Sorry to be so late announcing our winners today. Lost internet reception for a bit, but all is well again, and yes, submissions for #FirstLineFriday are officially closed. My thanks to all who emailed me with their guesses. Today, we have one winner: Priscilla Bettis. Congratulations, Priscilla, and I hope you enjoy your prize.
And now, here’s the answer to today’s quiz:
“Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.” is the opening line from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The novella was written by Stevenson in 1886, and has been adapted for film and stage many times over the years.
Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alternate personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character and is a good friend of main protagonist Gabriel John Utterson. Jekyll is a kind and respected English doctor who has repressed evil urges inside of him. In an attempt to hide this, he develops a type of serum that he believes will effectively mask his dark side. Instead, Jekyll transforms into Edward Hyde, the physical and mental manifestation of his evil personality. This process happens more regularly until Jekyll becomes unable to control when the transformations occur.
AMAZON BLURB
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson that was first published in 1886. The work is commonly known today as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or simply Jekyll & Hyde. It is about a London lawyer named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The work is commonly associated with the rare mental condition often called “split personality,” referred to in psychiatry as dissociative identity disorder, where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality. In this case, there are two personalities within Dr. Jekyll, one apparently good and the other evil. The novella’s impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the very phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” coming to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next.
A classic that continues to be referenced today, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will forever be locked in literary history.
Buy The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde HERE
That wraps it up for this week, folks. Thanks so much for taking part, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for another #FirstLineFriday quiz next week. See you then!
The Write Stuff 
Woohoo, that was fun. Thank you so much, Marcia!
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Glad you enjoyed the quiz, Priscilla, and I congratulate you again on recognizing that line. Though I read this book many years ago, I honestly had forgotten the lawyer altogether. Maybe it’s time for a re-read of this and a few other classic novels that are still in circulation. I always loved Stevenson, anyway. Treasure Island was a favorite of mine, for sure. 🙂
Hope you enjoy Summer Magic! Thanks for playing, and here’s wishing you luck for next week, too.
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Ah, so that’s what it was. I’ve never read Jekyll & Hyde or seen any of the movies. I should rectify that at some point. Congratulations to Priscilla on getting it right.
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Well, at least you have an excuse for having forgotten the lawyer. I have none whatsoever, except that it was a long, long time ago. I’m thinking I’m due for a re-read. But even though I didn’t know how many had ever read this work, I was pretty darn sure no one could honestly say they’d never heard of it. 😀 Any time a book makes it into popular idiom and stays there for well over 100 years, it has to have something going for it. 😀 Stay tuned for next week! 🙂
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Congrats to Priscilla. I’ve never read that book.
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But I’ll bet you’ve heard of it, right? I mean, I do think everybody knows the basic premise of Jekyll and Hyde. I’d love to think that 100 years from now, people will still be referencing one of my characters! 😀 Probably Rabbit. 😉 Maybe one of this pronouncements will echo on and become part of American idiom, as a reference to someone way wiser than his years. Now THAT would be cool! Hahahahahahaha.
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I don’t think I’ve read this but I know Ive seen an older verison of the movie. I may have to read it now:)
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I’m sure a lot of folks (especially younger ones) haven’t read the book, but almost everyone knows exactly what a Jekyll and Hyde personality is, and at least a bit about the story. I did read it, but long, long ago, so had forgotten completely about the lawyer who watches the tale unfold. Doh. 😀 It’s worth checking out, especially if you like work from that era, and I do. 😀 And it makes a great first line study, don’t you think? I love the horrible visual combined with the fact that the man is still lovable. 😀 Thanks for stopping by Denise, and I hope next week is one that you recognize immediately! 😀 ❤
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Wow! Boy, am I surprised. Although, to be honest, I never read the book.
Congrats to Priscilla, and great opening line!
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I read it many years ago, Mae, and am thinking of doing a re-read. I was very fond of Stevenson in the day. Loved Treasure Island, which is why it’s one of the first books Sarah reads to Rabbit in WRR. 😀 (Along with Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion, of course.) I remember how much I enjoyed this book and it would be fun to see if it still works for me as well today. I know that opening line is a humdinger, even though I’d forgotten about Utterson. Utterly. 😀
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