There’s nothing like returning to a classic to remind me why I love reading, and how lucky I feel to be part of a literary heritage that covers such a wide range of narratives.
I find it hard to believe that there is anyone who does not know the basic outline of this story. The concept of scientific advancement and the horrors of behaviour outside the social norms were topical ideas at the time Stevenson wrote this, and the conflict between personal desire and social convention remains relevant today.
Re-reading The Curious Case, I was struck by the fact that Mr Utterson – as the epitome of a Victorian gentleman – narrates these events in an attempt to make the supernatural elements of the story more palatable to readers of the time. While the conventions of Gothic horror tend to make me laugh now rather than feel the fear that would have been experienced by Stevenson’s contemporaries, I can still admire the construct of this novella. A deliciously dark story.