Initially I’d assumed Stevenson’s The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde would not qualify as a work of realism due to the supernatural elements that make Mr. Hyde possible. However, the Broadview explanation of Victorian Realism gives the novel a strong case for consideration in the category of realism.

To begin with, stories classified as realism are “typically viewed from a single narrative perspective, whether that of the novel’s protagonist or of an omniscient narrator.” In this case, the single narrative is that of Mr. Utterson’s experiences with Dr. Jekyll and in a wider sense, Dr. Jekyll’s attempt to purify the essences that make up the “dual nature” of humanity.

Various quotes provided by the Broadview text emphasize and reiterate the idea that realism should  “…present an objective representation of real life that reflects the habits, desires, and aspirations of readers,” as well as document the “…every day experience, moral progress, and inner struggles of an ordinary individual.” Even the seemingly unrelatable Dr.Jekyll’s desire’s aren’t entirely outlandish given that he lives in a society which values a certain standard of behavior and finds himself greatly pained to discover that he lies outside of that societal ideal. Many readers in Victorian times may have felt the same way, as the rigid social structures and suppression of self expression often took a toll on mental stability. It is not unreasonable to assume that readers within said society would also find themselves wishing they could also change or purge that which doesn’t fit into their perceived ideals. 

The Broadview text also states that Realism contains “detailed descriptions of landscapes, city streets, and domestic interiors…” of which Stevenson’s story has plenty. Even the introduction of the story contains a detailed description of the city streets: “The street was small and what is called quiet…the shop fronts stood along that thoroughfare with an air of invitation, like rows of smiling saleswomen. Even on Sunday, when it veiled its more florid charms and lay comparatively empty of passage, the street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood, like a fire in a forest; and with its freshly painted shutters, well-polished brasses, and general cleanliness and gaiety of note, instantly caught and pleased the eye of the passenger.” Interiors are generally described in detail as well, most notably the knick knacks and furnishings of various rooms that might denote status. 

A big point against the story’s qualification as realism, is that realism does not describe “what never happened nor is likely to happen.” As such, it appears that the supernaturally created Mr. Hyde is disqualifying. However, the twist about Mr. Hyde isn’t revealed until the end pages of the story and until that point, modern readers would have read the text as a mystery rather than immediately recognizing the supernatural elements. The potion itself isn’t waved away as a course of magic, but rather as a scientific concoction unrevealed for the greater good of man. Even the reaction to witnessing something so horribly supernatural in a more or less “rational” world was fairly realistic, as Lanyon was unable to come to terms with what he’d witnessed during the transformation of Hyde into Jekyll. Finally, the Broadview text itself gives several examples of supernatural elements in Victorian realism, stating that “The  persistence of romantic elements in Victorian realist novels not only unsettles the confidence of our formal definitions, but also prompts us to consider just whose versions of “the real” were recognized as the most truthful.” So with that being said, I think the story attempts to accurately and realistically portray the times, and its minor paranormal additions should not immediately be grounds for disqualification in this definition. 

Wordsworth’s “Lucy Gray” is an excellent example of the type of poetry he spent almost two dozen lengthy paragraphs idealizing in his preface to Lyrical Ballads. The story of a young girl gone missing is derived from “incidents and situations from common life,” actively avoids language that is overly lofty and complex, and pays special attention not only to nature, but to the nature of people. Although he defends the use of prose in poetry, each stanza in “Lucy Gray” contains the consistent meter. Most importantly, he exemplifies the idea that poetry should arise from an intense outburst of emotion that is contemplated upon greatly and later recreated for the pleasure of the self or others to experience those feelings. 

In his preface Wordsworth describes the importance of basing his poetry off of real or common events, and as the footnote describes, “Lucy Gray” is based on real events but shaded with a “certain colouring of imagination.” Although we know from the footnote that the girl’s body was eventually found and confirmed dead, the poem leaves the reader with a sense of mystery and wonder whether the narrator has seen some sort of ghost or a wild and missing child. The spontaneous overflow of emotion is realized when we consider that the narrator has just witnessed a huge anomaly, a fact which is not completely apparent until the end of the poem. Wordsworth seemed to pride himself on creating feelings from stating facts rather than overtly stating or personifying emotions, and here he achieves this with great success. Not only are we to consider what the narrator has seen, but we are also left reflecting upon the situation the father and mother of the lost girl must now deal with. Furthermore, we can ask whether she’s a wild girl or a ghost based in the poem’s reality, or whether the parents are simply unable to give up hope in the face of a terrible situation. Either way, much is left to contemplation that is not explicitly stated which appears to be what Wordsworth thought poetry should strive for.

