History: Stevenson Saturday - What Influenced Robert Louis Stevenson to Write the “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” (1886)?

Welcome to the twenty-fifth day of my daily October posts and Stevenson Saturday! Throughout these next 7-days, I will be posting different spooky fun facts, tricks and treats. Today, I will be covering the Deacon theory behind Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886). Enjoy!

I visited Edinburgh, Scotland not very long ago and upon walking up the Royal Mile I saw a plaque about Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As an avid reader, I stopped and took my time to remember the plaque. The plaque was about what inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his Novella in 1886. For starters, I am aware that he was inspired to write the story by a dream that was about a sick doctor in a laboratory that can transform into another person due to a medical condition. 

However, the plaque went on to explain the story of Deacon William Brody, a respected cabinet maker within Edinburgh and a member of the town council. This respected man during the day was also a burglar during the night. This two-faced, not-knowing-who-you-can-trust scandal of Deacon Brody is a large part of what inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the way that he did. Deacon Brody went on to be hanged for his crimes—once it came out that he was leading a group of burglars in the night in 1788. 

The story of Deacon Brody would’ve been almost a legend by the time Robert Louis Stevenson was a boy growing up in Edinburgh.

Thank you for reading this mini series and make sure to come back to see tomorrow's post!

Sincerely, 

        your 21st century poet <3