The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Dover Thrift Editions)

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It's a hit!

We often hear people say the book was better than the movie, but scarcely have I seen Hollywood and pop culture mar a book more than this one.

T... (show more)

We often hear people say the book was better than the movie, but scarcely have I seen Hollywood and pop culture mar a book more than this one.

Three reasons:
1.) Since it's now so widely known that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same, much of the rising action of the book is lost (as it plays on the mystery of Hyde).

2.) Hyde of the book is not the drooling Igor-like creature we often see on film, but is a small-statured man described this way: "There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable... He gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point."

3.) The story is far less about the men than it is about duality and the nature of man. Hollywood often neglects (or omits) this, but it is the crux of the Stevenson's timeless masterpiece. "All human beings, " writes Stevenson, "are commingled out of good and evil." And as Jekyll confesses, "My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring."

This short story has lost much of its driving action due to its media overuse, but it picks up steam two-thirds of the way. Above all, it reads simply but thinks deeply.

Anyone who thinks he knows Jekyll and Hyde might be surprised at their literary beginnings. They weren't at all what I'd expected. But it was pleasant surprise.

A classic well worth reading. (show less)

 

 

by Nathan Markley

No, it's a flop!

I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it wasn't terrible either. Even having never read the book before, seen the movie, or heard a... (show more)

I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it wasn't terrible either. Even having never read the book before, seen the movie, or heard anything about it other than the typical dr jekyll and mr hyde references, it was not what I expected. It had its suspenseful points and some "entertaining" points but I can't say that I would ever sit down and read it (or listen to it) again. (show less)

 

 

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  I love this book. Even though I knew from the beginning, as I'm sure most people do, that Jekyll and Hyde were one and the same, and that spoilt it a bit, there is just something deeply fascinating about the tale. It's short and sweet, written beautifully in well chosen, descriptive language, and has a subtly unsettling mood.

  Robert Louis Stevenson's observations about the "dualty of man" show people's attitudes and fears at the time Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written. Hyde repre... (show more)

  I love this book. Even though I knew from the beginning, as I'm sure most people do, that Jekyll and Hyde were one and the same, and that spoilt it a bit, there is just something deeply fascinating about the tale. It's short and sweet, written beautifully in well chosen, descriptive language, and has a subtly unsettling mood.

  Robert Louis Stevenson's observations about the "dualty of man" show people's attitudes and fears at the time Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written. Hyde represents the dark side of humanity - small, hairy and with a strange sense of deformity, he is almost animal-like in his appearance. The way Hyde is able to be released, and so easily take over Jekyll, raises questions about morality and humanity as we know it. Is there something dark lurking inside us all? Is our civilized, moral appearance just a thin veneer created to mask the true nature of mankind? These were things that people were considering in the 1800s when Stevenson wrote this novel, and I think they're just as relevant today.

  As well as having such interesting themes, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an interesting, compelling story that's hard to put down. The language is brilliant but also succinct, and it's actually a surprisingly easy read, especially when compared to other classics. Recommended to anyone. (show less)

   

   

  by Sarah Stones on Oct 02, 2009 at 09:45AM

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  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- read the last four pages this morning. Scariest book I ever did read (and I read a ton). So this crazy pale midget madman evil guy got crazy and pale and hairy and maad and small and evil because some science dude tried to brew himself a lovely anti-depressant with a sinister twist. Mind you, this is all told from the perspective of science dude's boyfriend and lawyer, Mr. Utterson whose description bears a remarkable resemblance to the character House. So this twist ... (show more)

  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- read the last four pages this morning. Scariest book I ever did read (and I read a ton). So this crazy pale midget madman evil guy got crazy and pale and hairy and maad and small and evil because some science dude tried to brew himself a lovely anti-depressant with a sinister twist. Mind you, this is all told from the perspective of science dude's boyfriend and lawyer, Mr. Utterson whose description bears a remarkable resemblance to the character House. So this twist knocks the good part of his soul out of him and he goes about orgasmically doing evil things like trampling over young girls and beating old men with a stick. So science dude finally stops taking his drugs when he realizes he'd killed someone. But we all know that such things don't leave your body once they get in. So he turns into hairy scary midget idjut randomly without any drugs and then he dies. I likes it.

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  by Mariah Mei Bradfield on Oct 01, 2009 at 04:16PM

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