Abstract
Lennard J Davis, in the introduction to The Disability Studies Reader, argued that the growth of the pseudoscience of Eugenics was primarily founded on the concept of 'normality' and its related implications in nineteenth-century Europe. The fictional character of Edward Hyde in R.L Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde best illustrates the Eugenic theory of ascribing moral deficiency to physical abnormality. Edward Hyde, who stands for the dark side of Dr. Jekyll's character, is portrayed as a short and hideous individual who resembles a troglodyte in appearance. By contrast, Dr. Jekyll is described as a tall, smooth-faced individual with every capacity for kindness and social graces. However, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, abnormal physical appearance is treated very differently. In this novel, the abnormally large and hideous monster created by Victor Frankenstein, the narrator is inherently kind and helpful but later turns vindictive and revengeful as a result of the ill-treatment and prejudice meted out to him by the 'normal' people around him. Within the narrative world of Mary Shelley's novel, the question of motives and individual morality is more complex and, unlike in Stevenson's novel, is not advertised in an individual's physical appearance. However, by portraying two highly educated European scientists as the originators of Hyde and the monster in Frankenstein, Stevenson and Mary Shelley show the mirror to the Western man who, during the nineteenth century, was constantly ascribing immorality and lack of civilization solely to the wider world outside Europe.
Author Information
Harisankar Anirudhan, Indian Institute of Technology, India
Paper Information
Conference: IICAH2025
Stream: Literature/Literary Studies
This paper is part of the IICAH2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Anirudhan H. (2025) The Monster in “Frankenstein” and Edward Hyde: Eugenics and the Politics of Appearance ISSN: 2432-4604 – The IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities – Hawaii 2025 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 15-21) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2025.2
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4604.2025.2
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