El extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde (ilustrado)

Por Robert Louis Stevenson

Un abogado...Un Doctor...Y la terrorifica historia de una doble identidad.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: FV Éditions
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 8 sept 2015
• ISBN: 9782366685572

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson was born on 13 November 1850, changing his second name to ‘Louis’ at the age of eighteen. He has always been loved and admired by countless readers and critics for ‘the excitement, the fierce joy, the delight in strangeness, the pleasure in deep and dark adventures’ found in his classic stories and, without doubt, he created some of the most horribly unforgettable characters in literature and, above all, Mr. Edward Hyde.

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Jekyll

©

Copyright © 2013 / FV Éditions

Ilustraciones : C.R Macauley

ISBN 978-2-36668-557-2

Todos Los Derechos Reservados

El extraño caso

del Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde

R.L Stevenson, 1850-1894

Historia de la Puerta

Utterson, el notario, era un hombre de cara arrugada, jamás iluminada por una sonrisa. De conversación escasa, fría y empachada, retraído en sus sentimientos, era alto, flaco, gris, serio y, sin embargo, de alguna forma, amable. En las comidas con los amigos, cuando el vino era de su gusto, sus ojos traslucían algo eminentemente humano; algo, sin embargo, que no llegaba nunca a traducirse en palabras, pero que tampoco se quedaba en los mudos símbolos de la sobremesa, manifestándose sobre todo, a menudo y claramente, en los actos de su vida.

Era austero consigo mismo: bebía ginebra, cuando estaba solo, para atemperar su tendencia a los buenos vinos, y, aunque le gustase el teatro, hacía veinte años que no pisaba uno. Sin embargo era de una probada tolerancia con los demás, considerando a veces con estupor, casi con envidia, la fuerte presión de los espíritus vitalistas que les llevaba a alejarse del recto camino. Por esto, en cualquier situación extrema, se inclinaba más a socorrer que a reprobar.

-Respeto la herejía de Caín -decía con agudeza-. Dejo que mi hermano se vaya al diablo como crea más oportuno.

Por este talante, a menudo solía ser el último conocido estimable, la última influencia saludable en la vida de los hombres encaminados cuesta abajo; y en sus relaciones con éstos, mientras duraban las mismas, procuraba mostrarse mínimamente cambiado.

Es verdad que, para un hombre como Utterson, poco expresivo en el mejor sentido; no debía ser difícil comportarse de esta manera.

Para él, la amistad parecía basarse en un sentido de genérica, benévola disponibilidad. Pero es de personas modestas aceptar sin más, de manos de la casualidad, la búsqueda de las propias amistades; y éste era el caso de Utterson.

Sus amigos eran conocidos desde hacía mucho o personas de su familia; su afecto crecía con el tiempo, como la yedra, y no requería idoneidad de su objeto.

La amistad que lo unía a Nichard Enfield, el conocido hombre de mundo, era sin duda de este tipo, ya que Enfield era pariente lejano suyo; resultaba para muchos un misterio saber qué veían aquellos dos uno en el otro o qué intereses podían tener en común. Según decían los que los encontraban en sus paseos dominicales, no intercambiaban ni una palabra, aparecían particularmente deprimidos y saludaban con visible alivio la llegada de un amigo. A pesar de todo, ambos apreciaban muchísimo estas salidas, las consideraban el mejor regalo de la semana, y, para no renunciar a las mismas, no sólo dejaban cualquier otro motivo de distracción, sino que incluso los compromisos más serios.

Sucedió que sus pasos los condujeron durante uno de estos vagabundeos, a una calle de un barrio muy poblado de Londres. Era una calle estrecha y, los domingos, lo que se dice tranquila, pero animada por comercios y tráfico durante la semana. Sus habitantes ganaban bastante, por lo que parecía, y, rivalizando con la esperanza de que les fuera mejor, dedicaban sus excedentes al adorno, coqueta muestra de prosperidad: los comercios de las dos aceras tenían aire de invitación, como una doble fila de sonrientes vendedores. Por lo que incluso el domingo, cuando velaba sus más floridas gracias, la calle brillaba, en contraste con sus adyacentes escuálidas, como un fuego en el bosque; y con sus contraventanas recién pintadas, sus bronces relucientes, su aire alegre y limpio atraía y seducía inmediatamente la vista del paseante.

