Understand the Context of 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'

In this worksheet, students will explore the background to the novel, what ideas influenced Stevenson to write the story and set the tale in its time and place.

Key stage: KS 4

Year: GCSE

GCSE Subjects: English Literature

GCSE Boards: AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas,

Curriculum topic: The 19th Century Novel, 19th Century Novel, 19th Century Prose

Curriculum subtopic: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Difficulty level:

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Worksheet Overview

'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'

'Strange'?

That's an interesting hook! We immediately want to know what is so 'strange'.

Let us look closer.

With all stories written a long time ago, it really helps to be able to 'set the scene' so that we can understand more about the writer and what was important at that time. Perhaps, what was happening in their lives gave them ideas to write about.

This is not a History lesson, and you certainly do not have to learn historical facts to write in your exam! But let us look at who R L Stevenson was, where and when he lived and something about his world. You may find that this context helps you understand and enjoy the story more.

You may see this story called a 'novella'. That just means it is short!

The word 'novel' means 'new'. When stories started to be printed as books, they got that name as it was a 'new' thing to be selling fiction in that way. The name has just stuck!

We will start each question with a quote from the author. Some of them are fun and some inspirational. What he says may help you dive deeper into the world of R L Stevenson.

You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples. These quotations are for reference only.

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Preview activity

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