Course Blog

Dear Reader,

Graphology is the science of handwriting and while it is now disproven as a pseudo-science it was a very popular idea until quite recently. Furthermore, the author’s use of physiognomy throughout the novel it is no great leap to then assert that he in all likelihood would believe in graphology and he would not describe the handwriting of a character without great care and attention. Therefore, I deposit that in the very text of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dr. Jekyll’s, quite frankly preposterous, that there are two halves of us, one good and one evil, that idea is disproven.

In Incident of The Letter Mr. Utterson by way of Mr. Guest, compares the handwritings of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The language which the author uses in this section would be quite singular if the author did not believe in graphology. Mr. Utterson descries Mr. Guest as “a great student and critic of handwriting,” (Stevenson PG) Mr. Utterson’s says of the letter from Mr. Hyde that it is “a murderer’s autograph,” (Stevenson PG) and the fervor with which Mr. Guest pours over the letters all lend further credence to my theory that the author subscribed to graphology.

While it may be known that I am a great writer, it is lesser known that I am a mind reader. I can hear you thinking, “Red, that was a use of textual evidence which is so beautiful that it may rival your own gorgeous charms and while I am fully convinced that the author believed in graphology, I don’t yet see what’s interesting reveling or strange in this fact?”

The fact that the handwriting remains nearly identical with only the slope changing is a clear statement that the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are also nearly identical. The only difference between the two handwritings being the slope is intriguing as modern handwriting analysis suggests that the slope indicates someone’s emotional state. (Prachi 42) While I wasn’t able to find any graphology literature from Stevenson’s era and I would not wish to apply any of today’s graphology to Stevenson’s writing, I think that the fact that merely one facet is different is extremely telling.

If only one facet of you has to change for you to become a person who kicks little girls over in the street and murders men, then you were never all that great to begin with.

Also, what kind of psycho spends a decade, or at the very least several years judging by the “several hundred entries” (Stevenson PG) in Jekyll’s journal, trying to concoct a serum which turns you into the kind of person who hurts people? 

This point about graphology is all just a long way of me saying that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person in every respect except for their willingness to show their depravity.

Yours with only one wolf inside of her,

Carmine “Red” Zingiber

Joshi, Prachi, et al. “Handwriting analysis for detection of personality traits using machine learning approach.” International Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 130, no. 15, Nov. 2015, pp. 40–45, https://doi.org/10.5120/ijca2015907189.

 

Jekyll attempts to cheat human nature by creating a potion that separates the hidden evil in him from himself. By channeling all his suppressed evil into another being he can live without any evil desires in his regular self, or so he thought. Jekyll’s pride is shown through his want to better himself through unnatural means rather than live through the struggle of living with your evil side and learning to control it like everyone else. It is his pride that leads him to ruin his life as well as what leads him to his death.  

 

“That man is not truly one, but truly two. I say two, because the state of my own knowledge does not pass beyond that point. Others will follow, others will outstrip me on the same lines; and I hazard the guess that man will be ultimately known for a mere polity of multifarious, incongruous and independent denizens. I, for my part, from the nature of my life, advanced infallibly in one direction and in one direction only. It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date, even before the course of my scientific discoveries had begun to suggest the most naked possibility of such a miracle, I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements. If each, I told myself, could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust might go his way, delivered from the aspirations and remorse of his more upright twin; and the just could walk steadfastly and securely on his upward path, doing the good things in which he found his pleasure, and no longer exposed to disgrace and penitence by the hands of this extraneous evil. It was the curse of mankind that these incongruous f*ggots were thus bound together—that in the agonised womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling. How, then were they dissociated? (Stevenson 43).” 

