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The sedulous ape: atavism, professionalism, and Stevenson's 'Jekyll and Hyde.' (Robert Louis Stevenson)

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From: Criticism
Date: 19950322
Author:Arata, Stephen D.

Robert Louis Stevenson's depiction of criminal behavior in his famous novel entitled 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' serves also as an indictment against the potential excesses of the professional class whose outward respectability could hide certain degenerate tendencies. Stevenson's work does not discriminate against classes, however, as degeneracy is shown to afflict also the lower class.

In an early review of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886), Andrew Lang noted the most striking feature of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale. "His heroes (surely this is ...

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