The representation of the monstrous as an expression of the human condition in Frankenstein, Carmilla, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Abstract

The monster, as a literary figure, acquired a central place in 19th-century narrative, becoming a critical tool for questioning unbridled progress, devoid of ethical foundations and characterized by the repression of desire, double standards, and the superficiality of human relationships. This article comparatively analyzes four emblematic novels—Frankenstein, Carmilla, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—with the aim of identifying the different configurations of monstrosity as a resource for expressing the social and cultural tensions of the era. Through a qualitative approach based on textual analysis of the works and a review of specialized literature, the article examines the relationship between the representation of the monster and various aesthetic, ethical, and symbolic categories. Does monstrosity correspond to an autonomous entity, or is it the symptomatic reflection of a society in conflict? The results show that monstrosity transcends physical deformity to become a metaphor for exclusion, the fragmentation of the subject, moral repression, and the contradictions of the modern project. Consequently, the literary monster is configured as a critical device that highlights the fractures of nineteenth-century society, anticipating new forms of representing the human condition developed in subsequent years.