The gothic romance Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson is a great example to show how the fear of degeneration could be portrayed in literature and how these signs could be examined by means of the new developed sciences. Therefore, this seminar paper will focus on a discourse analysis as critical approach in terms of Michel Foucault, to show how the discourses of criminal anthropology and evolutional biology are captured in the novel, in which contexts they are embedded and which functions they could serve.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Degeneration, Atavism and Lombroso’s Criminal Man
3. Edward Hyde and the Criminal Man
3.1 Atavism and Criminality
3.2 Diseases Creating the Criminal Man
3.3 The Environment of the Criminal Man
4. Defining the Source of Victorian Fear
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the representation of Cesare Lombroso's theories of "Criminal Man" within Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, analyzing how Victorian anxieties regarding degeneration, evolutionary biology, and social class are manifested through the character of Edward Hyde.
- Discourse analysis of criminal anthropology in Victorian literature
- The relationship between atavism, degeneration, and criminality
- The impact of disease and environmental pressures on the human psyche
- Intersection of social class, morality, and identity
- Signification of the physical body as a text for diagnostic interpretation
Excerpt from the Book
3. Edward Hyde and the Criminal Man
It now appears relevant to see how the discourses of criminal anthropology were used in a particular instance of Victorian literature. Stephen Arata argues that from the first publication of Stevenson’s novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, his audience could recognise the shared characteristics between Lombroso’s Criminal Man and the atavistic Mr Hyde (Arata 233). Just like the scientist Cesare Lombroso, the figures of the novel are professionals in reading signs. As lawyers and doctors they are usually engaged with the task to analyse a certain case in order to solve it in the end. From the first time the reader gets in contact with the figure Edward Hyde, it immediately becomes clear that he is not a regular man and in the further development of the story he gets described as someone being more beast than human.
In the first impression of Mr Hyde, Mr Utterson tries to describe the appearance of the extraordinary man. He states:
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; all these were points against him, but not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him. ‘There must be something else,’ said the perplexed gentleman. ‘There is something more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say? (Stevenson 17)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the historical context of late nineteenth-century scientific development and defines the seminar paper's focus on a Foucault-inspired discourse analysis of the novel.
2. Degeneration, Atavism and Lombroso’s Criminal Man: Explores the origins of degeneration theory and criminal anthropology, focusing on Cesare Lombroso's characterization of the criminal as an atavistic being.
3. Edward Hyde and the Criminal Man: Analyzes the specific application of anthropological concepts to the protagonist, discussing atavism, the influence of disease, and the role of environment.
4. Defining the Source of Victorian Fear: Discusses how Victorian society utilized new sciences to classify the unknown and how the novel challenges these classification systems through the elusive nature of Hyde.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings regarding the shared traits of Hyde and the "Criminal Man" and suggests potential avenues for further research into fin de siècle literature.
Keywords
Degeneration, Atavism, Criminal Anthropology, Cesare Lombroso, Victorian Literature, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson, Criminal Man, Evolutionary Biology, Social Class, Discourse Analysis, Pathology, Edward Hyde, Identity, Signifiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
The paper performs a discourse analysis to explore how late nineteenth-century theories of criminal anthropology and evolutionary biology, particularly those of Cesare Lombroso, are reflected in the characterization of Edward Hyde.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The key themes include the cultural fear of degeneration, the scientific attempt to classify "Criminal Man," the role of environmental and hereditary factors in deviance, and the connection between morality and physical appearance.
What is the central research question?
The work investigates how the specific perception of "Criminal Man" introduced by Lombroso resembles the figure of Edward Hyde and how the novel attempts to categorize the "unknown" through scientific observation.
Which scientific methods are applied in this work?
The author utilizes a discourse analysis informed by Michel Foucault’s critical approach, combined with the method of "close reading" to examine signifiers of degeneration within the text.
What is addressed in the main body of the paper?
The main body details the theoretical background of atavism, analyzes Hyde’s physical descriptions in the context of Lombrosian typology, discusses the influence of disease and social environment, and examines the difficulty of defining the source of Victorian fear.
Which keywords best characterize the study?
Central terms include Degeneration, Atavism, Criminal Anthropology, Lombroso, and Victorian cultural anxiety.
How does the author define the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Edward Hyde?
The author discusses the relationship through the lens of a father-son connection, suggesting that Jekyll’s repressed desires and "genius" status lead to the generation of the atavistic Edward Hyde.
Why is the "unnameable" deformity of Mr. Hyde so significant?
The author argues that because Hyde's deformity cannot be precisely named or diagnosed, he represents a figure that successfully resists the rigid classification systems of late Victorian science.
- Quote paper
- Chris Gebhardt (Author), 2014, A Discourse Analysis of Lombroso's "Criminal Man" in Stevenson’s "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/271917
