The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Notes

Notes

What is a literary classic and why are these classic works important to the world?

A literary classic is a work of the highest excellence that has something important to say about life and/or the human condition and says it with great artistry. A classic, through its enduring presence, has with-stood the test of time and is not bound by time, place, or customs. It speaks to us today as forcefully as it spoke to people one hundred or more years ago, and as forcefully as it will speak to people of future generations. For this reason, a classic is said to have universality.

The Scottish writer of The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), is well known as the author of numerous other classics including the beloved Kidnapped, Treasure Island, and the popular poetry of A Child’s Garden of Verses, among many others. Stevenson lived much of his short life away from his much-beloved Scotland, in England, Switzerland, France, the U.S., and the South Pacific. He is remembered for his inventiveness, his remarkable characters, and his command of the labyrinthine details that dominate most of his novels. Stevenson frequently depicts respectable people who have deep secrets as major characters in his books, which certainly is one of the significant difficulties faced by Henry Jekyll.