Exploring the Historical Context of Dr.
Terms of Use: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Unported. It is attributed to Janet Stevens, UMass Boston, and the original version can be found here:
http://questgarden.com/67/25/8/080617220022/index.htm
Modifications to the original version for the purposes of Mrs. Dillard’s English 12 classes are indicated in green.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This webquest will help research some of the historical background of the nineteenth century in
order to grasp a deeper understanding of the context in Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case
of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This assignment will take the place of the background/introductory
notes test on the novel and will, therefore, count as a test grade.
Introduction
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was first published
in 1886. For this webquest, you will research the historical and cultural factors in this story.
Do you really understand the culture back in 19th century London,
England? Are you familiar with any of the periodic events or social happenings during this
time? What was it like to live in London in the late 19th century? What did people do for a
living? Where did they live and what exactly did they do for fun? What did people eat back then
for meals and who prepared the food? What about the way they dressed? What did men and
women wear, and did social classes dress and act differently? What about education--did
everyone attend school? Up to what grade? There are so many cultural details to think about when
researching the 19th century in London, England.
This webquest is designed to guide you through an investigative project; you will be asked to dig
deeper into the historical background of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
By exploring the cultural setting of London in the second half of the nineteenth century, you will
engage in a deeper level of reading and understanding of Stevenson--the author, and his story,
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Task
You will explore and research 19th century England, to determine how
historically accurate Stevenson is in his story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
You will be divided into groups and assigned a specific topic to research on 19th century culture
in England.
You will research, take notes, and write a descriptive essay on your chosen historical theme.
Each member will contribute to the research and take his or her own set of notes.
Your group will write a collaborative evaluation giving detailed examples and pictorial evidence
in your presentation to the class.
Your group will go back to Stevenson's story and find textual evidence to support/confirm/ or
refute your findings. You must find at least four specific examples depicting the subject you are
researching.
For example, if you are assigned 'clothing and attire' in the 19th century, you must find at least
four descriptive passages in the story where Stevenson describes a character's clothing--preferably
different characters--men, women, children, servants, professionals...
After you have compiled your research and juxtaposed it to Stevenson's story, each group
will rejoin the larger discussion and present their research and evidence to the class.
Process
1.) You will all begin by reading the following sites to get a basic historical overview of the
setting in 19th century London, England.
http://aboutbritain.com/articles/life-in-victorian-england.asp
www.victorianweb.org
http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/subtheme.php?irn=572
2.) Next, you will be divided into smaller groups of four. Each group will be given a specific
aspect of 19th culture to investigate and research. Here are the four groups:
A) Race, Class, and Gender Issues--
you will
explore the social classes, women's history, Anti-Irish prejudices,
etiquette, and anything that pertains to race, class, and gender. Here are
questions to help guide you in your research:
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Did women work in 19th century England?
What social classes performed which occupations?
What was the social role of a married woman?
What significance was a person's race in 19th century
England?
What were the levels of social class? Who were the
upper class? How could you tell differences between
classes?
What was the normal dress for women? And men? And
children? Where did they buy clothes or did they make
their own clothing?
How many classes were there? Which class did the
majority of Londoners fall into? What was a typical day
in the life of an upper class citizen? A middle class
citizen? A lower class citizen?
What distinguished each class--in other words, what
were the physical, emotional, and social
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characteristics that separated the upper from middle
and lower class?
You may also explore the gender issue in each of the
class levels. What roles were expected of the men and
women in each of the social groups?
You may use the previous sites for research and any of the others listed below.
B) Leisure and Amusement- Your group will research
what children and adults did for fun--both inside and outside the home.
You will explore the London theater, recreational and field sports,
which games were popular during the time, the history of crochet, cricket,
rugby, tennis, and so forth. Which games were invented during
the Victorian era?
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What did children and adults do for play?
How did they fill their leisure time? Was there such
thing as 'leisure time'?
Was life in Victorian England all work and no
play...did 19th century Londoners ever have fun?
