Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is the classic tale of split personality, examining how the forces of good and evil develop within the same psyche. Everyone knows the basic plot by now, so the book doesn't have the shocking surprise ending it had for its original 1886 audience.
It is still worth reading, or even re-reading, because Stevenson could spin a yarn with the best of them. The story rips right along, with plenty of suspense and drama, and even some humor. Stevenson can be very droll, with lines like this, describing the fusty narrator, Mr. Utterson: "his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object."
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde should be on everyone's Must Read list.
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NOTES
This was my "re-read" choice for the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Sarah at Sarah Reads Too Much. It also counts as one of my books for the Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa at Teresa's Reading Corner.
I think I've read this and I'm sure I've see the movie several times. Really scary but with a warning too.
ReplyDeleteNice review.
HL: I don't think I ever saw the movie. I've now read the book twice, but I didn't remember how good the story was. I had it confused in my mind with Jack the Ripper stories and it is much subtler than that. Really very, very good.
ReplyDeleteMary Riley was a great version of thus classic.
ReplyDeleteMatt
wix.com/thehauntedhousekid/matthew-gary-milam
Oh, I had forgotten that movie! Julia Roberts and John Malkovich. I need to re-watch. Thanks for the reminder.
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