Book Anatomy · Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Commercial facts
13 lenses on commercial facts for Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13
L1. Total word count. Count
1886, 25,685 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L2. Chapter count and average length. Count
1886, 25,685 words. See the full lens on the book page.
L3. Length against modern norms for the genre. Both
25,685 words. Modern gothic and horror often runs 70,000 to 90,000 words, so this is short for the shelf today. These ranges are rough trade norms, not rules.
At 25,685 words, the book is very short for modern Gothic horror, roughly novella length. It is considerably shorter than contemporary Gothic novels but longer than a short story. The brevity suits its focused investigation and psychological intensity.
L4. First published as a serial or a volume? Research
1886, 25,685 words. See the full lens on the book page.
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L5. Serial instalment breaks and how each ends. Both
The book was serialised in a newspaper. Chapter breaks function as serial breaks: chapter 1 ends with the mystery of Hyde; chapter 4 ends with the murder revelation; chapter 8 ends with the discovery of Hyde's body. Each break leaves readers wanting resolution.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 8
L6. Sales and reviews in its day. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L7. Adaptations: film, TV, stage, count and type. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L8. Sequels and series. Research
Facts from outside the text (sales, serial history, adaptations, sequels, most quoted lines). Coming in a later phase, with sources and dates.
L9. Modern books in the same mould (comps). AI
Modern comps: The Picture of Dorian Gray (hidden evil in respectable person), Fight Club (split personality), American Psycho (respectable exterior hiding violence). Closer to Stevenson's era: Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone (mystery investigation), Henry James' The Turn of the Screw (psychological horror).
L10. Who it would be shelved for today. AI
Today it would be shelved in Gothic horror, psychological thriller, and classic literature sections. It appeals to readers of dark psychology, Victorian literature, and short intense narratives. Academic readers study it for its exploration of duality and Victorian anxieties.
L11. Content notes. AI
Content notes: murder, violence, implied sexual transgression, psychological horror, body horror (transformation), death by suicide. The book contains no graphic sexual content but carries homophobic subtext in its treatment of Hyde's hidden nature.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 9, Ch 10
by the crushed phial in the hand and the strong smell of kernels that hung upon the air, Utterson knew that he was looking on the body of a self-destroyer (Ch 8, para 73)
he seemed to swell—his face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter (Ch 9, para 31)
L12. A modern pitch line and blurb. AI
A respectable London lawyer investigates the mysterious connection between a brutal criminal and his most trusted friend, only to discover they are the same man. When a scientist's attempt to separate his respectable self from his base desires goes catastrophically wrong, he becomes trapped in a nightmare of his own making.
L13. Title style against genre norms. AI
The title uses 'Strange Case' in the manner of Victorian legal or medical case studies, lending pseudo-scientific authority to a Gothic tale. This style was common for Victorian sensation fiction but is less common in modern genre titles, which tend toward more dramatic phrasing.
Ask Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
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