A dos puertas de una esquina, viniendo del oeste, la línea de casas se interrumpía por la entrada de un amplio patio; y, justo al lado de esta entrada, un pesado, siniestro edificio sobresalía a la calle su frontón triangular. Aunque fuera de dos pisos, este edificio no tenía ventanas: sólo la puerta de entrada, algo más abajo del nivel de la calle, y una fachada ciega de revoque descolorido. Todo el edificio, por otra parte, tenía las señales de un prolongado y sórdido abandono. La puerta, sin aldaba ni campanilla, estaba rajada y descolorida; vagabundos encontraban cobijo en su hueco y raspaban fósforos en las hojas, niños comerciaban en los escalones, el escolar probaba su navaja en las molduras, y nadie había aparecido, quizás desde hace una generación, a echar a aquellos indeseables visitantes o a arreglar lo estropeado.

Enfield y el notario caminaban por el otro lado de la calle, pero, cuando llegaron allí delante, el primero levantó el bastón indicando:

-¿Os habéis fijado en esa puerta? -preguntó. Y añadió a la respuesta afirmativa del otro-: Está asociada en mi memoria a una historia muy extraña.

-¿Ah, sí? -dijo Utterson con un ligero cambio de voz-. ¿Qué historia?

-Bien -dijo Enfield-, así fue. Volvía a casa a pie de un lugar allá en el fin del mundo, hacia las tres de una negra mañana de invierno, y mi recorrido atravesaba una parte de la ciudad en la que no había más que las farolas. Calle tras calle, y ni un alma, todos durmiendo. Calle tras calle, todo encendido como para una procesión y vacío como en una iglesia. Terminé encontrándome, a fuerza de escuchar y volver a escuchar, en ese particular estado de ánimo en el que se empieza a desear vivamente ver a un policía. De repente vi dos figuras: una era un hombre de baja estatura, que venía a buen paso y con la cabeza gacha por el fondo de la calle; la otra era una niña, de ocho o diez años, que llegaba corriendo por una bocacalle.

"Bien, señor -prosiguió Enfield-, fue bastante natural que los dos, en la esquina, se dieran de bruces. Pero aquí viene la parte más horrible: el hombre pisoteó tranquilamente a la niña caída y siguió su camino, dejándola llorando en el suelo. Contado no es nada, pero verlo fue un infierno. No parecía ni siquiera un hombre, sino un vulgar Juggernaut... Yo me puse a correr gritando, agarré al caballero por la solapa y lo llevé donde ya había un grupo de Personas alrededor de la niña que gritaba.

El se quedó totalmente indiferente, no opuso la mínima resistencia, me echó una mirada, pero una mirada tan horrible que helaba la sangre. Las personas que habían acudido eran los familiares de la pequeña, que resultó que la habían mandado a buscar a un médico, y poco después llegó el mismo. Bien, según este último, la niña no se había hecho nada, estaba más bien asustada; por lo que, en resumidas cuentas, todo podría haber terminado ahí, si no hubiera tenido lugar una curiosa circunstancia. Yo había aborrecido a mi caballero desde el primer momento; y también la familia de la niña, como es natural, lo había odiado inmediatamente. Pero me impresionó la actitud del médico, o boticario que fuese.

"Era -explicó Enfield-, el clásico tipo estirado, sin color ni edad, con un marcado acento de Edimburgo y la emotividad de un tronco. Pues bien, señor, le sucedió lo mismo que a nosotros: lo veía palidecer de náusea cada vez que miraba a aquel hombre y temblar por las ganas de matarlo. Yo entendía lo

Comentarios para El extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll y Mr. Hyde (ilustrado)

[sometimeunderwater · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Bet this was a blitz before everyone and their kid knew the secret twist. A fine gothic novella, proceeding on railroad towards the ending you already knew was coming.

[readingover50 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I am watching the new season of Penny Dreadful and they are featuring Dr. Jekyll this year. I realized I have never read this book, so I decided to pick it up in preparation for the show.

The writing feels very dense, and the pacing is slow. The reader slowly gets a feeling of dread, rather than outright scares. This is common with many of the horror stories of the period that I have read.

The story is interesting, with much musing on the nature of good and evil. It was a bit slower paced than I like, but this is a short book and easy to read in a day.

[williemeikle-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

It's not called a classic without good reason. It's an almost perfectly plotted short novel, all the parts complementing each other, all serving to build tension and anticipation. The good doctor is suitably tragic, Hyde is suitably degenerate and, despite having seen the multitude of adaptations over the years, it still feels remarkably fresh and modern. All of Stevenson's stylistic flourishes are on show, as well as his rarely bettered storytelling ability. I'd give it six stars if I could.

