Robert Louis Stevensons Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is viewed as the classic allegory of mans dualitythe good and evil embodied in every person. But could Jekylls transforming draught have been alcohol? In the Victorian era, alcohol was the topic of national debate for decades and people endlessly deliberated its proper place in society. Shadowed all his life by the cloud of alcoholism, Stevenson well knew the good and evil of strong drink. This book investigates Stevensons Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as an allegory of alcoholisman interpretation that cultural change and the storys renown have perhaps obscured. The author examines patterns of language, plot, characterization and imagery to reveal how mind-altering drink figures as the storys subtext. Early chapters establish the storys literal references to strong drink and its metaphors regarding alcohol. The focus then shifts to drinking in Stevensons life, the sociology of drink in Victorian Britain, and the portrayal of alcohol in literature, including Stevensons other works. Possible real-life models for the Jekyll-Hyde character are explored. Subsequent chapters examine the history of Britains temperance movement, scenes that arose from Stevensons dreams, how the temperance movement and industrial development may have influenced the story, and the storys interpretation in Stevensons time. An appendix further investigates the elements of Stevensons language.