Jekyll and Hyde: Robert L. Stevenson

[GOLLUM]

Hi all!

I just saw the BBC documentary Jekyll and Hyde: Robert L. Stevenson and found it quite interesting.

It basically starts with RLS’s early life when he was often sick from lung disease as a boy and how he developed a life long dependency on drugs.

He also was often regaled in his early years by a nanny about fairly scary stories including those of the infamous Deacon Brodie who lived in the previous century to RLS, and lived a double life of a gentleman and carpenter by trade during the day and villain by night (including being ringleader of a gang of house robbers). Interestingly, RLS had a closet that had been built by Brodie in his room as a young boy and the Jekkyl and Hyde story is essentially based upon or inspired by Brodie. RLS used to in fact also start to live a double life much like Brody as he became more interested in this person and when he turned 17 started to visit various venues including Brothels like Brodie had done and was also alledgedly taking various drugs a number of which were for his ailing health, some of which were hallucinatory in nature. It’s interesting how recent evidence suggests that as well as RLS claiming to have first been inspired by the idea of his famous story in a dream (in combo with the almost mythical Brodie) that he may well have taken a hallucinatory drug shortly before writing his classic novel that revolves around a doctor who takes a drug concoction that leads him into a double life as Mr. Hyde and therefore a direct parallel may be drawn to Brodie and perhaps to a lesser extent RLS himself at the time of his life that he was writing this book.

Following the enormous success of this classic book RLS was able to settle down in the Solomon Islands where he built a big house for himself and extended family but his drug use eventually caught up with him and he died from a major stroke at age 44.

Has anyone else seen this program?? Quite good really....

[ravenus]

Aha, much thanks for the info GOLLUM. Wish I could have seen this series. Please keep posting about this stuff.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Aha, much thanks for the info GOLLUM. Wish I could have seen this series. Please keep posting about this stuff.

Yes it's pretty interesting stuff and I'll continue posting..

*EDIT* Actually the next couple of weeks they're steering away from horror to a special on the woman behind the Mona Lisa, followed the following week by the controversey surrounding the Da Vinci Code and after that I've seen a preview relating to Bram Stoker's Dracula later in the year.

[jenna]

yeah i watched the Jekyll and Hyde doco, thought it was fascinating! all the stuff about Brodie was great. i'm a sucker for that sort of thing, hence why i want to marry the History Channel! i watched the Mona Lisa one, that was great too. wish everyone would just get over the bloody Da Vinci Code though. like der i already knew the church was built on lies, that's no huge revelation!! wish they'd stick to the interesting docos.. can't wait for the Bram Stoker one!