Author: loverofenglish

I never knew that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  was a Victorian era short story, but now that I do, Victorian era themes are quite apparent throughout the story. One theme that is exceedingly present in the first two chapters is that of the supernatural. Although there are no explicit hints at the supernatural throughout the story, Stevenson includes some supernatural elements in order to make the ending less jarring. When Einfield describes his encounter with Mr. Hyde he claims: “He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. ” (Stevenson, 10). This is an unusual way to feel about someone, and Einfield’s inability to pinpoint what exactly is strange about Hyde hints that there is something not of this world at play. This is also seen when Utterson encounters Hyde: “There is something more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems hardly human!” (Stevenson, 19). Utterson even goes as far as to classify Hyde as “hardly human” which hints even more heavily that something sinister may happen. These mentions, though, are subtle, and surrounded by decidedly normal text and happenings, with Utterson leading the reader to believe Hyde’s role is in the mundane blackmail. Including these subtle supernatural elements is an effective way for Stevenson to allow the reader to be surprised by the ending, while still feel like it did not come out of nowhere.

While Dracula first appears to simply be a scary story, upon further examination, it becomes clear to the reader that Bram Stoker may have actually been writing a postcolonial novel. The concept of colonialism is exceedingly present in Victorian times, as the British Empire was a prevalent force across the entire globe. However, as the 19^th century came to a close, many of those residing in Great Britain at the time feared becoming the colonized, rather than the colonizer. Stoker expertly navigates this issue through Count Dracula’s role as the primitive outside force in Dracula. Dracula’s chosen method of evil power is to infiltrate the body and infect it, similar to how a nation infiltrates another nation and takes over: “This was the being I was helping to transfer to London, where, perhaps, for centuries to come he might, amongst its teeming millions, satiate his lust for blood, and create a new and ever-widening circle of semi-demons to batten on the helpless,” (Stoker, 60). Aside from his monstrous power though, Dracula is also often referenced as an outsider and loner, even in his residence. When the group goes to ultimately kill Dracula, the journey to get to his castle and the isolation of it is described in vivid detail: “All yesterday we travel, ever getting closer to the mountains, and moving into a more and more wild and desert land,” (Stoker, 388). By emphasizing how different Dracula’s land and domain is to theirs, it reveals their fear of the outside.

Furthermore, it is no coincidence that Stoker wraps up the novel in the way that he does. Dracula dies, and Mina goes on to become the perfect picture of a domesticated, pure woman (Stoker, 42). By ending the novel with the eradication of Dracula and the return of normalcy to the characters, Stoker calms any post-colonial fears. Dracula, the colonizer, is defeated by the native people, and is unable to colonize anymore. If Stoker had ended the novel with some question as to whether or not Dracula was alive, the post-colonial fear would still be present. But instead, Stoker reassures readers, and the English people, that no one can colonize them; the characters, as well as Great Britain, will remain triumphant.

Although Dracula at face value is about the fear of a foreign monster, what actually makes Dracula so unnerving is watching the descent of normal humans into monsters, rather than the monster itself. While some of the grotesque parts of the novel take place when Jonathan Harker is alone with Dracula, it seems as though these scenes are only exposition for what is to come next: Lucy’s transition into a vampire. The existence of Dracula as a monster is less haunting, as he is never really portrayed as fully human: “Strange to say, there were hairs in the centre of [his] palm… As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder,” (Stoker, 25). By immediately portraying Dracula as such an inhuman looking creature, the uneasiness of the reader lies in the shallow fear of the unknown. However, the real horror comes whenever the sweet, innocent, proper Lucy is transformed into the cruel creature she becomes: “…Lucy’s eyes in form and color; but Lucy’s eyes unclean and full of hell-fire, instead of the pure, gentle orbs we knew. At that moment, the remnant of my love passed into hate and loathing…” (Stoker, 225). The entirety of this passage induces much more horror than any other passage about Dracula, as readers are able to relate and imagine seeing someone that they love morph into something so evil in front of their eyes. It is easier for readers to pass Dracula off as an other, but to watch someone a reader can relate to become so barbaric is truly unsettling to the human condition. Therefore, Lucy’s tale of turning into Dracula, as well as Renfield’s descent and Mina’s threat of vampirism, is what makes this story a true horror story, even though they are not the main monsters.

Although Sherlock Holmes novels are known to be detective novels, reading The Hound of the Baskervilles through a gothic lens allows us to see that there are, in fact, many gothic elements. The first mention of any type of gothic theme is when Dr. Mortimer shows Holmes the letter he has in his possession: “…standing over Hugo, and plucking at his throat, there stood a foul thing, a great, black beast, shaped like a hound yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye had rested upon… One, it is said, died that very night of what he had seen…” (Conan Doyle, 15). If one was not reading this through a gothic lens, the common tropes may not be as easily recognized. The hound may be written off as just a device used in the detective novel. But by looking through a gothic lens, immediately, the supernatural trope commonly used in gothic literature is apparent. This hound cannot, reasonably, exist. Clearly the hound is part of the supernatural. Additionally, one of the witnesses to the hound drops dead upon witnessing it. This plays into the uncanny trope, as it seems very strange that one would just drop dead from being scared, and is definitely unusual.

The trope of power is also abundantly clear throughout the novel. Watson constantly refers to Holmes as some type of supreme being, and even the other characters in the book are aware of Holmes’ power: “‘Have you any better explanation?’… Has Mr. Sherlock Holmes?’” (Conan Doyle, 66). Here Holmes’s opinion is regarded so highly, that Stapleton reveals that he knows Watson’s true purpose, just to hopefully hear what Holmes has to say. This dynamic of power may have gone unnoticed by reading this novel through a crime lens, but when viewed as having gothic elements the prominent power relationships cannot be ignored. Therefore, even though Sherlock Holmes is not typically regarded as gothic, it is clear that there are gothic elements to the text.

“No more dependence, no more drudgery, no more humiliations… every trace of the old life melted away- every clue to identity buried and forgotten- except these, except these.” (pg. 17)

The immediate detail that stands is the repetition of “except these.” The phrase is almost dreamlike, and appears as though Lucy in some kind of trance, reflecting back on whatever “these” signify. This suggests that “these” are monuments, but that there is a kind of nostalgia to them, instead of a pressing anxiety. However, it curious as to why Lucy keeps an item that can trace her back to the dependence, drudgery and humiliation at such a close arm’s length. It is almost as if she secretly wants someone to discover what she is hiding.

The inclusion of the word dependence is interesting as well, as Lucy is, in fact, completely dependent upon Michael Audley now. She may not be dependent upon the help of random strangers, but her new life is all thanks to someone else. This suggests that Lucy may not be thinking exactly clearly about what life married to someone for money will be like, and could be foreshadowing. Perhaps she eventually grows tired of being Michael’s shadow and prized possession, and wants her own spotlight. Either way, her inclusion of the word dependence showcases her naivety.

Another possible foreshadowing is through the phrase “identity buried and forgotten,” as it seems possible that Lucy Graham is, in fact, Helen. Helen at least seems to be physically buried in the ground, and so Lucy choosing to describe her identity as also buried seems to mirror that ideal.

This quote ultimately brings about several questions, such as who was Lucy Graham and what made her past life so awful, but it also gives several hints. She is nostalgic about the past life, even though she recounts it as though it was terrible, she is naïve and desperate to marry someone wealthy, and she hints at that the possibility that her identity is not just metaphorically buried, but also physically. I am excited to read further and see if these truly are instances of foreshadowing.