FOURTH LEVEL
LEARNING RESOURCES
Robert Louis
Stevenson’s
Strange Case
of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde,
adapted by
Alan Grant and
Cam Kennedy
Resource created
by Michael Stephenson
Contents
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Introduction
Time savers and useful links
Activity 1: Introduce your pupils to graphic novels
Activity 2: Utterson’s Dream – extract to hand out to pupils
Activity 2: Utterson’s Dream – notes for teachers
Activity 2: Utterson’s Dream – pupil worksheet
Activity 3: Meeting Mr. Hyde – notes for teachers
Activity 3: Meeting Mr. Hyde – pupil worksheet
Activity 4: Mr. Hyde character analysis – pupil worksheet
Comics & graphic novels
Introduction
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
was published in 1886. The book follows the lawyer Utterson’s
entanglement in the affairs of Dr. Henry Jekyll, an upstanding gentleman
who masks his infernal alter ego Mr. Hyde. It is a dark, gothic tale of the
duality in human nature. The inspiration for the book was conceived from
the duality of Edinburgh, a vibrant city with a dark heart, although the story
is set in London.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was adapted into a graphic
novel by Alan Grant and Cam Kennedy in 2008. The graphic novel stays
almost entirely faithful to the original dialogue of Stevenson’s novella. It is
an excellent text for reluctant readers, and there are also versions available
in Gaelic and Scots. The text is suitable for a wide range of ages and
abilities. This resource is mainly aimed at pupils working towards level 4.
This resource was developed by Michael Stephenson of Inveralmond
Community High School. It is available in Word or PDF format. To help you
use the resource, you may want to refer to Michael’s blog about his
experiences: www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/teacher-inresidence/2010/03/michael-stephenson-graphic-novel-ideas
Michael has also produced two other units on adapting text, using the
novella Coraline by Neil Gaiman. This novella is also available as a graphic
novel – see the final page of this resource for details.
This resource should be used in conjunction with Michael’s powerpoints,
which are available on Scottish Book Trust’s website. Where an activity has
a connection to one of the powerpoints, this has been indicated.
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Time savers and useful links
Edinburgh’s UNESCO City of Literature campaign
This is an excellent starting point for those unfamiliar with the conventions
of graphic novels. There are lots of resources on The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which give an insight into how a narrative is put
together in a graphic novel.
www.cityofliterature.com/ecol.aspx?sec=6&pid=215
Duke University’s Writing About Graphic Novels handout
Again, a good resource for those who want to get to grips with how to
deconstruct graphic novels.
www.scottishbooktrust.com/files/Duke%20University%20Comics%20and
%20Visual%20Literacy.pdf
National Centre for Technology in Education’s Guide to Terminology
A very useful resource which explains the meaning of important
terminology.
www.scottishbooktrust.com/files/comics%20terminology_0.pdf
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Activity 1: Introduce your pupils to graphic novels
The pupils will need to familiarise themselves with the conventions of
graphic novels.
The Powerpoint entitled ‘Making a Graphic Novel’ provides an introduction
to graphic novels, including their structure, artwork and dialogue.
You can find the Powerpoint on Scottish Book Trust’s website at
www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/teaching-resources/upper-secondary
The handout on the next page is very useful for pupils as they attempt to
familiarise themselves with how text is presented in a graphic novel.
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Activity 2: Utterson’s Dream – extract to hand
out to pupils
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Activity 2: Utterson’s Dream – notes for teachers
In this activity, pupils will analyse and deconstruct a page of the text. The
handout and the worksheet are on the following pages.
The Powerpoint presentation entitled ‘Utterson’s Dream’ will be a useful
accompaniment to this lesson. You can find the Powerpoint on Scottish
Book Trust’s website at www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/teachingresources/upper-secondary.
These notes are designed to give teachers suggested answers to the
questions on the worksheet. They are by no means exhaustive!
The three categories for analysis are taken from the great resource on
graphic novels and visual literacy which Duke University have made
available online at http://uwp.duke.edu/wstudio/documents/comics.pdf
PAGE LAYOUT
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First quarter-page panel establishes situation (long shot of Utterson’s
bedroom, Utterson asleep) – central panels develop narrative of his
dream by presenting four images from his dream in sequence, final
panel gives emphasis (graphic weight) to figure of Hyde.
Central panels’ overlapping, circular layout suggests Utterson’s mind
locked in a cycle – no escape from these thoughts and images...
Final ‘bleed’ – borderless panel sees Hyde’s shadowy form extending
beyond page – an imminent and threatening image, perhaps
suggesting how Hyde envelops Utterson’s mind...
ART STYLE
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Colour – background transition from blue (cold, nocturnal) to red and
its connotations of danger, blood etc. Blue/black palette in central
images to evoke ‘nocturnal city’.
Light and shadow – black shadow associated with Hyde – mysterious,
sinister, threatening etc. Adds to text...’The figure had NO FACE!’
Impressionistic style of lamplight, Hyde’s figure – evocative of dream
but also of intangible fears, lurking danger...
Something bat-like in Hyde’s figure?
TEXT
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Captions used for narration, as opposed to speech balloons for
dialogue
Text adds to image in terms of detail of situation and event, sound
(girl’s screams) and imagery – scroll of lighted pictures; great field of
lamps of a nocturnal city; human juggernaut...
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Activity 2: Utterson’s Dream – pupil worksheet
CfE
In this extract from chapter one, Mr Utterson has a troubled night after
hearing his friend talk about Mr. Hyde.