In addition to successfully capturing an outburst of feeling, Wordsworth manages to follow his aesthetic recommendations as well. He pays attention to meter, as each stanza has four lines which alternate between iambic tetrameter and trimeter, respectively. Much of the language is not only relatively common, but is often focused on nature like the “hare upon the green” and “the broken hawthorn-hedge.” The setting is rural and nature plays a sort of dual role as the antagonist by causing the girl to disappear and/or die. 

While Wordsworth’s philosophy is slightly restrictive and limited in its own right, “Lucy Gray” is a prime example of how his ideal style should and could work to effectively create compelling poetry. 

One of my favorite pieces I read this year was The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge. If I were able to teach a lesson, The Mariner would be my first pick. 

I am currently finishing my second year towards an English Education degree. With that degree I hope to someday teach high school english. I would love to teach this specific piece to freshmen. 

Mainly, because I couldn’t help myself. But, I would wait for a gloomy, rainy day. And without any precontext or knowledge about the short piece. I would then read it outloud. But adding long pauses, and dramatic shouts. I had a teacher who read a similar poem like this to my class once. She turned off a few of the lights, but with the blinds open, even on the cloud day, there was enough light for her to slowly read to us.

By the end of the dreary poem we were on the edge of our seats. When BANG. She read aloud a thunder crackle as she slammed her hand on the counter in front of us all. The poem still brings chills to my body when I think about it. This is the effect I want to bring to kids when I would teach the lesson. 

The way I see it, by reading the piece in such a way and setting the tone. This then causes the story to have a different effect on the reader. This also is a great way to introduce gothic literature. Coleridge writes a creepy, dark story that presents myth and nature together working as one. He makes use of eerie diction, and a strict rhyme scheme to create a flow and tone that can be seen through many pieces of gothic literature. When teaching this story, this is something I would highlight. Explaining that having an overall disturbing tone or creepy feel is a big part of gothic literature. 

I would ask the students if they could think of other poems or pieces that gave off a similar vibe or feel. Then I might ask how do authors give off a mysterious tone in their writing and how can we portray this tone through art pieces or what a director might do if the piece was being made into a movie? Other questions I might ask might be things like; How does gothic literature produced in Coleridge’s time differ for gothic literature produced in our time today? 

For an overall assignment I would split the students into groups. A group for each part in the Mariner story. I would then give them a huge sheet of poster paper. And ask them to draw/color/ or paint scenes from their part to convey the story. 

I love the Mariner story because it just screams Gothic literature to me! It also is one that is so jam packed with  perfect adjectives, as a reader you can feel the air, and feel the mist in the air. I hope to teach this piece someday in a classroom of my own.

In my opinion, one of the more interesting stories that we’ve read this semester is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While it wasn’t the only story that caught my attention, it was one that I enjoyed quite a bit more than the others. The strange premise that seemed to almost come from a movie, the interesting use of character descriptions, and the way in which it seemed to contradict the Realism that was prevalent in its time. Realism is valuable and interesting in its own right, and certainly not less so than works like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. However, for me, it requires a degree of patience and analysis in an academic setting and, in all truth, I don’t find myself reading such works outside of school very often. This may make me seem like a simpleton, but that’s just how I tend to be.

If I were to teach this work to a certain age group, it would be to high school students (grades 9-12). I chose this age group because Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde manages to provide examples of writing from the Victorian era while also being somewhat fun and interesting. When I was in high school, I lacked the patience and thought to read works of Realism, and preferred more exciting and fantastical stories (not that I consider Realism of lesser value than stories like these). If high school students are anything like I was at that age, I would assume that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would be one of the Victorian works that they would want to read. It manages to make a suspenseful story about inner conflict and reputation that had me wondering about what would happen next. The contrast between how Jekyll and Hyde are described throughout the work stokes the imagination, and the mysteries surrounding the two make for a desire to read further. Simply put, I think the story is fun even though it is relatively short, and thus more suitable for 9-12 graders, rather than younger students who might find difficulty reading it or college-age students who have the patience for or prefer different works from the time period. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, most of all, provides many questions to ask students. Why is it written from the perspective it is written in? What does the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde represent, if anything? Each answer could be different. It would be interesting to hear the different perspectives of students, just as I heard the different perspectives of students in this class.

