Form & Structure

Understanding form and structure is essential for AO2 — and often separates good responses from excellent ones. Stevenson makes deliberate choices about how the story is told, and these choices are just as important as what happens in the plot.

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Form: The Novella

Jekyll and Hyde is a novella — shorter than a novel, longer than a short story. This form is significant:

Feature of the novella form	How Stevenson uses it
Compressed length	Creates a sense of urgency and intensity — no subplots to dilute the horror
Focus on one central idea	The duality of human nature is explored with relentless concentration
Limited cast of characters	Every character serves a specific thematic purpose
Rapid pacing	Events escalate quickly — mirroring Hyde's growing power

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Narrative Structure: The Mystery

The novella is structured as a mystery or detective story, which was a popular genre in the Victorian era (Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories began in 1887, just a year after Jekyll and Hyde).

The detective structure