[bettesbooks · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I was expecting more. Why? Because everyone knows the tale, I just assumed the writing would be better.

[ffortuna_6 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Small but incredibly effective. Like, I know Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. Everyone knows that. I still felt actually horrified at the reveal of that fact, because Stevenson did such a good job drawing the main characters and the people surrounding them. Like The Picture of Dorian Gray, (Wilde was an admirer of the book), it explores inner and outer natures by dividing them, showing what people might do if it would never be found out and never physically affect them, and it's all the more compelling because their flaws start out so small and relatable. Jekyll didn't suffer from a deep dark secret at first, he just didn't want anyone to know about his small flaws. Excellent for the Halloween season, and especially good read in company with Dorian Gray, because both are so complete, so layered, and so subtle where it counts.

[starla_aurora · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

interesting... not what I remember from 15 yrs ago. that's what happens with memory and Hollywood influence.

[john257hopper · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is a re-read of this classic 19th century novella which has been the inspiration behind so many spin-offs since. It is a taut and atmospheric piece of writing, and the conclusion that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same, two sides of the same being, only becomes evident near the end - it is hard for us to understand how this would have shocked and thrilled the reader in 1886, so familiar has the Jekyll and Hyde motif become.

[stahl2ricco · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

“... that man is not truly one, but truly two.”The idea that we all have a dark side? Well, certainly the main character of this story does! Dr. Henry Jekyll meets/creates/releases Edward Hyde, “The evil side of my nature,...”, and is not the same for it! It's a quick read, well except for the last chapter that draaaaags on, and an important story in the history of "horror" literature, so I'm glad I read it! Not scary by today's standards, but still a freaky idea and one that has been repeated often! I wonder which of my two halves would be the dominant one? Or do I have more than two? Hmm...

[angelajmaher · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This is one of those classic stories it would be almost impossible to not be aware of on some level. The basic concept of the book is deeply ingrained in pop culture, but a lot of people probably haven't read the origin of what has become a legend of sorts.Reading the classics isn't always easy; the writing style being of a previous era. But it gives a new and interesting perspective to read the original texts that have spawned so many echoes through to the modern day.This book is a good place to start if you're wanting to start dipping into the classics. The older style might take some getting used to, but it's short. It would be easy enough to read the whole thing in a single quiet afternoon, but if read in smaller doses, still wouldn't take a terribly long time to get through.As with other classic works I've read, such as Frankenstein, the nuances and details were not quite what I expected. It has a much deeper reflection on human nature, for one.This is well worth reading, if only to see how the tale was originally portrayed.

[margaretfield · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

might be the best crafted short story I've ever read

[borrows0n0wants · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I love the story. However, since nearly 98% of the population is familiar with this story, it is kind of a drag to read this since you know how everything unfolds. I also didn't find the way in which the story was told very captivating. It is such a thin book, and I had a terrible time getting through it. I actually skipped parts in this book because they were so dreadfully boring.

[marthaearly · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

So short, but so powerful. This is one of those stories where you think you know how it goes, but upon reading you find that it has been re-interpreted for so many years in so many forms that it feels completely different. Well, not completely. But still, the decades of alterations made this novella feel fresh and rich. I would have liked it to be longer, since I was so drawn in by the world of dark clouds and sinister encounters, and the novella ends on an abrupt note. However, it was pleasingly eerie and direct while it lasted.

[robert.zimmermann · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I wasn't sure what to really expect with this one. Yes, it's a classic that "everyone knows about," but I didn't really know what it was about going into reading it. I knew there was a Doctor who turns himself into Mr. Hyde (pure evil). I didn't really know the specifics or anything about other characters or story line in general.

I have a somewhat ignorance with a good amount of classic books. I know them, I know enough to want to read them, but I don't peruse them further until I read them. This helps give me a fresh reaction to the story.

So my reaction to this story was great overall. Like many classics I actually listened to the audiobook version (librivox.org is GREAT for this and my budget) because it helps me read them at a good pace and makes it easier for me to pay attention. I just can't read some of the writing sometimes no matter how beautiful. Ok, back to the review, haha. It was a great story with a mystery and a great moral dilemma about good and evil. I won't really get into much more though. I know it's short and I'm not saying really anything at all. But I really like Stevenson's writing and the horror added into the mystery of what's going on. I've read Treasure Island only from him, so this is number 2 I've read. I'll have to now go and read more of him since I'm enjoying it.

