Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written at a time when the gothic horror style of writing was very popular. Doppelganger novels were also popular at the same time and this book falls into both categories. There were many novels around that time which were similar gothic horror stories; Dracula, Sweeney Todd and Frankenstein so gothic horror was a trend of the Victorians. There are certain aspects of the story which are very strong gothic horror.
On page 72 Stevenson describes how Jekyll felt when transforming into Hyde. Stevenson uses words like, "racking pangs, grinding in the bones, deadly nausea and horror." These words are typical of the gothic horror style, especially the word horror, which, along with terror is used frequently throughout the book. Later on in the paragraph Jekyll explains the feeling he gets when he finally turns into Hyde. "I felt younger, lighter, happier in body…innocent freedom of the soul." From this description of how it feel...