Setting/Historical Context

1)      In the 1800’s London England

2)      Age of discovery in medicine and chemistry

3)      Industrial Revolution

4)      Soho, Slums Very Dark Damp Place

5)      Mr. Uttersons/ Dr. Lanyon’s/ Dr. Jekyll’s house 

6)      Dark streets of London

7)      Often at nighttime (dark, creepy mood)

8)      Laboratory/Cabinet

9)      19th century England Upper/middle/lower slum class

In Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the setting is hugely important. In 19^th century London, huge changes were in progress which were altering how people viewed the world around them. The industrial revolution was just taking hold, and Britain had emerged as a world super power with exotic people and goods flooding in from all corners of an empire, the size of which had never been seen before. As a result London’s population had swelled to a ridiculous size and the gap between the wealthy and those in poverty was growing ever larger. To add to this science was progressing in ways never seen before. Only decades before, Charles Darwin had rocked the world with his published Theory of Evolution and the industrial revolution had brought about new technologies and sciences that pushed the limit of human understanding at the time. Thus, the scene is set for the story of Jekyll and Hyde to exist. At the time the idea of mixing a concoction which could possibly split an individual into two different personalities was not that far fetched. In fact the entire story, just because of the setting seems very believable. People could relate with the sense of fear in the story created by Hyde's murder of an innocent victim in the street. Jack the Ripper was still at large at the time in London almost supernaturally flicking from street to street murdering prostitutes and somehow always managing to elude the police. The setting of the laboratory in the Soho district is again realistic and it's dark rundown appearance adds to the mood of the story. It probably was not uncommon at the time for many amateur scientists to do experiments in private laboratories and like Jekyll’s they would have seemed full of mystery. Finally, there are the homes of Mr. Utterson, Mr. Lanyon, and Dr. Jekyll themselves. The gentleman was almost invented purely during the Victorian era and all three of them really personify what one was. Their homes are quite typical of wealthy middle class living at London and seem to create a more relaxed mood in the story. Thus, the setting is extremely important in “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It creates a sinister, dark mood filled with mystery and fear. None of the events involved in the story would fit with any other story and through such a setting Stevenson can easily relate to the reader of the time.