[dmu-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I liked this book a lot. It's a short book but it still has lots of mystery and exciting parts within it. It's about a man named Mr. Utterson who tries to learn about the mysterious Mr. Hyde who is Dr. Jekyll's evil side.In the book, the setting is based in England. Dr. Jekyll finds a way to make a compound that allows him to transform into a separate personality, Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde is a younger and pure evil being. I personally like Mr. Hyde's name a lot. His name sounds like the word "hide" and Mr. Hyde's personality reflects his name. He tries to be discreet and tries to not talk to anyone unless he has to. Throughout the book, Mr. Utterson tries to learn about this mysterious Mr. Hyde. Almost nobody knows about him. Finally, after many mysterious encounters with Dr. Jekyll and one murder, he learns who Mr. Hyde truly is when he reads a letter that was left for him. I also liked this book a lot because the story isn't just told from the point of view of one person. It's mainly told from the point of view from one person, but it's also told from the point of view of two other people.This book is very good! It makes you feel multiple emotions as you read it. It makes you excited, scared, surprised, and curious. I would recommend it to many people.

[rajivc_18 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I had read this book many years back, and read it again. It is indeed one of the more fascinating books that I have read. It's been a while since I read some of the old classics ( I started with Bertie Wooster!), and it took one or two pages before I got back into the swing of it allThe concept is incredible, and does indeed hark to the present when we are trying all sorts of brain and other experiments. It does teach us the dangers of meddling too much with biology, and playing God. Beautiful book, Needs to be widely read again

[mesmericrevelation · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I could not put this book down. I love it and I can't believe it took me this long to read it. I will definitely be re-reading this one next month and every October from now on.It is such an incredible story. Like me, you may know it from movies but, as always, the book is so much better. I cannot say enough good stuff about this it.Since it is so good and such a fast read, I will be making everyone I know read this. If you haven't read it yet, go read it right now. You wont regret it. Seriously, go! Right now!

[shaunesay · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This is the first time I've ever read the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I'll admit I had no idea it was written by the same author as Treasure Island, which I also have not read yet. I would not have put those two ideas to the same author, so it's been enlightening all around! It's also amazing to me what a short story this really was, only 94 pages, to have inspired so many adaptations and interpretations, movies, etc.

It was an interesting dark fantasy tale with an important lesson about giving in to our baser natures. The more we indulge them, the more it becomes who we are until we're no longer able to hide or control those tendencies.

[a.berry · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

"He was wild when he was young; a long while ago to be sure; but in the law of God there is no statute of limitations." - Utterson, Esq.The best thing about old books is the detail in the writing. It makes more obvious the complacency of mind found in the generation of television and wifi.Henry Jekyll recognized that man has two persons living inside them - both good and evil. He was bored with being the "good doctor" and wanted to indulge in mischief without being held accountable for his actions, so he freed his murderous, unscrupulous self in the form of Edward Hyde. At first, had it not been for his evil other's indifference toward him, Jekyll would have been tempted to remain the depraved Mr. Hyde, but eventually they came to resent one another and Hyde became Jekyll's ruin as happens when one chooses their evil self.I'm glad I read this book. I was expecting Mr. Hyde to be as big and ugly as he is in movies, but he was actually a petite man who had an appetite for very bad coupled with a malevolent countenance and a look of deformity that no one could put their finger on.Goodread!

[bryndahlquis · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I wish people still wrote this way. Or at least, still wrote this way WELL.Just the first sentence is great. Stevenson really has a great way of describing people, both physically and characteristically.One of the most interesting things about this story is all the possibilities and underlying meanings you can get from it. The way Jekyll refers to both of his personalities in third person, his underlying thirst for and pleasure in evil, his addiction to Hyde, etc. It's actually pretty dark, and I'm sure we can all agree that Jekyll is a bit on the crazy side.But there's definitely a reason that Jekyll and Hyde have become household names and inspiration to countless stories and characters.

[jaygheiser · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Great story. I was very surprised that the chronology was reversed. It starts at the end and works its way forward, a device that none of the knock-off versions of this tale use. A master story teller.

[ohernaes · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The classic story of the good, but boring Dr Jekyll who transforms himself into the vital and evil Mr Hyde. Jekyll comes to loath him, but has become addicted.

