Part 1: Gothic Fiction: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Quiz)

Which sentence uses indirect characterization?

A. Nina slid into her seat just as the bell rang and tried to catch her breath.

Which sentence uses direct characterization?

C. Georgia is patient and methodical when she practices guitar.

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. "Poor Harry Jekyll," [Mr. Utterson] thought, "my mind misgives me he is in deep waters! He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God, there is no statute of limitations. Ay, it must be that; the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace . . ." Q. Which statement best describes how Mr. Utterson is characterized in the excerpt?

C. The author uses indirect characterization to show that Mr. Utterson is a concerned and caring friend.

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. From that time forward, Mr. Utterson began to haunt the door in the by-street of shops. In the morning before office hours, at noon when business was plenty, and time scarce, at night under the face of the fogged city moon, by all lights and at all hours of solitude or concourse, the lawyer was to be found on his chosen post. "If he be Mr. Hyde," he had thought, "I shall be Mr. Seek." Q. How is Mr. Utterson characterized in the excerpt?

C. as determined

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was a fine dry night; frost in the air; the streets as clean as a ballroom floor; the lamps, unshaken by any wind, drawing a regular pattern of light and shadow. By ten o'clock, when the shops were closed the by-street was very solitary and, in spite of the low growl of London from all round, very silent. Q. Which detail from the excerpt best establishes the gothic setting?

D. "very solitary"

Which image is most likely to be the setting in a work of Gothic fiction?

D. (Spooky Stairs)

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson had been some minutes at his post, when he was aware of an odd light footstep drawing near. In the course of his nightly patrols, he had long grown accustomed to the quaint effect with which the footfalls of a single person, while he is still a great way off, suddenly spring out distinct from the vast hum and clatter of the city. Yet his attention had never before been so sharply and decisively arrested; and it was with a strong, superstitious prevision of success that he withdrew into the entry of the court. Q. What is the mood of the excerpt?

D. suspenseful

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It chanced on one of these rambles that their way led them down a by-street in a busy quarter of London. The street was small and what is called quiet, but it drove a thriving trade on the weekdays. The inhabitants were all doing well, it seemed, and all emulously hoping to do better still, and laying out the surplus of their grains in coquetry; so that the shop fronts stood along that thoroughfare with an air of invitation, like rows of smiling saleswomen. Even on Sunday, when it veiled its more florid charms and lay comparatively empty of passage, the street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood, like a fire in a forest; and with its freshly painted shutters, well-polished brasses, and general cleanliness and gaiety of note, instantly caught and pleased the eye of the passenger. Q. Which phrases from the passage establish a cheerful mood? Check all that apply.

- "their way led them" - "air of invitation" - "rows of smiling saleswomen" - "even on Sunday" - "gaiety of note" - "pleased the eye"

Which excerpts from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde use direct characterization? Check all that apply.

- Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile . . . - He was austere with himself . . . - No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson; for he was undemonstrative at the best . . .

Which sentences establish a gothic setting? Check all that apply.

- The single bare bulb flickered overhead, casting shadows on the castle wall. - The desks were arranged in orderly rows, and soothing music filled the room. - The cozy cabin contained quilted bunk beds and a game table for checkers. - The cracked plaster walls displayed dusty portraits draped in cobwebs. - The dim attic contained trunks of long-forgotten trinkets and treasures.

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. "We have common friends," said Mr. Utterson. "Common friends," echoed Mr. Hyde, a little hoarsely. "Who are they?" "Jekyll, for instance," said the lawyer. "He never told you," cried Mr. Hyde, with a flush of anger. "I did not think you would have lied." "Come," said Mr. Utterson, "that is not fitting language." The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house. Q. Which statement best describes how Mr. Hyde is characterized in the excerpt?

A. The author uses direct characterization to show readers that Mr. Hyde is a sinister man. B. The author uses direct characterization to show readers that Mr. Hyde has a strange appearance. Wrong C. The author uses indirect characterization to show that Mr. Hyde is lonely and misunderstood. D. The author uses indirect characterization to show that Mr. Hyde is rude and uncivilized.

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Round the corner from the by-street, there was a square of ancient, handsome houses, now for the most part decayed from their high estate and let in flats and chambers to all sorts and conditions of men; map-engravers, architects, shady lawyers and the agents of obscure enterprises. One house, however, second from the corner, was still occupied entire . . . Q. In what way is this setting characteristic of gothic fiction?

A. The homes have deteriorated from their original grandness.

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The solemn butler knew and welcomed him; he was subjected to no stage of delay, but ushered direct from the door to the dining-room where Dr. Lanyon sat alone over his wine. This was a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely white, and a boisterous and decided manner. At sight of Mr. Utterson, he sprang up from his chair and welcomed him with both hands. The geniality, as was the way of the man, was somewhat theatrical to the eye; but it reposed on genuine feeling. Q. How is Dr. Lanyon characterized in the excerpt?

A. as friendly

In a work of fiction, the mood is the _____ of the piece.

Atmosphere

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This hall, in which he was now left alone, was a pet fancy of his friend the doctor's; and Utterson himself was wont to speak of it as the pleasantest room in London. But tonight there was a shudder in his blood; the face of Hyde sat heavy on his memory; he felt (what was rare with him) a nausea and distaste of life; and in the gloom of his spirits, he seemed to read a menace in the flickering of the firelight on the polished cabinets and the uneasy starting of the shadow on the roof. He was ashamed of his relief, when Poole presently returned to announce that Dr. Jekyll was gone out. Q. Which statement best describes how the author establishes mood in the excerpt?

B. The author's description of physical symptoms creates an anxious mood.

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Six o'clock struck on the bells of the church that was so conveniently near to Mr. Utterson's dwelling, and still he was digging at the problem. Hitherto it had touched him on the intellectual side alone; but now his imagination also was engaged, or rather enslaved; and as he lay and tossed in the gross darkness of the night and the curtained room, Mr. Enfield's tale went by before his mind in a scroll of lighted pictures. He would be aware of the great field of lamps of a nocturnal city; then of the figure of a man walking swiftly; then of a child running from the doctor's . . . Q. What is the mood of the excerpt?

B. troubled