Essay #4: The Strange Persistence of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Our last essay will involve a researched inquiry into the ways the story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has persisted and been changed into our own time. Our society makes persistent reference to “Jekyll and Hyde” in a multitude of fields and in a multitude of ways. It has become a “trope”—a word or phrased used in a figurative sense to indicate a particular meaning. Your job in this essay is to study our modern meanings of this “trope” and trace it back to its original source (the novel).
As a research assignment, that means you will start with a clear research question. You will gather “data” related to your research question, and you will then analyze this data. Based upon your analysis, you will formulate “findings” which you will share in your essay. Within this process, the strategies you develop to do your research are even more important than the specific things you find out about your research subject. All along the way, we will do our best to talk about these strategies and share them.
Research Question:
What does the term “Jekyll and Hyde” mean today? (or How is the term “Jekyll
and Hyde” used today?)
Possible modifications:
What is one significant meaning that the term “Jekyll and Hyde” has today?
What is one significant way in which the term is used today?
What is one significant meaning that the term “Jekyll and Hyde” have in the
field of X today?
(where X could be psychology or nuclear physics or economics).
Data
Do searches for the term “Jekyll and Hyde” in at least five different online
databases to start your research?
Gather at least ten instances of the term being used. (Realize that there may be variations on the
term—you might find Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or perhaps just Jekyll or just
Hyde.)
You will publish the ten instances you find in the form of an Annotated Bibliography. This Annotated Bibliography will be in MLA Documentation Style and Format, and each entry will summarize the way that source uses the term “Jekyll and Hyde” (including a quote is a great idea).
Analyzing Data
After you share your ten instances, you will comb through yours and your peers’
annotated bibliographies to find a particular pattern or theme that you want to
focus on. This analysis process can be cumbersome and difficult, and we will do
our best to help each other. You have to
find something meaningful that emerges from the data in front of you. Once you begin to spot a pattern of meaning,
you will need to investigate it more closely to formulate and substantiate the
particular pattern or theme you find.
Sharing Your Findings
You will share your findings in the form of a “critical essay.” This essay will present your finding up front
in the thesis and then use multiple paragraphs to develop and support this
finding. I will expect you to compare
and interpret your findings to the original story and the “Anatomy of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” article. You will
share how this use of Jekyll and Hyde relates to the original story and the key
meanings of Jekyll and Hyde within the story.
Essay Requirements:
(50% of Grade)
You will write a critical essay presenting the findings from your research into how the term “Jekyll and Hyde” is used in our contemporary culture. Rather than define how many sources you should have, I prefer to state that you need to base your findings upon a substantial body of research. (I would estimate that five sources would be a bare minimum.) In addition to these research sources, you are expected to make reference to our Primary Text (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and our chief Secondary Source (“The Anatomy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”).
The essay should be a “critical essay” of 4-7 pages in length. Please review the requirements of a “critical essay” to make sure your essay fulfills these requirements. You will document sources according to MLA Documentation Style (or APA if you so desire).
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Timeline: 4/22—Annotated Bibliography Due
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Timeline for Phases of Project: |
Annotated
Bibliography (25% of Grade)
You should have ten sources that use the terms “Jekyll and Hyde” (or similar
terms). Each source should have a brief
summary of how that source used the term “Jekyll and Hyde,” displaying the use
of the term and then following with your interpretation of what they meant in
their use of the term. The entries should be in MLA Documentation Style (or APA
if you wish) and in alphabetic order. It
should be in electronic format. Due 4/22.
Research Notebook:
(25% of Grade)
This is a kind of diary of your work on this project. I want you to record each
time you work on this project. Make special note of QUESTIONS and PROBLEMS you
face as you work on this research project.
Write, also, about what strategies you used to address these questions
and/or problems. You will make two
public posts to our discussion forum based from material in your Research
Notebook.
This Research Notebook will be graded on persistence and depth of engagement with the project.
You can keep this notebook on loose-leaf paper, on your
computer, or in a journal. You decide what your strategy will be for keeping
this notebook. However, you keep this notebook, you will need to turn it in
with the final draft of the essay.