Gothic literature often leaves open the possibility of mystery, especially having to do with something supernatural. Madness is common in Gothic literature too, as is any overwrought emotion really, because part of the purpose of Gothic fiction was to inspire terror in the reader. Such intense emotion was considered to be sublime, the most natural and truest part of being a human. Gothic fiction also tends to rely on stock characters, one of which is the fallen hero. He's sort of the hero with a dark side.
Certainly, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde contains a great many of these elements. There seems to be something supernatural going on with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the strange nature of their relationship is shrouded in mystery until the very end of the novella; this creates a great deal suspense for both the reader (and some of the characters). The sense that Dr. Jekyll has descended into some kind of madness also pervades the work, and he would definitely qualify as a fallen hero. Stevenson seems to have been affected deeply by the qualities of Gothic fiction since this novella seems to make use of so many.
No comments:
Post a Comment