Book Anatomy · Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Viewpoint and narration
14 lenses on viewpoint and narration 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: E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14
E1. Person and tense: first or third, past or present. Count
Mixed, past tense. In the narration, past forms come 912 times and present forms 54 times.
E2. Whose viewpoint is each chapter? Both
E3. Share of the book told by each viewpoint character. Both
Utterson narrates chapters 1 to 8 (about 75% of book). Lanyon narrates chapter 9 (about 10%). Jekyll narrates chapter 10 (about 15%).
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
E4. Narrative distance: close inside a head, or far off? AI
Close inside Utterson's head in chapters 1 to 8, showing his thoughts and suspicions. Chapter 9 is Lanyon's direct account. Chapter 10 is Jekyll's intimate first person confession.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
E5. Strict viewpoint or head hopping? AI
Strict viewpoint maintained. Chapters 1 to 8 stay in Utterson's mind. Chapter 9 shifts to Lanyon's account. Chapter 10 shifts to Jekyll's confession. No head hopping within chapters.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
E6. Is the narrator reliable? Where are the cracks? AI
Utterson is mostly reliable but misinterprets events, suspecting blackmail rather than transformation. His misbelief that reason can solve all mysteries limits his understanding until the final revelations.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
Henry Jekyll forge for a murderer!” And his blood ran cold in his veins (Ch 5, para 38)
E7. Frames and tales within tales. AI
Chapter 9 is Lanyon's sealed narrative read by Utterson. Chapter 10 is Jekyll's sealed confession also read by Utterson. Both are tales within the main tale, revealing truth Utterson could not discover.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 10
not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Ch 6, para 12)
E8. Narrator asides and addresses to the reader. Both
4 paragraphs where the narrator seems to speak to the reader or about the telling. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 9, para 15: These particulars struck me, I confess, disagreeably; and as I followed him into the bright light of the consulting room, I kept my hand ready on my weapon. …
Ch 10, para 2: I was so far in my reflections when, as I have said, a side light began to shine upon the subject from the laboratory table. I began to …
Ch 10, para 10: Men have before hired bravos to transact their crimes, while their own person and reputation sat under shelter. I was the first that ever did so for his …
Ch 10, para 11: The pleasures which I made haste to seek in my disguise were, as I have said, undignified; I would scarce use a harder term. But in the hands …
Minimal narrator asides. Utterson occasionally reflects on events but rarely addresses the reader directly. The frame is understated, letting documents speak.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
E9. Documents used: letters, diaries, reports, by type and sender. Both
How often each kind of document is named in the narration. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Document | Mentions |
|---|---|
| will | 17 |
| letter | 10 |
| note | 7 |
| report | 1 |
Hyde's letter to Jekyll (chapter 5). Jekyll's letters to Utterson (chapter 8). Lanyon's sealed narrative (chapter 9). Jekyll's full confession (chapter 10). Documents reveal truth progressively.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10
not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Ch 6, para 12)
E10. What the narrator hides, and where the reader knows more than the lead. AI
Reader learns Hyde and Jekyll are one person only in chapter 9. Utterson suspects it in chapter 5 but does not know. Chapter 10 reveals Jekyll's full knowledge of his own duality from the start.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 9, Ch 10
there’s a rather singular resemblance; the two hands are in many points identical (Ch 5, para 33)
Henry Jekyll forge for a murderer!” And his blood ran cold in his veins (Ch 5, para 38)
E11. Free indirect style: where the narrator slips into a character's voice. AI
Utterson's voice slips into narrative reflection, especially when describing his dread and suspicion. Chapter 7 uses his perspective to convey terror without stating it directly.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
an expression of such abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentlemen below (Ch 7, para 12)
E12. How thought is shown: tagged, italic or blended. Count
Thought is mostly shown with tags like thought, reflected, wondered.
| Tag | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 29 |
| reflected | 4 |
| wondered | 1 |
| said to himself | 0 |
| said to herself | 0 |
| asked himself | 0 |
| asked herself | 0 |
| told himself | 0 |
E13. What triggers each change of viewpoint? AI
Viewpoint changes when Utterson receives Lanyon's sealed letter (chapter 9) and when he reads Jekyll's confession (chapter 10). Both are triggered by documents that demand new voices.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 10
not to be opened till the death or disappearance of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Ch 6, para 12)
E14. Hindsight: where an older narrator comments on events. AI
Lanyon in chapter 9 reflects on his shock at the transformation. Jekyll in chapter 10 looks back on his childhood and moral decline with hindsight, seeing his whole life as a pattern.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 10
The veil of self-indulgence was rent from head to foot. I saw my life as a whole: I followed it up from the days of childhood (Ch 10, para 19)
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