Robert Louis Stevenson's Gothic Chiller
Robert Louis Stevenson truly cemented his name in Victorian literature, not just with rousing adventures like Treasure Island, but also through chilling tales exploring the most troubling aspects of human nature. “The Body Snatcher”, first published in December 1884 within The Pall Mall Christmas Extra, represents one of the author’s most wild ventures into Gothic horror.
This grim short story actually sprang from real events that rocked 19th-century Scotland. Stevenson skilfully turned the notorious case of the murderers Burke and Hare into a literary reflection on ambition, moral complicity, and the ethical limits of science. Unlike his more famous works, this unsettling piece dives straight into the darkness of the human condition, questioning just how far someone might go in the name of professional advancement.
The narrative continues to resonate because it examines timeless dilemmas. For instance, what happens when we ignore our conscience in exchange for career benefits? Furthermore, how do we actually live with morally compromising choices? Through taut, atmospheric prose, Stevenson drags us into a world where the boundary between civilisation and savagery proves perilously fragile.
Plot Summary of "The Body Snatcher"
The story follows a young medical student who suddenly finds himself knee-deep in a murky and immoral scheme. Set in Stevenson’s native Scotland, the tale takes us to a time when dissecting corpses for scientific purposes was commonplace, yet rife with illegalities and dodgy methods. As the narrative progresses, we encounter a series of increasingly disturbing events, all of which culminate in a thoroughly bizarre climax, to say the least.
Ambition and Corruption
and unsettling psychology to compose both the narrative and his characters. It’s a vile world, indeed, populated by individuals whose minds are easily tempted by corruption in their ambitions. Initially, Fettes starts as an idealistic young man, yet the pressure for upward mobility in the medical hierarchy transforms him into a silent accomplice to heinous crimes. Consequently, the author demonstrates that corruption rarely occurs abruptly—it quietly infiltrates through small concessions, rationalised justifications, and the sheer fear of missing out on opportunities.
Burke, Hare, and Robert Knox
The narrative squarely examines the inherent dehumanisation that comes with the commercialisation of human remains. In 19th-century Edinburgh, cadavers became valuable commodities due to restrictive legislation regarding anatomical dissection. Only the bodies of executed criminals could be legally utilised, creating a shortage that unfortunately fuelled a thriving black market.
Stevenson reveals how this system sadly turned vulnerable people—the poor, the marginalised—into targets. Burke and Hare, who inspired the story, famously murdered at least sixteen people to supply the demand from medical schools. Ultimately, the author compels readers to confront the ethical implications of scientific progress built upon exploiting the underprivileged.
Moreover, Stevenson subtly critiques the Victorian institutions that created the very conditions for such atrocities. Universities and renowned professors, including the figure based on Robert Knox, maintained a convenient ignorance about the bodies’ origins. In effect, they profited from the crime while preserving their reputations through plausible denial.
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Born in Edinburgh in 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson grew up steeped in the sombre stories that permeated his home city. Although he studied engineering and law to satisfy family expectations, his true passion always lay in literature. Since Stevenson suffered from chronic respiratory issues, he spent much of his life searching for more favourable climates, which profoundly influenced his writing.
His close geographical and temporal proximity to the Burke and Hare crimes—which occurred just two decades before his birth—provided rich material for “The Body Snatcher”. Typically, Stevenson explored dualities in his work: civilisation versus savagery, reason versus impulse, and respectable appearance versus corrupt nature.
My Thoughts on "The Body Snatcher"
“The Body Snatcher” really is quite brilliant. Stevenson wastes absolutely no words—instead, every sentence contributes to the oppressive atmosphere and the relentless drive toward horror. Fettes’s characterisation particularly warrants attention. Crucially, he isn’t some cartoonish villain, but rather an ordinary person making understandable choices under intense pressure. This very humanisation makes the story far more unnerving; we recognise in him our own vulnerability to gradual corruption.
The atmospheric tension and the focus given to the characters’ attitudes and their inner turmoil are the elements that keep the reader anxiously anticipating where all this will lead.
Compared to Jekyll and Hyde (published two years later), “The Body Snatcher” actually offers a more realistic exploration of human depravity. While Jekyll and Hyde employs a fantastical transformation as its metaphor, Stevenson presents a grittier scenario here.
Wrapping Up
“The Body Snatcher” remains a masterpiece of Gothic terror and a masterful example of how fiction can examine complex issues through gripping storytelling. Stevenson crafted a tale that works simultaneously as a macabre piece of entertainment and a meditation on complicity, ambition, and the moral costs of progress. It genuinely questions whether we can truly redeem ourselves from fundamental transgressions, or if we remain forever marked by our choices.
For enthusiasts of psychological horror, Victorian Gothic literature, or anyone keen on exploring the darker sides of human nature, “The Body Snatcher” offers an absolutely essential literary experience.
Films such as The Body Snatcher (1945), starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, successfully adapted the story, although they took creative liberties. Nevertheless, the production magnificently captures the original’s claustrophobic atmosphere.
More mystery works:
Vintage pulp magazine:
Science Wonder Stories, Vol. 1, No. 2
Disclaimer: The story featured on this page is in the public domain. However, the original authorship, magazine credits, and any associated illustrations remain the property of their respective creators, illustrators and publishers. This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only and may not be used for commercial sale.