You will research a typical week day, week-end day,
holiday, or vacation during the 19th century.
Find out where children went to play, what they
played, how they played, and with whom they played.
What exactly did adults do for enjoyment, and did they
do it in groups or as couples?
Did they need babysitters to go out? Did people even go
out at night and did both men and women drink?
You are to research what was considered 'fun' and 'enjoyable' for the upper, middle, and lower
class citizens of London England during the 19th century.
C) The HOME--
You will explore the architecture, structure, and
make-up of the 19th century London home. You will need to consider the different social
classes as well as race, while you investigate and explore the living conditions in the 19th
century.
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Where did the upper class live?
How many rooms did their homes have? What were
some of the amenities?
Where did the middle class live? And the lower class
citizens? How big were their homes?
Who lived with whom? Who had servants? Who
prepared the meals?
What did each of the rooms look like? Did family
members share rooms?
What were considered the 'daily' chores and who
performed them in the house?
How about hygiene? Did people bathe daily? Brush their
teeth and hair? Was shampoo, soap, and toothpaste
even invented?
Were there traditional 'bathrooms'? What did they look
like? Were showers invented?
These are just a few questions you may ask yourselves and explore. Describe with as much detail
as you can find--adding pictures and illustrations--what a household looked like, who lived in it,
who took care of it, how they lived from day to day at home--trying to keep in mind what a
typical day would be for a man, women, or child in 19th century England. Try to research a day in
the life--starting with the time they would awake and finishing when they would go to bed.
D) Other Relevant and
Interesting information:
The group will
research a variety of information about 19th century culture. Some of the
information may be too insignificant to stand alone but it is still an important part of the
cultural history of London England.
[Photo of Queen Victoria---whose name has graced the time period
being researched]
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For example, how did people stay in touch--was there a
postal delivery service?
Why was England known as the "European center of
Suicide"?
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You may also want to look at 'crime and punishment'-the laws, the police, the morals, and values governing
the people of London England during the 19th century.
What role did religion play? Which religion was most
popular?
What was the economy like? What was the population
of London at the time? Of England?
You are to look into anything you think is relevant or
significant that relates to the life and culture of
the 19th century London, England AND Stevenson's The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Once again, illustrations are strongly encouraged; you
will find some on the websites listed on this page.
Here are some more websites to guide you in your
research:
(Note--for each of these sites, you will need to do a little searching. Use search words such as
"Victorian England, London history, 19th century London, England, Jack the Ripper", etc...to
find material pertaining to your subject matter--be creative and imaginative )
http://www.old-print.com
http://www.aboutbritain.com
http://www.gentlemansemporium.com
http://www.fashion-era.com
http://www.city-of-london.com
http://www.londonhistory.org/snapshot.htm
www.st-marys.hull.sch.uk/sites/history
www.images.google.com
After you gather the information needed for each subject, your group will
present the information you gathered to the class. Each member should be involved in the
presentation. For example, if you are in the last group you could divide your presentation giving
one person "the legal system", another "the economy", another "religion", and the last person,
"interesting facts and tidbits"---Please note: You do not have to divide your group this way; I am
only giving an example to show how I want each member to be an active participant in the
presentation.
In addition to presenting your group’s historical findings, you will also address the accuracy or lack
of these findings--in Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Once again, all members need to be
involved--that is why I requested at least four examples of textual evidence so that each may
present an example from the story.
Evaluation
Each group will be evaluated with the following criteria:
1. The research for your subject was thorough and thoughtful.
2. Your oral presentation of your research was shared by all members of your group.
3. Your group gave multiple examples, illustrations, and evidence to support your research
4. Your group had solid, descriptive examples from the text to juxtapose with your research
5. All members of the group worked collaboratively and each had an equal part in
the presentation and research
6. Your presentation and research is a reflection of your hard work and effort on this project
Dates for webquest work in class: 3/16, 3/17, 3/18-19, 4/6. You will also need to
communicate with each other outside of class for this project.
Notes, papers, and presentations are due Friday, April 10