 

“That man is not truly one, but truly two. I say two, because the state of my own knowledge does not pass beyond that point.” Jekyll is right, people are nuanced, they have innate desires that are both good and bad. The question is, if everyone has innate desires that are good and bad how does one know whether they are a good or bad person? The answer lies in if you allow yourself to be ruled by your bad desires or your good desires, if you are ruled by the good desires you are a good person, if you are ruled by the bad desires you are a bad person. This idea Jekyll never takes into consideration, while of course a person will always have good and evil desires it does not mean he is split in two, like Jekyll believes. Man only has one side, himself, and it is a tug of war of whether he allows himself to be ruled by his good or bad desires. Next Jekyll writes, “I, for my part, from the nature of my life, advanced inallibly in one direction and in one direction only. It was on the moral side.” Jekyll’s pride becomes obvious here, no one who is wholly human can be moral all the time without fail, which is what he claims here. Next Jekyll says, “I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.” Jekyll is wrong, and his transformations prove it, he thinks it’s possible he could be both the good and bad sides of himself in totality. This is wrong. Jekyll’s desire to transform into Hyde originally came from him, his supposedly “good” half still gives into the desire of wanting to be the wholly bad version of himself. This shows that one cannot ever be radically one or the other since even what he thinks is his good half still desired to be Hyde and executed the plan to become him repeatedly.  Jekyll’s pride can be seen again in this part of the quote, “If each, I told myself, could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust might go his way, delivered from the aspirations and remorse of his more upright twin; and the just could walk steadfastly and securely on his upward path, doing the good things in which he found his pleasure, and no longer exposed to disgrace and penitence by the hands of this extraneous evil.” Jekyll wants to live a life free of the unbearable burden that is evil, so that he can live a life in which he can be wholly good all the time. Essentially, he wants to cheat life, without evil to resist and struggle with, how can he be a good person? So much of being a good person is pushing against your evil desires, so how can he truly be wholly good with no evil in himself to fight against? In addition, what makes him think he is deserving of freedom from the the fight between good and evil within oneself? His pride has allowed him to think he can bypass a test that is necessary to decide one’s character, a test that every human ever has faced. Lastly, he says, “It was the curse of mankind that these incongruous f*ggots were thus bound together—that in the agonised womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling. How, then were they dissociated?” First Jekyll says, “It was the curse of mankind that these incongruous f*ggots were thus bound together—that in the agonised womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling.” Once more, it is not a curse that man struggles with good and evil, it is a test. It is a test that Jekyll believes he is too high and mighty for. Jekyll is not at peace with the idea that a person has two sides that are constantly struggling, he is not ready to put in the work to fight that battle and tries to cop out. Had Jekyll been a good person he would have laid down his pride and accepted evil would always been a part of him and mustered the strength to fight it. Yet instead he wanted to be perfect, no one who is only human is perfect. He could not accept his imperfect status because of his pride, and this is what led him to his demise. Jekyll essentially tried to be God.  

There’s a strong focus on suspense, heightened emotions, and often a preoccupation with exploring the darker sides of human nature in Victorian age literature. Stevenson’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” encapsulates many elements of this genre.

“Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering, and somewhat broken voice.” This passage, with its vivid portrayal of Hyde’s appearance and behavior, aligns with the sensational tendencies of Victorian literature in several ways.

Firstly, it uses a highly descriptive style, aiming to evoke strong emotions and intrigue within the reader. The use of adjectives like “pale,” “dwarfish,” and “displeasing” creates a vivid image of Hyde’s unsettling physicality. This emphasis on visual details is core to sensation fiction, where the narrative often hinges on creating a sense of unease or foreboding through vivid descriptions.

Secondly, the portrayal of Hyde’s behavior is characterized by an air of mystery and menace. The mention of a “murderous mixture of timidity and boldness” and his “husky, whispering” voice heightens the sense of suspense and adds an element of psychological complexity. Sensation literature often thrives on these psychological nuances, portraying characters with inner conflicts or hidden motivations that add depth to their actions.

Moreover, this passage underscores the duality of Hyde’s nature, a recurring theme in sensation literature. The physical description of Hyde as having an “impression of deformity without any nameable malformation” hints at an internal, unidentifiable darkness. This aligns with the Victorian fascination with exploring the complexities of human morality and the idea of the ‘double self,’ where individuals harbor both good and evil inclinations.

In conclusion, this passage from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” encapsulates the essence of sensation literature through its detailed and evocative description, the portrayal of a mysterious and unsettling character, and the exploration of the dual nature of humanity. It captures the Victorian era’s fascination with suspenseful storytelling, psychological depth, and the exploration of moral complexities. Through such passages, Stevenson successfully contributes to the tradition of sensation fiction while offering a thought-provoking exploration of human nature and societal norms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While some Victorian and Classical stories depict men as victims of the love they have for women, Christina Rosetti reverses these somewhat misogynistic ideas, instead claiming that men are in fact the wrong doers more often than not in their relationships, and the idea of a femme fatale is false more often than it is true.

