my fandoms are *sniff* leaving me, and post-colonial Jekyll

[chelseagirl]

So everything I am fannish about comes to an end -- both Agent Carter and Penny Dreadful. *sigh* Perhaps, at least, the closed canons (well, I do not give up hope of seeing Peggy again in MCU flashbacks, if not *fingers crossed* another iteration of Agent Carter) will make me feel comfortable with ficcing, not worrying so much about getting Jossed.

For Penny Dreadful, I have IDEAS, mostly centered around Catriona and John Clare -- er, separate ideas, that is -- not sure I see those two characters connecting *at all*. The question is always finding the time, but since there's now almost nothing on tv I care about, I should be watching it a good deal less often. ;-)

But I do have a thought about Henry Jekyll. So one of the frustrations a lot of people had was never seeing Jekyll transform into Hyde -- and then the very last shoutout to inheriting his father's title and becoming Lord Hyde. Maybe it's all the postcolonial studies I did in grad school, but . . . Jekyll is Indian, and by inheriting his English father's title and estate, he becomes part of the system that keeps his people down. He's even enthusiastic about how upper-crust English society will have to accept him now. And that makes him the colonialist oppressor -- that makes him the monster.

No transformation needed -- he has transformed himself.

Comments

[selenak]

Yes, that's what wee_warrior just told me over at my post. It's definitely a refreshing reading of Hyde, and avoids yet another iteration of "Hyde is Jekyll's repressed sexuality".

[chelseagirl]

Great minds thinking alike and all that . . .

The issues that preoccupy us shift over time; imagine a character as actively sexual in such complicated ways as Vanessa is also having such a strong religious center in an actual Victorian text, for example. (At least an English one.)

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

I think your analysis of Jekyll/Hyde is correct. It also fits with Vicotracknowleging he has become a monster through his actions.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. In the end, his creations are the ones who grow the most of all the characters, so it's nice that Victor reaches some kind of personal epiphany as well.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Jekyll is Indian, and by inheriting his English father's title and estate, he becomes part of the system that keeps his people down. He's even enthusiastic about how upper-crust English society will have to accept him now. And that makes him the colonialist oppressor -- that makes him the monster.

No transformation needed -- he has transformed himself.

This is a fantastic point. I thought Jekyll was handled extremely well. As you say, I didn't need to see him physically transform; he has become the monster.