Readers, I'm back! After a long break from blogging here I have decided to come back with a little something to share. It's been three years, so I guess I'll give you a short update on what I've done all this time:
School... School and writing... and also karate, lots of karate. But today we'll be focusing on the "school" part. As part of my school curriculum I have been required to read a list of books, either high-bred fiction or great history. The reading of great literature has been a big part of my life, and had a beautiful influence. And the most recent of these that I've read was The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Thus, because of how it influenced me, this story will be our topic of discussion. And for the sake of us both we shall refer to it as merely as Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written in 1885 by Robert Louis Stevenson, and to this day remains one of the greatest works of art we have. Yes, I definitely just called it art. Writing is an art form that when used well can form a picture that holds its own among that of painters and sketchers, even going so far carrying those images on its back, as it is carried by the world around us. This art form of writing Stevenson has fine tuned to the degree that he can take seventy-three pages of story and make them better known than most modern works. Today we will look into that art, breaking it down to understand how he did it.
I would like to start out in... the beginning (a very good place to start)! To see how the author wrote it like a stream flowing into a narrative supporting the rest of story. It’s my intent here to better prepare you in your future reading, and writing, to dissect and look for meaning below the surface. So with no further ado I divulge:
Begin by looking at the first two words of our case study.
These are, "Mr. Utterson..." Now, at first this may seem of little consequence. I mean don't many stories start out with a name? Isn’t that normal? Maybe. Many stories do start with a proper noun, and yes, it is normal to give subject at the beginning. But there is great significance to where we place that subject, and how we present it. Which Stevenson demonstrates.
This proper noun does something important, subtly giving the reader an anchor. Proper nouns let the reader latch on and relate to and remember. But the proper noun alone is not enough to create a character. Sure, the reader has a name to work with, but what is this anchor, this grounding wire, grounded in?
If we add on the following description it says, "...Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile;..." Ah! here we get the first glimpse of our character.
Now read the description without that proper noun at the beginning.
"...the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile;..."
Without the proper noun, the name "Mr. Utterson", the description holds a different, slightly more mysterious connotation. We would wonder about this character, what his name was, what to remember him by. But Stevenson doesn't want this character to hold our highest interest... And he's only working with 73 pages (thus requiring a simplicity). He writes those first words specifically for the reader's perspective.
See, Mr. Utterson is merely the character through which the story tension is built. He is the channel of information to the reader, not the character of tension himself, and would thus be a waste of time (and reader energy) to create mystery around. What Stevenson gives is an interesting picture of the character in the story. We see him, we feel his presence, but there is little doubt left about him as we read the following description. And this is only the beginning of our author's beautiful introduction.
Next look at how Stevenson lays out the beginning of the plost. How he builds tension in a way that is not seen much of late.
Jr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in a low key. Never did it have my heart racing nor my blood pumping from excitement. And yet, it kept me turning the pages, looking to see what would happen next, relaxedly enjoying the story. I could stop and think about anything that was happening, and easily look back down, find my place, and keep reading. Why?
As I mentioned before, the story does not start out by showing our character of tension and mystery. It sets up a picture of our main story carrier, Mr. Utterson, and starts out around a character of clarity, putting the reader at ease. When this character or his point of view speaks we have a grounding wire. We're not afraid he'll go astray or turn on us, because that's not his job.
So how does he deliver the story like this and build tension at the same time?
Utterson starts out by taking a stroll with a friend. A stroll is what? Time to relax, perhaps? And on this particular occasion he is with a friend. So as you see, Stevenson sets the reader in a point of security and relaxation. And through this security we are introduced to the character of mystery and tension, the plot antagonist.
On the stroll, Utterson's friend tells him an account. An account of someone who seems to have very little interest in anyone but himself, is rough, and holds a countenance of twisted deformity. A man whose manners are so lacking he walks right into a child, knocking her down, without bothering to stop, or ensure her safety.
All throughout this told account (during the relaxing stroll, I remind you), we are never given the name of the dark man, until the end... Which just so happens to be the end of the first chapter. And so we are finally given the name of the character of tension. Mr. Hyde.
Before the account we have never heard of Mr. Hyde. His name is mentioned in the book title, but we have no idea what part he will play in the story, yet we know he will have a significant role. And within the first chapter we see a structure outlining our two characters, in what appears to be a very intentional way.
The story starts out with Mr. Utterson (clarity), and then moves into his description and character (exposition). Midway through the chapter we start getting the description and character of Mr. Hyde (exposition), but don't know his name until the very end (clarity). This gives a stark contrast between the two men. One is open and clear, the other shrouded in mystery. One an essay on stability, the other an anonymous threat.
