Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Another great Librivox recording by a great reader.

Well, this is vastly different from the looney tunes cartoon. Hmph. :)

Just for Reference


This turned out to be a story about duality. Good vs. Evil. Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and good friend of Dr. Jekyll, investigates the appearance of a Mr. Hyde that has caused some concern. Mr. Hyde gives the impression of a deformity, although no one can quite place what it is. Learning that Dr. Jekyll knows Mr. Hyde, in fact has left his entire fortune to Mr. Hyde in a will, Mr. Utterson does his best to find out what is going on.

Mr. Hyde eventually murders someone and is on the run. While Mr. Jekyll assures Mr. Utterson that Hyde is gone, we know that it isn't quite true.

Now, everyone goes into this story knowing what has happened. That Dr. Jekyll has made a "potion" to become Mr. Hyde. That story is as old as the hills. However, you really need to read this novella with an open mind. You'll be inclined to believe that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are really 2 entirely separate people. It wasn't until the last mp3 (or chapters) that the explanations begin to become clear.

Dr. Jekyll knew that he had created a monster, but he was very much aware that the monster was him. At least the dark part of him. Mr. Hyde, at first, is small in stature and that appears to be because Dr. Jekyll, being a good man, didn't really have too much of an evil side. Unwisely, Dr. Jekyll let Mr. Hyde run rampant and let his evil side enjoy all the trappings of a consciousless existence. Not a smart move, Dr. Jekyll.

Mr. Hyde begins to grow and take over. The potion isn't even needed anymore by the end.

Much more sober than the Bugs Bunny version.

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