Books I Have Taught: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

The Books I Have Taught series is a personal reflection on the books I have taught in my classes. Their experiences often reveal interesting truths, not about the themes necessarily, but more about the outcomes and interactions I had with my students and the various paths it led me down. I hope you enjoy my reflection on the books that I have taught.

I remember my first read through of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louise Stevenson. I was in year eleven at school and it was the book chosen by my favourite teacher, Mr Jefferies. There were many aspects I liked about the book, for example the length. Much of what I have written at this point in my writing career has been novellas, just like Stevenson’s work here and for me I think it showed me that you can have a compelling story without needing four hundred pages of text. Another aspect was the gothic horror, which I enjoyed and have since tried to emulate in one particular work that has yet to be published. I loved the setting, the darkness and the exploration of morality woven within. I also enjoyed the dialogue, I have always been a fan of the proper gentlemanly and ladylike language, it just seems so fun to play with. The last aspect I liked is not from the book itself but the author. I was told a story, and I do not know if this true, but the story is that Robert Louise Stevenson is writing what would become The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and finishes his first draft and hands it to his wife to read. She reads it and upon returning it she remarks, “you can do better,” and encourages him to further explore the themes within the text. He took her advice and published this amazing piece. I always liked that idea, that my future wife would read my work and encourage me, be part of my writing process and it is something I have actively achieved. Ever since meeting my wife, every book I have published my wife has read and given me feedback on, I value her input and perspective, and I find it helpful. If I am writing for a particular demographic my wife can help me clarify if what I have written fits, or if it is too much.

In terms of books that have had the greatest impact on my life, it is high on the list and so I was excited by the opportunity to teach it myself once I became a teacher. I do not know if my students had the same revelation from the text, but memory of teaching my class of year 9/10s was positive. There was one student who knew the ending before we began, and I had to repeatedly stop him from spoiling the plot. I know as English teachers we are accused of ruining a good book, and often that can be true, whenever you rip something open you are let with a corpse in the eyes of the students, but I feel we should not go out of our way to ruin it, if we do not have to. Still, some enjoyed it, others did not mind it, and no one told me they hated it, just school in general. I would happily teach this book again, though I might aim higher than a year 9/10 class and keep it for my senior students. I feel that any text that the teacher adores is a good text to teach because the students can pick up on your passion and it can help them engage. As a teacher you are the primary seller of engagement for a text, if you are not excited it is hard for your students to be excited, but if you are passionate, it helps the students grow the same passion.