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Year 11 - English

Considering Stevenson's subversion of Gothic setting in 'Jekyll and Hyde'

Jekyll & Hyde: the divided city

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore the importance of settings in 'Jekyll and Hyde'. They first look at how Stevenson subverts our expectations of gothic settings, before looking at different settings and motifs in the novella. They finally do a detailed analysis of the 'Incident at the window' extract.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to trace Stevenson's use of setting across the the novel, 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'.

Key Notes

  • Stevenson takes the conventions of the Gothic genre and subverts them to make his fictional world seem even stranger
  • The key settings are Jekyll's home, his laboratory and Hyde's house.
  • The key settings contrast with each other which relates to the theme of duality.
  • The city of London is as divided as Jekyll himself.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Setting: Setting in literature refers to the time and place of the text.
  • Juxtaposition: The placing of contrasting ideas or images close together is known as juxtaposition.
  • Duality: The word duality describes the combination of two opposite things in one.
  • Pious: If you are pious, you live in a way that shows your religious beliefs.
  • Blasphemy: Blasphemy is saying or doing something that shows you do not respect God or a religion.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Students may think that the novel is Gothic in the typical sense.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Stevenson takes the conventions of the Gothic genre and subverts them to make his fictional world seem even stranger. The key settings are Jekyll's home, his laboratory and Hyde's house.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Setting'

Setting in literature refers to the time and place of the text.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Students may think that the novel is Gothic in the typical sense. Correction: Be clear about subversion and how it works in the novella. Although Stevenson uses some Gothic elements they are not always used in the typical way for the genre.

More Lessons In This Unit

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