Stevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature Essay -- Victorian A

The Victorian period marked a period of immense transition in more aspects of human life. In 1859 Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, a work that foreign the traditional way of perceiving religion. Candyce Klin author of Darwinism as A heathen thing, states that The Origin of Species proposed the theory that all living creatures had to compete within their profess preconditions in order to survive. This may be why the controversial recognize of the wave-particle duality of human nature has been shew at the heart of umpteen Victorian works. The paper of the duality of man can be found in the works of two famous incline authors, Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad. Stevenson and Conrad both incorporate the theme of the duality of human nature within their own novellas. Stevenson employs this theme passim his novella The Strange slip of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and similarly Conrad employs this theme throughout his novella amount of Darkness. In both novel las the theme is found in the literary devices of symbolism and personification. Although both works embody the theme of the duality of human nature, each author takes their own individual approach in utilizing literary techniques to help preserve this crucial theme. Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh on November 13, 1850. From a young age Stevenson was fascinated with the darker side of human nature, reflecting his continue interest in the concept of a double life (The Norton Anthology of English Literature 1643). Stevenson composed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1855, publishing it the fall year in 1856. Upon publication The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde expeditiously became a best seller in both Britain and America (The Norton Anthology of English... ...ample of symbolism is ivory. In Heart of Darkness ivory symbolizes greed and the calamitous nature of man, or the evil side. All throughout the novella the agents and mangers of the Company a re consumed by obtaining ivory, so much so that they abandon all their moral principles, alternatively apply any method necessary to acquire heaping shipments of ivory. Works CitedConrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. By StephenGreenblatt and M. H. Abrams. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York W.W. Norton, 2006. 18911947. Print.Klin, Candyce. Darwinism as A Cultural Issue Cedar Crest College, 2 June 2001. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.Stevenson, Robert L. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Norton Anthology ofEnglish Literature. By Stephen Greenblatt and M. H. Abrams. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New YorkW.W. Norton, 2006. 1643-1685. Print.