Rough Draft by Justin Varghese Dracula is a well-known Gothic classic. Its representation in film and play adaptations made Dracula famous worldwide. Stoker wrote Dracula to challenge the views of the late 19th century era. Sexuality and its references were seen as taboo in The Victorian Era. Stoker’s background including childhood sickness, college athletic career, and interests in the supernatural found in the various folklore along with influence from his mentor Walt Whitman and the Enlightenment Era lead to strong characteristics in main protagonists such as Van Helsing. While his contrasting views on sexuality by describing it in a violent manner and emphasizing the desiring and lustful feelings of humanity.
Stoker’s athletic career influenced the characteristics of his main hero in his novel, Dracula. Stoker was born under the Protestant denomination in a town near the capital of Ireland. His family was average, and so was his early childhood days. He went to college at the heart of Ireland and became successful in his sporting career at the college. He took up his father 's work as a civil service clerk. His first literary appearance was critic pieces in newspapers and later magazines. He grew close to Walt Whitman. He met his future business client six years later, after he started his job as a civil service clerk in 1870. In 1878, he managed a theatre in London for his client. He married after quitting his stint in London. In the last three decades before
Are there still connections between Bram Stokers famous novel Dracula and modern day society? In Dracula, Stoker expands on many themes that indeed exist today. Not only does he touch on the most obvious theme, sex. He expands on gender division and good versus evil. Some say since times have changed the themes I introduced have changed as well, leaving connections between then and now irrelevant. However, I feel that although times have changed they still have roots from the time of the novel to now. In this essay I will expand on the themes of this novel while connecting them to modern day society, the critical texts I have chosen and will mention later on in the essay are a good representation of the commonalities between the chill, dark Victorian days in which the era that Dracula was written in and modern day.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula does not follow the norm of the nineteenth century novels, that is, it is not written in a straightforward narrative but instead comprises of a collection of letters, journal entries and diary scrawls. Apart from that, it also includes a ship's log, numberless clippings from newspaper and also, a "phonograph diary.” This form of writing invariably helps in developing the “mystery” aspect of this horror novel since it either gives us no information about a particular thing or gives us information from various points of view so that it is impossible for the readers to come to one conclusion and they keep playing with different possibilities in their minds.
After decades of cheesy horror movies, the image of vampires has been misconstrued as sparkly, angsty teenage boys or handsome men that lure in girls for the fresh blood of a virgin. Many of these stereotypical vampires are influenced by the story of Dracula, held in the Victorian era. Yet, many of the stories published about vampires diverge from the message that Bram Stoker is trying to make. During the Victorian period, sexuality is repressed by society, as sexual behaviors from women are viewed as unacceptable. In the Gothic horror novel Dracula, Bram Stoker uses the traumatic experience of Jonathan Harker at Count Dracula’s castle and the invasion of vampires in Great Britain to create a social commentary on the sexual repression occurring in this era and its detrimental effect on the men.
The story of Dracula is well documented and has stood the test of time since it’s Victorian age creation. More times than not, literature writings are a reflection of the era from which they are produced. In the case of Dracula, Vampire literature expresses the fears of a society. Which leads me to the topic I chose to review: sexuality. The Victorian Era was viewed as a period diluted in intense sexual repression and I believe that Dracula effectively exploited this as the fear of sexuality was commonplace in the society. In this paper I will examine Bram Stoker’s Dracula and highlight his use of sexuality. I will analysis the female sexuality that is prevalent throughout the book, the complexities are at work within the text, and the
Perhaps no work of literature has ever been composed without being a product of its era, mainly because the human being responsible for writing it develops their worldview within a particular era. Thus, with Bram Stoker's Dracula, though we have a vampire myth novel filled with terror, horror, and evil, the story is a thinly veiled disguise of the repressed sexual mores of the Victorian era. If we look to critical interpretation and commentary to win support for such a thesis, we find it aplenty "For erotic Dracula certainly is. 'Quasi-pornography' one critic labels it. Another describes it as a 'kind of incestuous, necrophilious, oral-anal-sadistic all-in-wrestling matching'. A
Bram Stoker 's novel, Dracula was written during the late nineteenth century and is commonly classified as a horror novel. Further analysis, however, has brought to light the buried symbols and themes of sexuality that the novel holds within it. Due to its female sexual symbolism, the novel draws the attention of most men, as exploring these female forbidden themes were more of a fantasy for them than reality. As Dracula was set in the Victorian culture, it is shown to encompass all the beliefs and prejudices of the society, especially in regards to the social gender roles of men and women. Women were known to be suppressed and put down socially while men were lifted up and known for the authority and freedom they possessed. Through the
Bram Stoker, our author, was born in Clontarf (an area near Dublin), Ireland in early November of 1847. He was accomplished in many fields, including athletics, but he was, and probably still is, seen as the most
Bram Stoker 's novel, Dracula, written during the late nineteenth century and commonly classified as a horror novel. Further analysis of it, however, has brought to light the buried many symbols and themes of sexuality that the novel holds within it. Due to its female sexual symbolism, the novel often draws the attention of most men, as exploring these female forbidden themes are more of a fantasy for them than reality. Also, Dracula was set in the Victorian culture and therefore it is shown to encompass all the beliefs and prejudices of the society, especially in regards to social gender roles of men and women. Women at the time were known to be suppressed and put down
While reading Dracula, by Bram Stoker, readers are transported into the Victorian Era through the pages of great, mythological, literature. Not only does Stoker place emphasis on the gender role issues circulating the 1800’s, but focuses on controversial topics such as religion and sexuality, while masking it behind a riveting fictional work. The book takes place between a series of letters and journal entries written by the characters. Dracula, the antagonist, is depicted as a blood-thirsty vampire, who transforms wholesome men and women into the like. Throughout the book, Stoker covers many feminist theories, while primarily focusing on female sexuality, showing the perception of women during the 1800’s.
In everyday life, as in literature, there will always be an opposing force to evil. In the novel “Dracula,” by Bram Stoker, Professor Van Helsing acts as Dracula’s main antagonist. An antagonist is the character who acts against the main character, which increases the conflict of the story and intensifies the plot. Through the use of theme, characterization and specific events, the author shows readers how Dr. Van Helsing effectively fits the role of Dracula’s most threatening adversary.
In a particular addition of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, Maurice Hindle had suggested that “sex was the monster Stoker feared most.” This essay will examine the examples of this statement in the Dracula text, focusing on female sexuality. The essay will also briefly look at an article Stoker had written after Dracula which also displays Stoker’s fear.
The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, “horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different
During the Romantic Era, Bram Stoker created a timeless monster in his novel, Dracula. Stoker uses a series of letters and journal entries to tell the story form a first person point of view. The Count, for whom the book is named, seems to be invincible to mere man. Stoker uses his character of Dracula to reflect the elements of romanticism through his supernatural powers, a fascination with youth and innocence, and imagery.
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a true Gothic novel that belongs on any gothic literature course. Focusing in on the recurring themes, characters and settings used throughout the novel one sees how Dracula has set the standard for Gothic literature today.
The epistolary form of the novel consists of a narrative based on letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documentary records. It helps to bring realism into the narrative by lacing it with personal and historical references. It helps to add believability by incorporating a variety of perspectives on the events and characters in the novel. This form works for Dracula because the log of the ship captain and the diary entries of Jonathan Harker provide personal witness accounts to prove that the events are real as opposed to imaginary. Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster are a novel composed nearly entirely of letters by the orphan Jerusha Abbott to her benefactor John Smith. The form helps to record the growth of the character over the years.