Last month, I mentioned that one of my favorite stories is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Great news, I started my re-read after rectifying the horror of not owning a copy. After that, I will keep everyone updated not only on my thoughts about the book itself, but also on the film adaptations I watch this year. The other night, though, I had a thought. I knew this story had inspired other books, a multitude of movies, and, I imagine, many television episodes, all drawn from Robert Louis Stevenson’s arguably best-known work. But what inspired Stevenson to write about good and evil and how it manifests in humankind? All authors are inspired by something, right? Turns out, there are theories!

I’m not going to bore everyone with an essay on what inspired Stevenson, but I did want to touch upon a few that stood out when I looked into it. Perhaps, if you’re interested, you can dig a little deeper than I did and find a few more gems that I, no doubt, missed here.

1. William Brodie. So, apparently, there was this dude in the 1700s who came from a fairly well-to-do, upper-crust family and was tried and hanged for theft. Depending on where you get your information, our friend Brodie also had an established family, yes, but also a few mistresses and a few illegitimate children. Not such a big deal by today’s standards, but scandalous by that time period’s standards. Again, depending on where you are reading from, he was also a drunkard who loved to gamble. Friends, times were different back then! I didn’t dig too much into William’s background, but I am a little interested in what he stole to make it bad enough to be sent to the gallows. Like, what are you stealing, my guy?
2. Eugene Chantrelle. So, this one makes a lot more sense as a source of inspiration. You can click the link for a little more information, but here is the lowdown on Chantrelle. Dude hung out with Stevenson, who, I guess, was sort of aware his friend wasn’t right. Chantrelle allegedly killed his wife by way of opium. But wait! There’s more! It’s unclear if he was ever tried for overdosing (I’m assuming) his wife or tried because he liked to poison his houseguests, but he fled his crimes, ended up in Scotland, where he – and are we surprised? – killed four people. All smiling and kind to your face, but will definitely try to feed you poison cheese and toast.
3. Hallucinogens. I didn’t get too in-depth with this one either, but apparently Stevenson liked to partake in hallucinogenic substances that may have played a role in the creation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Good times. Noodle salad.
4. This was a random two or so sentences I noted while I was clicking around, but I believe it was a family member of Stevenson who said the concept may have come from a vivid dream he had. I don’t know how much stock to place in this, but it’s possible! I have had some gnarly dreams, too.
5. Victorian times. Again, there wasn’t much in my particular search, but it would probably be interesting on its own. There was concern in Victorian times about respectable individuals suddenly no longer being seen as such. I would imagine that if I went back and looked up some of the more popular Victorian titles, there would be a theme there, specifically in the more horror or gothic literature dealing with the duality of man, good versus evil, etc.

I am fascinated! Also, as I start my re-read, I notice more in the text that didn’t stand out the first time I read it. Having a better understanding of where the author may have drawn inspiration makes the re-read far more interesting and enjoyable.

Stay tuned!

Siemelle