While women are sometimes portrayed as the ones that make men suffer in order to gain love, Rosetti instead says that, while some women may enjoy this, others simply feel harassed by men that chase them. The poem begins with the narrator saying “I never said I loved you, John”, demonstrating that from the very start she does not want any attention from John. John represents a man, or men in general, that believe they must force themselves for women to like them, and then when they are not successful, they blame women for teasing them and edging them on, when in reality the fault is none but their own.

Rosetti, as the narrator, denies “John”, saying she wants to live a life defined by her own actions and accomplishments, not by her marriage. Not only can this be an example to women in Victorian society, but it represents Rosetti specifically, as this idea was cleverly included because Rosetti was not the one in charge of publishing her poems, but that was left to her brother, because it was not within women’s rights to publish things. Therefore, John can also be a representation of her brother constantly wanting to change her stories, because as a man he wants to be the one in charge and wants to publish stories that encourage male-centered stories.

Throughout the poem Rosetti’s idea of being okay with not having a husband also conflicts with Victorian society, spreading a feminist ideal that encourages women to be defined by their own actions, not by those of their husband. These ideas, on top of the other ones from the poem, create a feminist message that encourages women of Victorian times to have the courage to say no to their partners and stand up for what they want.

In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, looking through the lens of how mental health was dealt with in the 19th century, Mr.Hyde’s name is apparent wordplay for the perceived danger of mental illness and how it has to be hidden from society. So far in the text, Mr. Utterson wants to stay out of the situation to protect Jekyll and conceal his condition; however, he is still very curious and begins to realize that the two men are hiding a secret. When Utterson’s clerk compares handwriting samples, he says, “There’s a rather singular resemblance; the two hands are in many points identical: only differently sloped” (Incident of the Letter). With this realization, they both suspect that there is more to Jekyll and Hyde than meets the eye, but to protect his friend’s status, he shuts the mini-investigation down with “I wouldn’t speak of this note, you know” (Incident of the Letter). Utterson has an underlying yearning to know more about Jekyll and Hyde. Still, he does not want to implicate or be associated with anyone considered abnormal by Victorian standards. As we know from other 19th-century texts, such as Lady Audley’s Secret, locking up individuals who defy social norms, such as having perceived or exaggerated mental health conditions, was commonplace, and that could be why Utterson wants to remain silent. All of these quotes further emphasize the careful choice of Hyde’s name to continually reinforce how severely stigmatized mental health was in the 19th century. In this context, the word “hide” means to conceal a secret, and Hyde himself is secretive, mysterious, and viewed as a pariah by those interacting with him. The 19th-century ideas surrounding mental health made seeking help and discussing preventive measures difficult, if not impossible. 

In class and throughout people’s blog posts, it is clear the consensus on Goblin Market is that it is a paean to sisterhood and a rebuke of the sexual predations of men. That is certainly true to some extent, especially the first part, as the last six lines are a literal evocation of the power of sisterhood. However, the poem’s approach to men is more complicated than just a rebuke.

First, look at this section of the last stanza of the poem, where we meet up with the sisters years after Laura is saved: “Afterwards when both were wives/with children of their own;” (Rosetti pg. 15). Goblin market ends on the idea of it’s two leads happily married to unnamed husbands and with children, a reversion to the norm that does not exactly match with the evocation to sisterhood at the very end. Perhaps there is something in the fact that the husbands are unnamed and irrelevant, instead of dominant, in their relationships to their wives as presented to the readers. Or this is an unwanted conceding to her publisher brother, perhaps, but I feel uncomfortable making such claims without any direct evidence. For whatever reason, the best outcome Rosetti can conjure is one where a woman falls into the demands of the patriachy, but finds that it is really barely a hassle. Whatever the goblin men represent in the poem, it is an individual issue rather than structural one.

