Where I Give Faint Praise to a Beloved Author

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked some of these stories. A few are rather creepy--better, IMO, than similar H.P. Lovecraft-type stories--and some are more like fairy tales. All of them are entertaining reads and better, I thought, than the Dr. Jekyll novel it's packaged with.

I discovered that I liked Stevenson's adventure novels, finally reading them in my fifties, when I was surprised to find that they're such fun. Dr. Jekyll was interesting and worth reading, but it was not as much fun. The short stories were better, but not quite as entertaining for me as, say, Treasure Island.

"The Bottle Imp" was probably my favorite, the only 5-star in the bunch for me. "Olalla" was engaging, with some great atmospherics and a cool setting, but ultimately unsatisfying. "Will 'o the Wisp" and "Markheim" were interesting for the characters and their decision-making, and probably useful in a classroom, but not too exciting. Again, IMO.

Others will certainly see it differently.

I wanted to be familiar with Dr. Jekyll, and I'm glad to get a feel for his short stories. Worth looking at, I think. However, I'll probably look for another of his novels next time. Just now learning there's a sequel to Kidnapped. Did not know that. :)

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Your Assigned Reading for Next Class--Dr. Jekyll

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really like Robert Louis Stevenson (I read and loved Treasure Island and Kidnapped--and was almost surprised to discover how much I enjoyed them). I'm also interested in the original story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and found a nice version at the bookstore.

But it wasn't that great to read.

Yes, it's worth it. Especially because it's not that long--a novella at best. Interesting to see the original. But there is virtually no suspense, no action or plot.

The story is told kinda like H.P. Lovecraft stories, where the whole point of the story is to relate some element of strangeness, some amazing truth, and the way it comes to the reader is as someone's recollection after the fact. (Dr. Jekyll includes several forms of this, including the main character's long letter at the end retelling everything we already kind of knew.) It removes all narrative tension, IMO, making it blasé reading.

I repeat--I genuinely like the author. I was surprised when I found myself enjoying his adventure novels exactly as if I were his target audience, never mind how many years or generations separated me from them. But Dr. Jekyll is a different sort of read.

Still worth it, IMO. You could read it all at once, probably, or read it like I did--fifteen minutes or so at a time, in 4 or 5 bites. (Less time, probably, for many readers.) I still find it a pleasure to experience firsthand stories like this that have long since penetrated popular culture and left their mark.

For that purpose, I recommend it. For pleasure reading, for genuine fun, I point you toward his adventure novels.

I mean, if you like fun things. :)

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