'Jekyll and Hyde' Chapter 7: Incident at the Window
I can explain how Stevenson uses liminality in Chapter 7.
'Jekyll and Hyde' Chapter 7: Incident at the Window
I can explain how Stevenson uses liminality in Chapter 7.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Twilight marks the transition between day and night; it is a liminal time.
- Windows are often important symbols or liminal spaces in gothic fiction.
- Jekyll is in the middle window, which is half way up, suggesting a state of transition.
- This court is located by the "blistered and disdained" door of Chapter 1.
- Utterson and Enfield choose to protect Jekyll's reputation over his wellbeing and walk away with a vow of silence.
Keywords
Liminality - Liminality is the physical process of transitioning across boundaries and borders.
Pivotal - If something is described as being pivotal, it is of crucial importance.
Motif - A motif is a recurring idea in a text.
Twilight - The time between sunset and darkness is called twilight.
Common misconception
Liminal spaces are things that are unnerving in a mysterious way.
Liminal spaces often do create a unnerving tone, but this is due to them being the boundary to two opposing states.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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