The Evolution of Monsters in the Romantic and Victorian eras, seen through Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Abstract

The following thesis explores the dynamic quality of a conceptualization of monstrosity. It is divided into two parts: a literary analysis and pedagogical part. The first part of the study will concentrate on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). The novels will be read alongside contemporary fears from the Romantic and Victorian eras, presenting them as pivotal transitional eras where the monster goes from being external or “other” to something internal that can be found in mankind. This will be explored through a tri-partite definition of the traditional monster: appearance, actions and a symbolic representation of the unknown. The thesis will consider the shift in the value of the three different classifications where the emphasis on appearance lessens. This provides an expansion in the categorizing of monsters to include mankind. The second part of the study focuses on how to teach monstrosity to students in Upper Secondary School in the subject “English Literature and Culture” at the upper secondary level 3 (VG3). The focus will be on the novels discussed in the literary analyses, and how they serve as the foundation for a teacher’s knowledge and how to further utilize this knowledge in the classroom. This will be executed in the form of a themed literary month named Monster Month. The students are supposed to be able to expand their perspective on the theme of monstrosity through the use of literary terms in discussions and a longer essay, which will be evaluated after the conclusion of the month. Furthermore, the Monster Month will be explored through the Core Curriculum, specific competence aims, Vygotsky’s proximal zone of development and the use of correction codes.