In this activity, you will analyse how various aspects of the page help to
convey Utterson’s “toiling mind”.
PAGE LAYOUT
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How do the panels establish situation and then develop a narrative?
Why is the design of the four central panels effective?
What is the effect of the bleed at the bottom of the page?
Understanding,
Analysing and
Evaluating: Eng
4-17a, Eng 419a
ART STYLE
How do the following affect the impact of the page?
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Choice of image
Colour
Light and shade
Level of detail – realistic? Impressionistic?
TEXT
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Why are captions used, rather than speech balloons?
What does the text add to our understanding of the images?
Which words and phrases do you find most effective? Can you
comment on the use of metaphor?
Which words are lettered in bold, and why?
Overall, how effectively do you feel Grant & Kennedy have brought the
scene to life and created the anxious, troubled mood of Utterson’s dream?
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Activity 3: Meeting Mr. Hyde – notes for teachers
The Powerpoint entitled ‘Meeting Mr. Hyde’ is useful as an accompaniment
to this lesson and can be found on Scottish Book Trust’s website at
www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/teaching-resources/upper-secondary.
Below, suggested answers to the worksheet for this activity have been
highlighted. Again, these are by no means exhaustive.
CfE
Understanding,
Analysing and
Evaluating: Eng
4-19a, Finding
and Using
Information: Lit
4-15a, Tools for
Reading: Lit 413a
All at once, I saw two figures: one a little man who was stumping along
eastward at a good walk, and the other a girl of maybe eight or ten who
was running as hard as she was able down a cross street. Well, sir, the
two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came
the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the
child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to
hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn’t like a man; it was like some
damned Juggernaut. I gave a view-halloa, took to my heels, collared
my gentleman, and brought him back to where there was already quite
a group about the screaming child. He was perfectly cool and made
no resistance, but gave me one look, so ugly that it brought out the
sweat on me like running.
“Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity
without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he
had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of
timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and
somewhat broken voice; all these were points against him, but not all of
these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing,
and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him. “There must be
something else,” said the perplexed gentleman. “There is something
more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems
hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say? Or can it be the
old story of Dr. Fell? Or is it the mere radiance of a foul soul that thus
transpires through, and transfigures, its clay continent? The last, I think;
for, O my poor old Harry Jekyll, if ever I read Satan’s signature upon a
face, it is on that of your new friend.”
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Activity 3: Meeting Mr. Hyde – pupil worksheet
In these two extracts from Robert Louis Stevenson’s original novel,
highlight the key words and phrases from which you learn something about
the character of Mr Hyde...
All at once, I saw two figures: one a little man who was stumping along
eastward at a good walk, and the other a girl of maybe eight or ten who
was running as hard as she was able down a cross street. Well, sir, the
two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came
the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the
child’s body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to
hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn’t like a man; it was like some
damned Juggernaut. I gave a view-halloa, took to my heels, collared
my gentleman, and brought him back to where there was already quite
a group about the screaming child. He was perfectly cool and made
no resistance, but gave me one look, so ugly that it brought out the
sweat on me like running.
“Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity
without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he
had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of
timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and
somewhat broken voice; all these were points against him, but not all of
these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing,
and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him. “There must be
something else,” said the perplexed gentleman. “There is something
more, if I could find a name for it. God bless me, the man seems
hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say? Or can it be the
old story of Dr. Fell? Or is it the mere radiance of a foul soul that thus
transpires through, and transfigures, its clay continent? The last, I think;
for, O my poor old Harry Jekyll, if ever I read Satan’s signature upon a
face, it is on that of your new friend.”
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Activity 4: Mr. Hyde character analysis
– pupil worksheet
How do we know?
What evidence is there?
CfE
Understanding,
Analysing and
Evaluating: eng
4-19a, Finding
and Using
Information: Lit
4-16a
What do we know
about the character
of Mr Hyde?
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Comics & graphic novels
RECOMMENDED READING LIST
This suggested graphic novels reading list for teachers has been compiled
as a result of Michael Stephenson’s module on Adaptation. These
suggestions have been gathered verbally from a number of sources, and
are intended as a point of departure for teachers interested in using comics
and graphics novels in the classroom.
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Jekyll & Hyde comic by Alan Grant and Cam Kennedy
Jekyll & Hyde Scots version translated by James Spence
Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped by Grant & Kennedy
Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped Scots version translated by
Mathew Fitt
Nevermore – A Graphic Novel Anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's Short
Stories by various, Dan Whitehead (ed.)
The Classical Comics range offering adaptations of classic horror –
Frankenstein, Dracula – as well as classic novels like Jane Eyre and
Wuthering Heights
Metaphrog's First Men on Mercury strip, too, obviously. Brilliant,
faithful version and it can be downloaded free at their website along
with teachers' notes from ASLS
Coraline, adapted P Craig Russell from Neil Gaiman's novel
Maus Art Spiegelman
Safe Area Gorazde Joe Sacco
Palestine Joe Sacco
Persepolis Marjane Satrapi
Resistance Carla Jablonski and Leland Purvis
Watchmen Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
V for Vendetta Alan Moore, David Lloyd
Batman: The Killing Joke Alan Moore
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Frank Miller
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
True Swamp - The Memoirs of Lenny the Frog by Jon Lewis
Relentless (Cat Woman) by Ed Brubaker
The Nikopol Trilogy by Enki Bilal
Bone by Jeff Smith
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Frank by Jim Woodring
Through the Habit Rails by Jeff Nicholson
Domu by Katsuhiro
Otomo and Adolph by Tezaku
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