The Broadview Anthology of British Literature describes Victorian Era Realism as writing that “tended to center on the everyday experiences, moral progress, and inner struggles of an ordinary individual, while giving a sense of the connections between that individual and his or her broader social networks.” (615) As is mentioned on that same page, Realism’s appeal for many readers of the time was that it, perhaps, acted as a way to guide people through their daily lives, by presenting the lives of fictional characters in situations that did not seem terribly improbable, but still interesting and relatable. However, not all writing of the Victorian Era was that of Realist authors, and I’d argue that certain works, like Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, are good examples of this.

While Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stands apart from Victorian Realism (in my opinion), it still carries some of the traits I mentioned above. It deals with the inner struggles of people and their connections to others, but there are certain traits of this work that set it apart. First, the experiences of the characters in the story are quite far from typical, everyday experiences. A terrifying Mr. Hyde stalks the streets and kills, while Dr. Jekyll deals with the turmoil that Hyde and his transformations bring. A somewhat fantastical story of a man creating an alter ego of himself with potions, and this alter ego forcibly emerging at inopportune times is hardly a normal scenario for the average, everyday British citizen, or anyone else. Because of this setting and story, I would argue that rather than being a story of Realism, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a deliberate antithesis to Realist writing. Perhaps Robert Louis Stevenson wanted to show that stories need not be realistic to portray certain themes and ideas of duality, reputation, or the struggle between good and evil (which is sometimes both within and outside of ourselves). If this was the case, I’d say it is quite effective at doing so. In modern writing, more realistic works are far from uncommon, but there is definitely a strong inclination towards fantasy, which is just as (if not more) popular today.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde gives us a story that separates itself from the realistic writing of its era in favor of a more fantastical, and arguably more entertaining story. Perhaps for some readers of the time, there may have been many who felt that real-life situations weren’t interesting or entertaining enough to keep their attention. Stories like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde provided a polar opposite to Realism to excite and play with their imaginations.

1. Choose a social issue and discuss how the treatment of that issue has or has not changed over time in the literature that we have read. Examples could include poverty, war, crime, or discrimination against people based on gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, etc. You are not limited to those examples! 

            The struggle for equal rights between man and woman seems a timeless battle, but I think is, in particular, a rich aspect of early Twentieth Century politics and literature.  In political terms, the suffrage movement is a crucial part of this history.  One could argue that without this political voice and right, women had absolutely no political voice.  I believe that the 1918 suffrage movement in Great Britain, where women thirty years and above were given the power of a political vote, changed female driven literature in very meaningful ways.

            One of the most influential female writers of this time, which typified these changes in the female voice, is Virginia Woolf.  I believe that her interjection of stream of consciousness writing was a profoundly different experience and contribution of female authors.  This seemingly subtle shift in narration was anything but slight.  Stream of consciousness narration can be argued as part of the battle for equality between men and women.  What I mean by this is that this new form of intimate, internal dialogue gave voice to the inner workings of women and, at least sometimes, placed them on the same platform as the dominant male voice. 

            There are other power dynamic shifts, with this adjustment of narration.  One could argue that authors like Virginia Woolf demanded the importance of women’s thoughts and that women had the right to emanate such personal emotion, instead of having an external voice deem what is significant and what is not.  However, Woolf is an intriguing author because she does not always reveal the female voice as elevated, but shows the effects of superficial society on the mind of women.  Woolf seems to shed light on what is lacking as well, and with this, beckons women to rise, to elevate to something of respect.  I sensed this summoning in Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street.  With questions like, “How then could women sit in Parliament?  How could they do things with men?”  Woolf brings attention to the inner workings of a very engineered female mind.  One that cannot step outside of only being a companion to man, and not a political rival or partner.  There is a friction that Woolf seems to put in place, which shows the shallow depths of the well-groomed female pet and the harshness of reality lost to her. With this friction she creates, Woolf seems to be quietly calling to women, and asking them to wake to their power and wriggle free from the confines of a very short societal leash.     

