Here are a few things to think about when revising Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
The advice works for A Christmas Carol too.1) Make your quotations work for you. Be flexible!2) Always consider the author’s purposes. Always. ‘Stevenson wants to explore the hypocrisy of middle class men.’ Or ‘Stevenson wants to explore the secret fascination of repressed , middle class men with different forms of addiction.Or ’ ‘Stevenson wants to explore the suppressed sexuality of hypocritical Victorian gentlemen whose public persona of pious respectability contrasted so dramatically with their private addiction to prostitutes.’ Or ‘Stevenson wants to explore the secret homosexual lives of the Victorian gentlemen whose bachelor existence hinted at their true natures. Wilde later referred to this love as ‘the love which dare not speak its name.’3) Write a 60 second plan before starting your answer. ( Writer’s purpose, Key themes affecting the question and a handful of quotations linked to the themes within and without the extract.)4) Refer to the text as a ‘novella’ and talk about the ‘motifs’ used in the text too. Motifs in the novella might involve light and darkness and even envelopes. A motif is a repeated image or idea that offers the reader a pattern. This pattern shapes our understanding. In Macbeth a key motif is blood. Another might be sleep.Checklist:1) Introduce with the author’s purpose as related to the extract and question.
2) Refer to ‘society.’ This keeps showing the examiner you are engaged with purpose.
3) Use tentative language: maybe, perhaps, seems, as well as connectives for alternative interpretations: however, on the other hand, although.
4) Vary your analytical verbs: explores, implies, communicates, gives expression to, gives representation to, presents, represents etc
5) Talk about contrast and juxtaposition.
6) Always interpret the ending. This confirms the writer’s purpose.
7) In your brief conclusion state what the author had intended to communicate or change about society. Include an embedded quotation in your conclusion.