Looking elsewhere in the poem, this limitation of the representational quality of the goblin men is present in more places. Twice in the poem, both around the middle of the fourth stanza and the middle of the last stanza is this line, always said after mentioning the fruit the goblins sell: “(Men sell not such in any town)” (Rossetti pg. 3/pg. 16). This line highlights the exotic and strange nature of the fruits by comparing to the safe, normal, british, fruit sold in towns. ‘Town’ is especially important word choice here, emphasizing the idea of civilized order through towns and cities, and contrasting this to the wild forests the goblin market meets at. But of course, it is not just the fruit that is being divided into civilized and uncivilized: it is the men who sell it as well. The men in town sell reasonable fruit for reasonable prices (and one must imagine these civilized town men are the kind that Lizzie and Lucy end up marrying). But it is the strange goblin men who are declared uncivilized and sexually dangerous that are the threat sisterhood must  combat.

Goblin Market is certainly preoccupied with the threat of men. But with this evidence in mind, the threat specifically comes from men who do not come from ‘here’.

Quote:“I listened with rapt attention to the strange story which Dr. Watson had told me. It was so different from anything which I had ever heard that I was at my wits’ end to know what to think of it. That a venomous snake should have been used in such a way seemed to me to be incredible, but the fact that the creature had been found in Dr. Roylott’s room, and that it was undoubtedly the same one which had caused the deaths of Mrs. Stoner and Julia Stoner, was so obvious that it could not be denied.” (Chapter 1 

 

This passage from “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is a key example of Doyle’s use of suspense and atmosphere to create a chilling and suspenseful story. The passage begins with Watson recounting the strange story of Helen Stoner, a young woman whose sister has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Stoner believes that her stepfather, Dr. Roylott, is responsible for her sister’s death, and she tells Watson that she fears for her own life. Doyle uses a variety of techniques to create suspense in this passage. First, he describes the story with the words “strange” and “incredible,” which sets the tone for the rest of the story. After that, he uses vivid language to describe the snake, such as its “venomous fangs” and its “cold, slimy scales.” Lastly, he creates a sense of urgency and danger by suggesting that Helen Stoner is in danger from her stepfather. The passage is also significant because it introduces the reader to the main character, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is a brilliant and eccentric detective who is known for his ability to solve even the most difficult cases. In this passage, Holmes is introduced as a listener, someone who is willing to listen to all of the facts of a case before drawing any conclusions. This is an important quality for a detective, and it is one of the things that makes Holmes such a successful investigator.

This close reading of the passage helps us to understand Doyle’s use of suspense and atmosphere, as well as the character of Sherlock Holmes. It also provides us with a deeper understanding of the sensation genre. Sensation fiction is a type of fiction that is designed to thrill and excite readers. It often features elements of mystery, suspense, and violence. Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is a classic example of sensation fiction. The story is full of twists and turns, and it keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Throughout the reading I found myself changing my guess of what happened multiple times based on the information given. The close reading of the passage also helps us to understand the importance of foreshadowing in sensation fiction. Doyle foreshadows the murder of Helen Stoner by describing the venomous snake and the danger that it poses. This foreshadowing creates a sense of suspense and anxiety in the reader, and it makes the murder more shocking and unexpected. Overall, the close reading of this passage from “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” helps us to better understand Doyle’s writing style, the character of Sherlock Holmes, and the sensation genre as a whole.

The Victorian Era, as we discussed, was a time of emerging developments in scientific knowledge. Involved in this was a growing fascination with the duality of the brain. The left brain, as Victorian Science deemed, was an independent entity bound by logic, whereas the right hemisphere of the brain was an independent emotional organ. Men were seen as having more emphasized left brains while women had more pronounced left brains. Furthermore, institutionally insane individuals were thought to have overwhelmingly powerful right brains. This novel interestingly explores the idea that the brain is, in fact, split into two separate entities and that they take control of each other unbeknownst to the individual.

