Victorian London (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Victorian London
Victorian London was a city of stark contrasts. While wealthy gentlemen lived in comfort and luxury, the working classes endured overcrowded slums with poor living conditions. Stevenson uses this divided city as the setting for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, creating a physical environment that mirrors the novel's central theme of duality. The geographical split between respectable West End and disreputable East End reflects the split within Jekyll himself.
The setting of Victorian London is not just a backdrop—it functions as a symbolic representation of the novel's themes. The physical division of the city mirrors Jekyll's internal psychological division.
The class divide in Victorian housing
The middle and upper classes enjoyed comfortable homes filled with fine furnishings. Jekyll's residence exemplifies this wealth, described as having "a great air of wealth and comfort". However, this prosperity was not shared by everyone in the city.
The Industrial Revolution transformed London's population. Working-class people moved to towns and cities seeking employment in the new factories and industries. This rapid migration created urgent demand for housing.
Builders constructed accommodation quickly to house the influx of workers and their families. These developments became known as slums — densely populated areas where housing quality was extremely poor. London's East End became particularly associated with these working-class districts.
The rushed construction meant that slum housing suffered from multiple problems:
- Whole families lived in just one or two rooms
- Buildings were often damp and poorly maintained
- No running water was available
- Proper sanitation did not exist
These conditions created serious health risks. Diseases such as cholera spread rapidly through the slums, causing many deaths. The lack of basic hygiene and clean water made these outbreaks particularly deadly.
The streets in these areas were narrow and received little light. Victorian London was notorious for its smoke and fog, created by burning coal on a massive scale. The East End slums were built close to factories so workers could reach their long shifts easily. This proximity meant these residential areas suffered especially from industrial pollution. The smoke hung thick in the air, creating the gloomy, oppressive atmosphere that features prominently in the novel.
The famous London fog, often called "pea-soupers", was actually a combination of natural fog and industrial smoke pollution. This created the perfect atmospheric backdrop for Stevenson's Gothic tale of hidden evil.
Respectable and disreputable areas
Victorian society drew sharp distinctions between parts of the city that were considered respectable and those that were not. Gentlemen who valued their reputation avoided being seen in certain areas, particularly the working-class slums. They also stayed away from places such as brothels and public houses, which were viewed as morally questionable.
Hyde is consistently linked with these less respectable locations. His residence stands in a "dismal quarter of Soho", a district where "ragged children" huddle in doorways. This association emphasizes Hyde's outsider status and his connection to the darker side of London society.
However, the novel reveals that the boundaries between respectable and disreputable London were not absolute. Some gentlemen deliberately visited the "dismal" areas of the city, where they were less likely to be recognized by their social peers. In these hidden corners of London, they could indulge desires and behaviors they carefully concealed in public.
Jekyll goes beyond this hypocrisy. Rather than simply visiting disreputable areas as himself, he transforms entirely into Hyde before entering them. This complete change of identity represents an extreme attempt to separate his public respectability from his private desires.
Jekyll also establishes a separate home for Hyde in Soho, furnishing it with "luxury and good taste". This action creates a direct link between Jekyll, a respectable gentleman of the West End, and the disreputable district of Soho. The comfortable furnishings suggest Jekyll's investment in this double life, while the location shows his willingness to inhabit both sides of London's social divide.
The quotation "Soho...with its muddy ways, and slatternly passengers" captures the area's neglected state and its association with people considered improper or immoral by Victorian standards. The muddy streets suggest poor maintenance and lack of civic care, while the "slatternly passengers" are presented as unkempt and disreputable.
How Stevenson uses the setting
Stevenson creates a nightmarish version of London through his descriptions. The fog and gloom are presented as thick and powerful forces, making the city feel oppressive and threatening. This atmosphere serves several purposes in the novel.
Traditional Gothic novels were typically set in distant, exotic locations such as abandoned castles in foreign countries. By choosing to set his story in familiar Victorian London, Stevenson brings the Gothic horror closer to home for his readers. This proximity makes the narrative more unsettling because the danger exists in a recognizable, everyday environment rather than a faraway, imaginary place.
Literary Technique: Setting and Symbolism
Traditional Gothic Setting:
- Remote castle in a foreign land
- Creates distance between reader and danger
- Feels safely imaginary
Stevenson's Gothic Setting:
- Familiar Victorian London streets
- Places danger in the reader's own world
- Makes horror feel immediate and real
This innovation makes the novel more psychologically disturbing for Victorian readers who might walk the same streets as Hyde.
The divided nature of London reinforces the novel's theme of the dual nature of man. Just as Jekyll contains both respectable doctor and monstrous Hyde within one person, the city contains both wealthy, respectable areas and poor, disreputable districts. Jekyll's own home embodies this duality — it has two very different entrances, yet both lead to the same building. This architectural feature mirrors Jekyll's psychological split and suggests that respectability and depravity can exist within the same space, just as they exist within the same person.
Symbolism of Jekyll's House:
The two entrances to Jekyll's house are crucial symbols:
- The front entrance represents his respectable, public identity
- The back entrance (used by Hyde) represents his hidden, sinful nature
- Both doors lead to the same interior space, just as Jekyll and Hyde share the same body
This architectural duality perfectly symbolizes the novel's central theme.
Key Points to Remember:
- Victorian London was divided between wealthy West End and poor East End slums, reflecting the novel's theme of duality
- The Industrial Revolution caused rapid urbanization, leading to overcrowded slums with poor sanitation, disease, and pollution
- Hyde is associated with the "dismal quarter of Soho", while Jekyll maintains his respectable West End residence
- Some gentlemen secretly visited disreputable areas to indulge hidden desires; Jekyll transforms into Hyde to take this separation further
- Stevenson uses familiar London settings to make his Gothic novel more frightening and immediate for Victorian readers
- The two entrances to Jekyll's house symbolize his dual nature and the divided city