“With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson

During this course there were many literary texts that showcased various styles of writing that reflected on their surroundings, creating the conventional tropes we enjoy through various contemporary literary texts. Though, my mind still glorifies the wonderful world of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic short story “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. It presented the theme of inner struggle with good and evil, having two opposing characters/actions, and an irregular sequence in its discourse. There are many ways to incorporate this classic story into a teaching curriculum for any grade level. Especially since Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are iconic staples within pop culture with various adaptations and references in entertainment, and coining the phrase “Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” to refer to someone of good nature mixed with evil tendencies. 

This brings me to building engaging activities that capture the prominent written purpose of these themes. This curriculum fits High School grade levels 9-12, while it can also be a lower division college English course. My curriculum is called Learning Themes in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. From what I gathered from the short story, I categorized three core themes found within Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and objective for each theme:

1) Dual Nature (Good vs. Evil)

          Debate

This is the existential question Dr. Henry Jekyll tried to figure out, can one separate the good and evil nature? This theme is an allegory of the good and evil that exists in all people, and the struggle in deciphering the two sides. In the story the battle between good and evil was always between Dr. Jekyll. Though, what can be discussed is which one is superior? Towards the end Mr. Hyde seemed to have overpowered Dr. Jekyll (good) making him the winner, but the story ends with Mr. Hyde dying. 

In this activity we’ll determine who’s superior, good or evil. Students can decide between siding with Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde arguing which side should have all control. First, students will have 2 minutes for introduction to express your message/standpoint and why it’s important. Second, students have 5 minutes to present their arguments/facts with explanations. Third, students have 2 minutes to refute the opposing side’s claims. Fourth, students will have 1 minute to provide a concluding statement of argument. Lastly, there will be a vote to decide what side will win! At the end of the activity, create discussion on what side won, is it justifiable or neither side because they’re interwoven?

2) Logical Reasoning  (Science) Versus the Supernatural 

           Creative Writing Assignment

Dr. Henry Jekyll, a scientist, experiences phenomenons that are based on the productions of his scientific antics.Robert Louis Stevenson approaches right on the cusp of reality and supernatural. Dr. Jekyll is able to reach groundbreaking discovery from a potion/drug that brings out the infamous Mr.Hyde. 

For this assignment, bring the creativity Stevenson showcases in his characters and plot. Write about a chapter or an entire direction of the story as if Dr.Jekyll had successfully separated his two sides. Would this experiment be successful or be his demise? Would the additional discourse rely on realistic situations or remain on the supernatural? 

OR// Compare “The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein discussing their similarities and differences. 

3) Reputation/Repression in Society 

          Journal Entry 

 What happens to an individual when a society in the Victorian Era restrains them from expressing and presenting their true self. The repressions in Victorian England are no sexual rendezvous, no violence, or no emotion or sensibility in public. Violating any of these taboos or frowned upon actions led to a witch hunt for those impure. Seemed like back then you couldn’t be happy because you were micromanaged by a society nothing less nothing more.

In this assignment, students should put themselves into the shoes of a Victorian civilian writing a journal through their daily lives. Students will have to journal at least five 200 word entries that function as a quick story discourse. Students should be sure to address the assumed realities your character encounters, provide at least two recurring repressions, and mention how the character deals with their reputation.

English Language Arts Common Core Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.B
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.C
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.E
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.D
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5

Kayli Dutton

Theresa Traver

English 277

8 May 2020

Final Blog Post

During this course we read many interesting pieces of British literature that I found influential. Out of these texts, I felt most interested in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”. This is why I would choose a text like this to teach (hopefully) to my future high school students. I found this text to be a stand out among our other readings, due to the themes presented in the story- which were unlike those of our other class readings. Themes such as the duality of man, good versus bad, and the use of parallels within this story, create an interesting and gripping work of Gothic literature. Mr. Hyde and his darker alter ego, Dr. Jekyll, exemplify the idea of “duality of man”. Mr. Hyde being a rather harmless man, and Dr. Jekyll on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, carrying out violent acts for seemingly no reason. The use of these parallel characters illustrate the two sides of man– the good and the bad. Similar to the theme of duality of man, the use of opposition is often seen in the themes presented throughout this novel. Themes such as kindness versus violence, and light versus dark also appear within this novel. The use of these parallels make this a very interesting read to me, and I think that they’re important in showing young readers the conflicting forces of the world. This is a message I think many students would benefit from- not everything in the world is good, but not everything in the world is bad either. 

