The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Introduction

In the end of the nineteenth century, there is a breakthrough in research on the evolving field of psychological science. Sigmund Freud formulated his revolutionary theory, which was a task to explain pathological behaviors in people (Freud, James P.12-15). On this basis, Freud developed a form of psychotherapy treatment for emotional disturbances, which is called Freudian psychoanalysis. At the core of psychoanalysis lay desire to know the psychic structure of man, the desire to explore the development and functioning of his personality, as well as cultural and social phenomena are the product of his mind and having an influence on it. Freud came out with the assumption that the ancestral human development is essential for individual development and its consequent constant problem of choosing between impulses and behavior, which is imposed by culture (Freud, James, P.54-65).

The mirror stage is a term used by many psychologists and psychoanalysts. The first was Henri Wallon , followed by Rene Zazzo , Jacques Lacan , DW Winnicott , Dolto and others. The latter three authors introduce this stage in the theory psychoanalytic. The phenomenon is easily observable and can be described as follows: When a child is recognized for the first time in the mirror, place the appearance of image with a wave of joy, or ecstasy. This fascination is interpreted by Lacan as the child's identification with its image, which is there for the first time fully reflected. Instead of seeing only parts of his body, first seen the whole (Gounelas, P. 89-96). To recognize themselves in the mirror, the child has never seen his face, for example, or his whole body, but only partial members. These fragments are not structured or interrelated, not a unit, which objects have been perceived as partial to the experience of the mirror. The paper will apply the theories to the novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

About the Novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Longman, Green, and Company published Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886 as a "shilling shocker." Stevenson reputedly developed the storyline from adream he had about a man forced into a cabinet after ingesting a potion that would convert him into a brutal monster. The composition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde began in September 1885, and the final draft was submitted for publication later that same year. Unlike most 19th-century literary works, Stevenson's manuscript was released in book form instead of being serialized in a popular magazine. The publishers withheld its release until January 1886 because booksellers had already placed their Christmas stock. Within six months, Stevenson's novella sold more than 40,000 copies in England and America.

Psychoanalytical Theories and the Novel

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde debate the conflict between good and evil and the correlation among bourgeois values, urban violence, and class structure. Dr. Jekyll is a seemingly placid character whose often-debated scientific research has nonetheless gained him respect amid his ...