Timeless: Wings ascend forever – novel extract and gothic reflections: The gothic double and double identities in timeless: Wings ascend forever and R. L. Stevenson’s the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), a reflective thesis

Abstract

This thesis includes chapters one to nine of a novel and a critical reflective essay. My novel Timeless: Wings Ascend Forever is a neo-Victorian Gothic Fantasy inspired by R. L. Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886). The novel examines the double identities of the protagonists James and Seraph and explores the moral ambiguity of the characters in a Victorian setting. Through an analysis of the novel as a significant addition to the neo- Victorian gothic and fantasy genres, this critical thesis underscores the importance of reassessing the gothic motif of doubling in both contemporary and forthcoming literary works. The reflective essay focuses on both the novel and Jekyll and Hyde in the context of gothic reflections between the Victorian past and the contemporary present. It examines how double identities interact and how these identities are represented in late-Victorian and neo- Victorian gothic works. This thesis critically reflects on the novel in relation to its key gothic intertexts. The first chapter of the reflective essay explores the types of genres and narrative structures that my novel encounters and the purpose of using the themes and tropes of said genres in relation to the representation of double identities. The second chapter is a comparative study that analyses the novel alongside Jekyll and Hyde in terms of the texts’ representations of double identities, reflecting on questions of moral ambiguity and degeneration. This chapter also reflects on my writing choices and demonstrates the relationship between double identities in contemporary (textual and filmic) reworkings of Victorian gothic fiction and fantasy fiction. This thesis explores the limitations of the gothic double and the implications of double identities in relation to attempts to differentiate between reality and fantasy, considering questions of historical accuracy, myths, and fantastical elements that are central to the construction of my novel and its intertextual relationship with Jekyll and Hyde.