Writing Poems: Jekyll and Hyde
There’s still time to join the Jekyll and Hyde book club to get inbox deliveries of the story week-by-week. It’s an easy, fun way to experience a fabulous classic story.
Robert Louis Stevenson is such a great writer—a delight to read! Each delivery also includes an original illustration by Sara Barkat.
We’re also inviting you to share your form poems inspired by each week’s reading. Just drop them in the comment box that follows this post.
(Yes, if you’d rather free verse it, you can, but we’re especially interested in form poems for the publishing project that will come at the end of the book club; we’d like to create an illustrated version that includes a poetry anthology!)
Catch Up on the Reading If You Like
1-Story of the Door
2-Search for Mr. Hyde
3-Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease
4-The Carew Murder Case
5-Incident of the Letter
6-Incident of Dr. Lanyon
Share Your Poems
Share your Jekyll and Hyde poems in the comment box of this post. This is a patron-exclusive chance to submit poems for the anthology or simply share poetry with your fellow Tweetspeak patrons. 🙂
Photo by Michel Stockman, Creative Commons, via Unsplash.
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L.L. Barkat says
I’m really enjoying this story, which I don’t believe I’ve actually ever read before!
And how did I not know it was written by Robert Louis Stevenson? (The only thing I remembered about him was a poem I learned in 2nd grade, called “The Swing.” Clearly, Stevenson had other sides. 🙂 )
I’m also following along on Tumblr, where the club started, and one of my fave observations by one participant was that “cancel culture” has been around for a long, long time. (Story quote: “We told the man we could and would make such a scandal out of this as should make his name stink from one end of London to the other. If he had any friends or any credit, we undertook that he should lose them.”)
Also, this was a fun philosophical quote that certainly presents a different perspective for a question-asker like me. 🙂 …
“I feel very strongly about putting questions… You start a question, and it’s like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others; and presently some bland old bird (the last you would have thought of) is knocked on the head in his own back garden and the family have to change their name.”
I look forward to any poetry that arises from the story. (My own or others’. 🙂 )
Rebecca D Martin says
I’ve just lighted upon this book club and started reading and I am *hooked*. I, also, had never read this book before, Laura, and didn’t realize it was by RLS. It’s incredible! Not at all what I expected! I’m interested in how the modern, pop culture appropriate of the Jekyll & Hyde concept created a completely different notion in my mind of what the story would be. It’s perfect for early winter reading. Also for soul searching. Also, I can’t help think the setting could double for the streets, alleys, and doorways in Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and am pretty convinced there’s some literary influence going on there (including Clarke’s title!). After I’ve typed that, I’m pretty sure I’ll be going down a JS&MN + DJ&MH rabbit hole. . . .
L.L. Barkat says
!!!!
The illustration from today’s delivery was great. Simple, but I loved it.
Going to free verse this chapter…
The mundane weapon
was precious hard wood.
A gift.
Re-gifted.
Re-purposed.
From love
to loss.
Rebecca D Martin says
I had so much fun with this found piece for Chapter Four, I posted it to my Substack. Linking over there will show you the italics I put in. 🙂 https://rebeccadmartin.substack.com/p/blacking-out-the-death-of-mr-carew
~
Blacking out the Death of Mr. Carew
The startled startling living –
a fog small and cloudless –
never more at peace
with the kindly world
but (beautiful and accosted) –
pleased to watch to
breathe wander never listen –
To brandish to hurt.
A storm lay in the middle of
the lane the deed
– I shall say nothing.
God help us over
heaven with its muddy ways
this mournful invasion of darkness –
assails – ragged in the doorways –
Yes, at home in strange habits –
often absent I had better tell
you of joy. Ah!
Trouble! don’t seem the whole
extent – ransacked
as the end of delight found
to be complete. (You
may depend up on it.) I have
lost all burned the life
to nothing – but wait –
this last accomplishment
differed widely they agreed –
the haunting beholders.