4.

Monstrosity

Quotes see page 18

 Introduction
• the novella published in 1886
• instantaneous success
• adapted to the stage (late-19th century)
• adapted to the screen (1908).
• 100 screen adaptations
• Written in 6 weeks, awakening after a
nightmare
• => novella already an adaptation
 Outline
• I. Literary description
• II. How to characterize Hyde in film
– A. The ape (1932)
– B. The voice (1941)
– C. Mary Reilly and the Minotaur (1995)
– D. Splitting physique and ethics (1963)
• Conclusion
 I. Literary description
• Enfield’s narration => can’t describe the
monster:
• Utterson => not much progress
• The police => Identikit picture
• a metonymic description
• A drawback or an advantage?
II. HOW TO CHARACTERIZE HYDE IN
FILM
 A. The ape (1932)

• - skull, protruding teeth, mass of hair

• - Darwinian aspect
• - ape-like agility
• - tormenting a woman
 1932
Skull, mass of hair Protruding teeth
Ape-like agility
 1932
Fredric March as Jekyll Fredric March as Hyde
 1941
Spencer Tracy as Jekyll Spencer Tracy as Hyde
 C. The voice (1941)

• - husky, whispering, broken voice

• - tormenting scene
• - the automatic difference
• - from one to two murders
• - Victorian ethics and prostitution 
 Mary Reilly (1996)
A prostitute’s blood everywhere An eviscerated rat
D. Mary Reilly and the Minotaur (1995)

• - a bedroom smeared with blood,

• - a dead eviscerated rat
• - a dirty job by proxy
• - the labyrinth.
• - Theseus and the Minotaur in the maze
• - Mary Reilly the spared victim
• - Mary Reilly as Theseus
The labyrinth
transformation
 E. Splitting physique and ethics (1963)
• - a parody
• - common point with Frears’s film
• - a much less dichotomous film than the old Hollywood versions
• - parodic horror
• - POV sequence
• - the parody : swapping associations
• - the blending of an attractive appearance and a horrible
personality
• - the blending of an unpleasant appearance and an endearing
personality
 1963
Lewis as Pr Kelp Lewis as Buddy Love
1963 transformation
 Conclusion
• Showing monstrosity : Novel ≠ film
• Developing metonymies and metaphors
• “monster” = etymology : monstrum, derived
from the verb monnere (warn, draw attention
to), =>
• the monster’s function is to reveal.
• Hyde reveals Jekyll’s inner self
• In the parody as well