[dlow_54 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I originally selected this book because I have it on my bookshelf and I have never had the time to read it. I pulled it off the shelf and placed it by my bed with hopes to finish it before my reading class was over. As it turned out I just never found the time to crack open the cover. Therefore, I searched for the audio version. To my surprised I found it right away at a reseaonable price and by a narrartor with which I was familiar. I have listen to Dick Hill narrate several novels I have read by Sanda Brown. I listened to the book in one night. I was was intrigued by the story but also confused. I had a hard time following the narration. A few times I glanced through the book while i was listening to Dick read the pages. I was surprised with how difficult this book is to read. I didn't think it would be so complicated. I had never thought of this as a text for children, and now I really don't think that it is. I think the text is too difficult for many students, and students in the classes I teach would need a lot of background information taught before a story like this could be even be looked at. I do not forsee reading this book to my class, or for my class. I am glad I read the story and I feel it was important, but I think the text would be better suited for a college level course where students were able to talk about the characters in greater detail and with greater insight. I do recommend this book for adults. The text is a classic and it should still be read because it did explain what I knew about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

[something_-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I fantom I would have liked this book a lot more if I didn't already know from the start who was Hyde. Nevertheless, it was actually very interesting once the "action" picked up. Although I found Utterson somewhat boring at times, the ending of the book made it worth it to see it through. The most interesting part was definitely the explanation of Dr Jekyll himself at the end, which I read eagerly. Overall, it was a nice book.

[multifaceted_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This book isn't bad; it's a short read, and doesn't go too much in depth. But I think the fact that, reading it today as one of the classics in literature that EVERYONE knows the story of, even though most of us haven't really read it, has really and truly spoiled it for me. I tried to transport myself back to Victorian England. I tried to think of the times where "penny dreadful" suspense and horror novels were rampant, and books like "The String of Pearls" (about and characters like Sweeney Todd) could be bought, or, later real life characters like "Jack the Ripper" could be read about in the sensationalistic newspapers. I tried to keep in mind the sentiments and misconceptions of the time about death and character. But for all of that, the suspense of this novel was ruined by my having been inundated with various versions of the story since I was a kid. I imagine it really could have been something, though, at the time it was published. After all, I do appreciate the author's picking out the calm, objective character (Utterson) to tell the story, in order to make the suspense build up that much more and make the other characters in it come across that much more fantastical. Having read a good bit of "Gothic fiction" again lately, I find this fits nicely in with fantastical, almost campfire-story-like books such as Dracula, Frankenstein and even the aforementioned String of Pearls. But overall it's not so strange and transporting as stories like The Monk, The Castle of Otranto, or even Faust. But then again, who knows? Perhaps if I had never heard of Jekyll or Hyde before this, I would put this book in with the latter group, too. Although I tend to think that in order to do that, Stevenson would have had to elaborate a little more on the differences between Jekyll and Hyde, and would have had to go into the psychological aspect quite a bit farther (and really, he only touched the tip of the iceberg here).

[clurb · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Stevenson paints a very dark and bleak picture of London. His language makes the story very claustrophobic and although I came at this book already knowing the plot, I found that the understated writing style made it all just a touch more scary than I'd expected. Best read alone on a rainy night, under a blanket.

[gonzalo8046 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Nice short read. Even though you know the ending ten pages in, I still enjoyed it.

[universehall · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This book truly does earn the title of "classic". It has suspense, interesting characters, a fine storyline, and something that some books that are considered "classics" are lacking: a point. You could argue about whether the true demon of the story is man's nature, science, or the Promethian tendency of the eponimous doctor. However, the essence of the story is the classic "tradgedy" plotline: the hubris of the lead character leads to his downfall. I do emphasize the word "tragedy" in my review, as it's definitely not a happy-fun-time kind of book. But if you don't go into it expecting that, you will probably be perfectly satisified. In the end, I would say that the main flaw of this book is that it is infuriatingly short. You could almost complain that this book is nothing more than an extended short story. However, from another viewpoint this could be a virtue; what's better than a classic novel that can be read in less than two hours?

[fig2_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This creepy novel explores the good and evil found in all of us, as well as the marriage of science and mysticism, A fabulous horror classic!

[orix_bluewave · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This is a story of multiple personality person.He has two personality.One is very aggressive,another is calm.This is a interesting story.

[clancy.coonradt · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Great piece of literature. Really interesting way of keeping the reader blind to very key pieces of information that would allow for easier identification of potential threats and climaxes. Really enjoy RLS and look forward to reading more of his work.