Student Question
Can realism in Stevenson's novel be defined by action set in real places, reality rules compliance, and characters behaving realistically?
Quick answer:
Realism in Stevenson's novel is partially defined by its setting in 19th-century London and its realistic portrayal of professional men, crime, and character behavior. However, its core premise, involving a potion that transforms Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde, places it in the science fiction/fantasy genre. While characters behave realistically, the plot's fantastical elements prevent the novel from being fully categorized as realistic fiction, despite its exploration of real issues and ideas.
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a story about the conflict between science and religion and about the duality of the human mind/spirit. As such it contains elements of realism, but the story itself resides in the science fiction/fantasy genre since the basic premise - that Dr. Jeckyll can drink a potion and become a different person- is not realistic. The story does take place in a realistic setting, London in the 19th century. It does contain elements of realism in the descriptions of the professional men of the time, the crime in the streets, the way the houses were furnished, and the diction of the characters. The characters do behave like real people. Even Hyde behaves like a person, if that person were a sociopathic criminal. However, because the plot contains elements that are not based in reality, it cannot be categorized as realistic. Fiction may not be the truth, but it contains elements of truth that are recognizable to the reader. Moreover, good fiction examines real issues and ideas in honest ways through the plots and characters of the stories.
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