The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

First published in 1886, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” is Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of man’s inner struggle between good and evil. The story revolves around the investigation by John Utterson, a lawyer, concerning the association between Dr. Henry Jekyll and the morally corrupt Edward Hyde, to whom Jekyll has recently willed his estate. Through the use of a magic serum Jekyll is transformed into Hyde which he does so in order to indulge in the darker side of his character. After a time Jekyll finds that he is involuntarily turning into Hyde and must use the serum, which is running low, to turn back. Stevenson from early on in his career was interested in the impact of personality on human behavior and how he could incorporate it into his stories. In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” we have a classic examination of the duality that exists within man, which is ultimately a tale of the tragic consequences that can occur when the darker elements of one’s character are let out. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

About the Author

Poet and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was the author of a number of classic books for young readers, including Treasure Island , Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mr. Stevenson was often ill as a child and spent much of his youth confined to his nursery, where he first began to compose stories even before he could read, and where he was cared for by his nanny, Alison Cunningham, to whom A Child's Garden of Verses is dedicated.

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