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” presents a fascinating and horrific depiction of Dissociative Identity Disorder, aka split personality disorder. The short novel seems to function as an extension or expansion on the notions of physiognomy and phrenology mentioned in other works we have read. The phenomenon in which one’s brain abruptly flips switches is something that I can not fully comprehend. Though, Robert Louis Stevenson does a nice job of mirroring this mental lapse in written form. In the chapter, “The Carew Murder Case,” the opening paragraph describes the maid’s state of mind before she witnesses the event, describing how she “never had felt more at peace with all men or thought more kindly of the world.” The maid proceeds to describe Carew, recalling how “the moon shone on his face as he spoke, and the girl was pleased to watch it, it seemed to breathe such an innocent and old-world kindness of disposition.” This kind depiction of the setting and characters in the first roughly 60 percent of the paragraph is met viciously with her eyes wandering to the other man in the encounter: Mr. Hyde. The maid describes how Mr. Hyde listens to the man with a sickly impatience before brandishing his cane and “[clubbing] him to the earth…with ape-like fury.” The rapid change in language done by Stevenson comes about so abruptly, yet smoothly. In the blink of an eye, the reader has teleported into a new state of being. We have not yet experienced the transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde or vice versa in real time; he simply appears as one of his personalities. However, through Stevenson’s writing, we see the horrors of mental illness and the dangerous fall out of balance of the human psyche.

“The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Lord Tennyson is, in my opinion, a giant story about the imprisonment of the free will. The Lady, secluded in a tower, experiences the world only through reflections in a mirror, unable to directly engage with reality. Her confinement symbolizes the restrictions placed on individuals by societal expectations and norms. The lady is not allowed to be a part of society, or anything for that matter. It is –

Only reapers, reaping early

In among the bearded barley,

Hear a song that echoes cheerly

From the river winding clearly

 

This curse that befalls her when she looks directly out of her window can be seen as a metaphor for the consequences of breaking away from societal constraints. The poem underscores the theme of self-imposed exile, suggesting that the Lady’s isolation is not solely a result of external forces, but also a consequence of her own adherence to societal expectations. Tennyson’s narrative prompts reflection on the limitations imposed on personal agency and the consequences of breaking free from societal expectations. Later in the poem, when the Lady looks out and sees Lancelot, Tennyson writes:

She look’d down to Camelot.

Out flew the web and floated wide;

The mirror crack’d from side to side;

“The curse is come upon me,” cried

The Lady of Shalott.

Even in her brief moment of free will upon, the Lady of Shalott succumbs to the curse, highlighting the ongoing imprisonment of her will. The constraints of societal expectations persist, limiting her life even outside the castle. The tragic consequence of her escape underscores the pervasive nature of societal restrictions, the role of women in this time period, and the ongoing struggle for one’s own destiny, are demonstrated in this story that deprives a women of living life to the fullest. Without creativity, the ability to choose, and capability to interact with others, combines to underline the restriction of the Lady of Shallots ability to achieve a free will and in turn live a life of freedom and happiness without consequence.

In class, we focused on the presence of sexuality in this poem and the message that Christina Rossetti aimed to convey in Goblin Market. I believe that the poem serves as a warning, or almost a scare tactic, regarding the importance of leading a “proper” sexual life. The goblin men in this poem are described as follows: “One had a cat’s face, / One whisk’d a tail, / One tramp’d at a rat’s pace, / One crawl’d like a snail, / One like a wombat prowl’d obtuse and furry, / One like a ratel tumbled hurry skurry. / She heard a voice like voice of doves / Cooing all together: / They sounded kind and full of loves.” In this passage, the description of the goblin men as animals creates a sense of uneasiness for the reader. Despite their animal-like physical features, they still manage to have the “voice of doves.” This paradox is part of Rossetti’s warning in her poem. The goblin men’s physical attributes represent their true character; however, they can “coo” and tempt women to trust them.  

The voice of doves and cooing that lured Laura to the goblin men dissappears once they have engaged with her. As they approach, Rossetti describes them as “Leering at each other, / Brother with queer brother; / Signalling each other, / Brother with sly brother.” The verbs that Rossetti uses project quite a different feeling than the voice of a dove. The transition to these words that develop a sense of distrust in these goblin men is done intentionally by Rossetti. This poem is meant to serve as a warning to Victorian women and the sly and leering goblin bolster her warning about the nature of men.  

Rossetti also uses Lizzie to explicitly state this warning upon Laura’s return home. She asks Laura if she remembers Jeanie, a woman who had interacted with the goblin men. Jeanie’s story serves as a warning because after her interaction, she “found them no more, but dwindled and grew grey; / Then fell with the first snow, / While to this day no grass will grow / Where she lies low.” The story of Jeanie serves to warn not only Laura of the consequences of entertaining men on the street, but it warns each woman that reads this poem. Here, the message becomes very clear, which is that men like the goblin men will ultimately leave you women after they get what they want.