English Literature

Hi, I'm starting the GCSEs that I have not already started, and for English Literature, I have already got my three books ( An Inspectors Calls, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Julius Caesar). I want to be prepared just before I start school again, and I have decided that after I have read a book one time, I should go through it, and annotate it w/ my own views. After that, I can look at other resources (e.g. Mr Bruff, CGP). However, I am unsure what I need to look out for when I annotate w/ my own views; it would be great if someone could give me suggestions

Things to look out for when reading Shakespeare is literary techniques. E.g. metaphors, similes, rhyme, double entendres, sexual innuendos, irony, foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a particularly big thing in Julius Caesar.
With Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde it is helpful to know some context about when it is set. Reading up about Victorian English society and morals is important to the plot of Jekyll and Hyde as repression of sexual desire and violence is a recurring theme in the text. You may want to annotate any passages that are descriptive with the intent to scare the reader- this links to the Gothic tradition of novels that were popular from the 18th century.

This article is a good starting point for getting into the themes in Jekyll and Hyde. It might be a bit difficult to read but it's a good introduction to studying the book.


https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/duality-in-robert-louis-stevensons-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde