement that throws Utterson into a bit of a tizz. Hyde has become known as a disreputable character about town who tramples children in the street. All who meet him are overcome by his ugliness and aura of brutishness. There is no sense in avoiding spoilers here, as everyone knows that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same person, separated by a swig of the good doctor's breakthrough chemical formula. It must have been an amazing twist to original readers. The impact this tale has had on popular culture is without doubt, simply incalculable, and it remains a fantastic idea to this day.

My first encounter with Jekyll and Hyde was from the animated children's film Mad Monster Party (1967). Indeed he is such a staple of the horror genre, and the concept so rooted in psychoanalytic discourse pertaining to the Id and Superego, as to be universally well recognised. Still, I find it curious how he is sometimes included in the pantheon of Universal classic monsters, but more often than not excluded. The story itself is suspenseful and the streets of London granted an otherworldly quality wreathed in brown, obfuscating vapours, an excellentl and evocative allegory for the hidden parts of man's psyche. The edition I read comes with two other short stories by Stevenson - 'Christmas Crawlers' as they were known as back then. The Body Snatchers, a creepy tale about grave robbing and murder, and Olalla, a classic example of gothic literature dealing with vampirism. I really wish the Victorian tradition of spooky stories for Christmas would make a comeback, as there's nothing more cosy on a cold winter evening.

Rating: 4/5