Confession

A narrative in which a speaker reveals personal actions, motives or wrongdoing.

A first-person account that admits wrongdoing, although its writer may also attempt to explain or excuse their actions.

In particular, Jekyll’s confession contains genuine admissions alongside attempts to distance himself from responsibility.

An admission of wrongdoing. Small’s confession also functions as a defence in which he explains his suffering and attempts to reduce his responsibility.

Both question types: distinguish Stevenson’s presentation from a character’s judgement. Jekyll’s confession can reveal responsibility while also attempting to excuse it.

A narrative in which a speaker admits and explains wrongdoing. It may reveal guilt while also attempting to justify it.

This is a retrospective first-person confession: Jekyll writes after most of the events, knowing their disastrous consequences. Stevenson therefore gives him two roles at once. He is the person who experienced the events and the person trying to explain them.

A narrative in which a person reveals their own actions, motives or wrongdoing, potentially combining honesty with attempts at self-justification.

Its form matters. This is a written, first-person confession, addressed to the person who will receive it. Jekyll knows the disastrous outcome as he describes his earlier hopes, so his retrospective narrative repeatedly contrasts confidence with approaching punishment.

An account in which a person acknowledges or reveals wrongdoing; Jekyll’s final statement takes this form.

An account in which someone acknowledges wrongdoing, although they may also try to explain or excuse it.

A confession acknowledges wrongdoing, but it can also defend the person confessing. The central question is therefore not simply what happened, but how far Jekyll accepts responsibility for it.

Definition

How each exam board covers it

AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702

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Edexcel GCSE English Literature · 1ET0

OCR GCSE English Literature · J352

Eduqas GCSE English Literature · C720