But what keeps the reader calm and relaxed is that all of this is seen through the scope of our Mr. Utterson. What keeps us reading is that we want to know what is going on with Mr. Hyde, and why such a man of character and clarity as Utterson would want anything to do with dark and twisted nature. And little by little Stevenson let's us into this information, drawing a plot of intrigue and clear composition.
Ah! but it only gets better from here. Because what if the clarity of a character is used to hide his darkest secrets? This is our middle man.
In the second chapter of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mr. Utterson goes looking for Mr. Hyde... and from that point on, by information here and there, we get to know the antagonist, why he is, and what he's hiding. And key to it all is another character of interest, the character of Dr. Henry Jekyll.
Dr. Jekyll is a physician well known and respected in the community, but of late (and contrasting his respectability) it is noticed that he's taken to the strange behavior of buying mysterious chemicals and related whatnot. He is further known as a connection with Mr. Hyde, but upon meeting the good Dr. Jekyll we suspect nothing... Which is masterful, and in fact due partly to his compassion towards the one so despised and hated, the antagonist.
This puts the reader off guard, and is extremely important in keeping the pace relaxed and easy. That's not to say we have no interest in the doctor, but that he’s really not a character of tension. What keeps him interesting is his calm and innocent, almost lovable reaction to Mr. Hyde. Stevenson takes this so far as to name one chapter "Dr. Jekyll Was Quite At Ease". The author is setting this doctor up as a lovable character.
Now... all of that said we are not surprised about the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it is revealed. I would go so far as to say we mostly know already by the time he gets there, at which point there is very little to hide (no pun intended). Which is lovely, because the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is so calm, that there is nothing horrorish about it. Which leads me to my final point in this synopsis on Stevenson's writing style.
It is written from the strict point of view of one character at a time. He jumps between characters, only between chapters. Within a scene we see only what our character sees. Our understanding and sight are only as far as that person, and what we already know.
So when Stevenson starts out with Mr. Utterson, we read from the perspective of a lawyer, clear cut and trustworthy, good at looking at evidence. Through this character we are introduced to the characters of Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll, thus he acts as our filter. In the later chapters we see things from the perspective of two other characters, as part of the reveal, but then again it's through their filters only, which keeps the pace slow, letting the reader keep up with the story, and think on his (or her) own.
As stated at the beginning, I see The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a masterpiece, written by a master of the art. And what we looked at today is merely a fraction of everything that went into such a work, so next time I will bring part two, on the story and character arc, breaking down how Robert Louis Stevenson uses his pace and style to support an amazing plot, with very full metaphors.
School... School and writing... and also karate, lots of karate. But today we'll be focusing on the "school" part. As part of my school curriculum I have been required to read a list of books, either high-bred fiction or great history. The reading of great literature has been a big part of my life, and had a beautiful influence. And the most recent of these that I've read was The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Thus, because of how it influenced me, this story will be our topic of discussion. And for the sake of us both we shall refer to it as merely as Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written in 1885 by Robert Louis Stevenson, and to this day remains one of the greatest works of art we have. Yes, I definitely just called it art. Writing is an art form that when used well can form a picture that holds its own among that of painters and sketchers, even going so far carrying those images on its back, as it is carried by the world around us. This art form of writing Stevenson has fine tuned to the degree that he can take seventy-three pages of story and make them better known than most modern works. Today we will look into that art, breaking it down to understand how he did it.
I would like to start out in... the beginning (a very good place to start)! To see how the author wrote it like a stream flowing into a narrative supporting the rest of story. It’s my intent here to better prepare you in your future reading, and writing, to dissect and look for meaning below the surface. So with no further ado I divulge:
Begin by looking at the first two words of our case study.
These are, "Mr. Utterson..." Now, at first this may seem of little consequence. I mean don't many stories start out with a name? Isn’t that normal? Maybe. Many stories do start with a proper noun, and yes, it is normal to give subject at the beginning. But there is great significance to where we place that subject, and how we present it. Which Stevenson demonstrates.
This proper noun does something important, subtly giving the reader an anchor. Proper nouns let the reader latch on and relate to and remember. But the proper noun alone is not enough to create a character. Sure, the reader has a name to work with, but what is this anchor, this grounding wire, grounded in?
If we add on the following description it says, "...Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile;..." Ah! here we get the first glimpse of our character.
Now read the description without that proper noun at the beginning.
"...the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile;..."
Without the proper noun, the name "Mr. Utterson", the description holds a different, slightly more mysterious connotation. We would wonder about this character, what his name was, what to remember him by. But Stevenson doesn't want this character to hold our highest interest... And he's only working with 73 pages (thus requiring a simplicity). He writes those first words specifically for the reader's perspective.
See, Mr. Utterson is merely the character through which the story tension is built. He is the channel of information to the reader, not the character of tension himself, and would thus be a waste of time (and reader energy) to create mystery around. What Stevenson gives is an interesting picture of the character in the story. We see him, we feel his presence, but there is little doubt left about him as we read the following description. And this is only the beginning of our author's beautiful introduction.
