Visuality in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Novella “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

Abstract

Visuality in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Novella “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (by Ludmila Dorofeyeva) analyzes some visual images connected with the author’s way of writing, the picture of the world created by him, spatial organization of the text, and content of the characters’ images. According to the levels of art space, we can see two basic types of visual images. The world of “visible”, real actuality is accompanied by some visual images generated by an “outward” sight, which are traditional to a realistic prose. Their main function is a characterological one. Visuality of the second type concerns the mystical side of the novel, accompanies the image of Mr. Hyde and the image of London. It is mainly a metaphorical symbolism and a kind of medieval genre of visions. General historical context of the novel relates to the Late Victorian period, accordingly to the Protestantism; and its spiritual space is a Christian one. Therefore, the nature of this novel’s mysticism is not magical, and the visual images associated with it open their spiritual meanings rather than mystical ones. One of the most important conclusions here is the statement that Mr. Hyde’s image is impersonal, that he lacks personality, which means his lack of personal will and of free self-determination. He is not a double who wants to replace and destroy Dr. Jekyll’s personality but just a transformed Jekyll’s body, a mask, a guise, a “container” for dark, demonic powers; the character of his visuality witnesses that.