A juggernaut in the Streets of London

walking as destructive force in R. L. Stevenson's Strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde

Catherine M. Welter

pp. 187-196

in: Klaus Benesch, François Specq (eds), Walking and the aesthetics of modernity, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Abstract

For most scholars, Edward Hyde is unquestionably atavistic, but Stevenson's portrayal of Hyde as a uniquely proficient walker complicates such a reading. In this chapter, I read Hyde through a Certeauian lens, and I contend that in his unusual ability to move with speed and direction through London's labyrinthine streets, Hyde prefigures Bill Brown's postmodern city-dweller. As such, Hyde possesses the ability to orient himself within an "unmappable" environment and becomes, in some respects, the most evolved character in the novella. However, as he performs a Certeauian subversion of the established order, he also wields the power of walking against other pedestrians, often preventing them from creating city-texts of their own. Thus, destructive walking holds threatening implications for De Certeau's diverse, street-level city.