Reputation is also an important theme seen within “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. The strive for strong social standing and reputation can be detected in many moments of this novel. The desire for protecting one’s reputation, and remaining in good light to others, is a common thread throughout many of the characters of this novel. These characters believe that in order to earn a good reputation, one must be honest, and true to their word. Additionally, on many occasions we see these characters choosing to believe in honoring friends, keeping secrets, and loyalty. Although you shouldn’t do these things just for reputation, I do think that these are important characteristics to promote to students. Seeing examples of this is readings, and how the characters actions affect the way their peers view them, is one that could be valuable to many young readers of this text. Overall I think that this text holds many impact, and intriguing themes. These themes create a gripping reading experience that causes the reader to truly think while reading. I think the themes within this novel can resonate with many young readers, which is why I believe a high school class could benefit from analyzing a text such as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”.

There are a multitude of social issues that have made their way through literature throughout the years. Discrimination, crime, and poverty are a few examples of such issues but the one I want to talk about is war. War is something that will always be talked about through the literature we read and will always be a social issue that won’t ever vanish. Throughout our history, there have been many wars that later became inspiration for stories or there were stories written during their tragic events. With our human nature, there are always going to be conflicts, there is always going to be some dark evil in someone’s heart that would then spark the next major conflict. Such things are always inevitable, but some of the works made during wartime or during pre or post wartime have offered up hope to those who might be feeling a little hopeless in those dark times.

            With Thomas Hardy’s “In time of ‘The Breaking of Nations’”, he gives some hope to the ending of war. I believe this piece was written about the tensions of World War I due to the title. World War I was the first war to contain many nations fighting a common enemy and was the first large scale war. It was the first that really drove a wedge between some nations and would be the Kickstarter for the second war and gave Hitler the fuel he needed to rally the German people. During this time in history, there was a lot of fear of what other nations were going to do with each other as tensions rose and rose daily. One of the final lines of “In Time of ‘The Breaking of Nations’”, gives hope to war’s end. “War’s annals will fade into night / Ere their story die.” (lines 11-12). In that line, he describes war and it’s “annals will fade into night”. It gives hope that wars will come to an end, but history has proven otherwise after the two world wars that our history went through.

            After Hardy’s time, we went through multiple wars and that violence hasn’t ceased to exist. It is unfortunately in our nature to come into conflict with others who are different or conflict with those that have what we want. Unless that nature were to change, peace may never be achieved. Only time will tell if we are all ready for a breath of fresh air and give peace a chance.

Given the opportunity to teach one text from this semester, I would easily pick “Is Nothing Sacred” (I might have said Austen’s Northanger Abbey if you’d asked me a couple weeks ago, for no reason more complicated than my love of the book). Salmon Rushdie addresses a topic that I think more people should consider, and the text as a whole should be an essential read for anyone aspiring to dwell in the field of literature. I had a difficult time deciding which grade level should hear it most, so I’ll say more than one, since after all, we are told the mythos of America’s foundation from grades K-12, we at least deserve to hear some truth repeated, too. More specifically, I would pick a grade toward the end of high school, or an entry level English course.

People nearing the end of high school should (hopefully) be at a point where they’re ready to challenge their beliefs and engage in wider conversations about the world. Some will be glad to be done with school and might never look at another book again (those people exist!). Rushdie does an exceptional job emphasizing the importance of literature, and every student should be acutely aware of the role language and literature plays in our society. By teaching this text at this grade level, I would hope it might inspire some students to continue to consume literature, and in the best case scenario, even persuade some to become English majors. It’s impossible to disagree with his final arguments about how essential literature is in our daily lives as an arena to share and take in ideas and experiences from every aspect of life.

I would teach it again at some point in college, maybe even to graduating English majors who are seriously having doubts about their degrees (you have to admit, we are often the butt of the joke when it comes to degrees). For a similar reason, I’d teach it in an entry level college English course as well. The arena of literature and language is essential to challenging society, it forces us to ask uncomfortable questions about ourselves by holding a mirror to our faces in a way that other forms of art simply cannot. In that way, literature can become an act of rebellion, or an “antagonist” to a stagnant or misguided society. It is important, I think, to remind literature-minded people of this, that they have a greater role in shaping society than they often realize.