Next look at how Stevenson lays out the beginning of the plost. How he builds tension in a way that is not seen much of late.
Jr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in a low key. Never did it have my heart racing nor my blood pumping from excitement. And yet, it kept me turning the pages, looking to see what would happen next, relaxedly enjoying the story. I could stop and think about anything that was happening, and easily look back down, find my place, and keep reading. Why?
As I mentioned before, the story does not start out by showing our character of tension and mystery. It sets up a picture of our main story carrier, Mr. Utterson, and starts out around a character of clarity, putting the reader at ease. When this character or his point of view speaks we have a grounding wire. We're not afraid he'll go astray or turn on us, because that's not his job.
So how does he deliver the story like this and build tension at the same time?
Utterson starts out by taking a stroll with a friend. A stroll is what? Time to relax, perhaps? And on this particular occasion he is with a friend. So as you see, Stevenson sets the reader in a point of security and relaxation. And through this security we are introduced to the character of mystery and tension, the plot antagonist.
On the stroll, Utterson's friend tells him an account. An account of someone who seems to have very little interest in anyone but himself, is rough, and holds a countenance of twisted deformity. A man whose manners are so lacking he walks right into a child, knocking her down, without bothering to stop, or ensure her safety.
All throughout this told account (during the relaxing stroll, I remind you), we are never given the name of the dark man, until the end... Which just so happens to be the end of the first chapter. And so we are finally given the name of the character of tension. Mr. Hyde.
Before the account we have never heard of Mr. Hyde. His name is mentioned in the book title, but we have no idea what part he will play in the story, yet we know he will have a significant role. And within the first chapter we see a structure outlining our two characters, in what appears to be a very intentional way.
The story starts out with Mr. Utterson (clarity), and then moves into his description and character (exposition). Midway through the chapter we start getting the description and character of Mr. Hyde (exposition), but don't know his name until the very end (clarity). This gives a stark contrast between the two men. One is open and clear, the other shrouded in mystery. One an essay on stability, the other an anonymous threat.
But what keeps the reader calm and relaxed is that all of this is seen through the scope of our Mr. Utterson. What keeps us reading is that we want to know what is going on with Mr. Hyde, and why such a man of character and clarity as Utterson would want anything to do with dark and twisted nature. And little by little Stevenson let's us into this information, drawing a plot of intrigue and clear composition.
Ah! but it only gets better from here. Because what if the clarity of a character is used to hide his darkest secrets? This is our middle man.
In the second chapter of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mr. Utterson goes looking for Mr. Hyde... and from that point on, by information here and there, we get to know the antagonist, why he is, and what he's hiding. And key to it all is another character of interest, the character of Dr. Henry Jekyll.
Dr. Jekyll is a physician well known and respected in the community, but of late (and contrasting his respectability) it is noticed that he's taken to the strange behavior of buying mysterious chemicals and related whatnot. He is further known as a connection with Mr. Hyde, but upon meeting the good Dr. Jekyll we suspect nothing... Which is masterful, and in fact due partly to his compassion towards the one so despised and hated, the antagonist.
This puts the reader off guard, and is extremely important in keeping the pace relaxed and easy. That's not to say we have no interest in the doctor, but that he’s really not a character of tension. What keeps him interesting is his calm and innocent, almost lovable reaction to Mr. Hyde. Stevenson takes this so far as to name one chapter "Dr. Jekyll Was Quite At Ease". The author is setting this doctor up as a lovable character.
Now... all of that said we are not surprised about the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it is revealed. I would go so far as to say we mostly know already by the time he gets there, at which point there is very little to hide (no pun intended). Which is lovely, because the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is so calm, that there is nothing horrorish about it. Which leads me to my final point in this synopsis on Stevenson's writing style.
It is written from the strict point of view of one character at a time. He jumps between characters, only between chapters. Within a scene we see only what our character sees. Our understanding and sight are only as far as that person, and what we already know.
So when Stevenson starts out with Mr. Utterson, we read from the perspective of a lawyer, clear cut and trustworthy, good at looking at evidence. Through this character we are introduced to the characters of Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll, thus he acts as our filter. In the later chapters we see things from the perspective of two other characters, as part of the reveal, but then again it's through their filters only, which keeps the pace slow, letting the reader keep up with the story, and think on his (or her) own.
As stated at the beginning, I see The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a masterpiece, written by a master of the art. And what we looked at today is merely a fraction of everything that went into such a work, so next time I will bring part two, on the story and character arc, breaking down how Robert Louis Stevenson uses his pace and style to support an amazing plot, with very full metaphors.
See ya next time.
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