Horrific Janus: doctor by day, monster by night
Lucia-Alexandra Tudor, Ana Maria HojbotaABSTRACT. Characterized by the alternative manifestation of multiple identities or personalities in the same individual, dissociative identity disorder (DID) has gained most of its attention and notoriety through its depictions in literature and cinematography. One of the first literary insights is offered by Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella [The] Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which makes use of the enduring motif of the double in portraying Dr Jekyll’s failure-bound attempt to eliminate the perceived weaknesses of his character. Traditionally read as an allegory of the struggle between good and evil, this novella may also be connected with Victorian repression and the desire to rebel. pp. 206–228
Keywords: dissociative identity disorder, double, split personality, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde