preview

Dracula Research Paper

Decent Essays

Children of the night and other supernatural beings have always piqued the interest of people, especially in 19th century England. Dracula, written after the time when Gothic literature was popular, never aroused much attention until a decade later, when critics decided to reanalyze the novel. Dracula is often the first novel that comes to mind when the Gothic genre is mentioned, but Dracula is not a Gothic novel at all. The novel’s resolution contradicts the Gothic structure since it ended with Dracula’s defeat. In addition, Stoker slowly unravels the mysterious Dracula and allows rationalism and innovations of his time period to triumph over the unknown.
Critics have said that Dracula is one of the best gothic novels ever to be written. In …show more content…

The supernaturalism in the novels written in this time period left its mystical characters or beings as inexplicable. Dracula, however, was published at the end of a century when supernaturalism and the Gothic genre was prominent and ended with the group to discovering his powers and a way to kill the abomination. When the group first encountered the Count’s powers, he seems invincible until later when the group learns that he is only at his strongest when it is dark outside. It was not until chapter 18 of Dracula that Van Helsin’s group began to understand how dangerous their foe is. In chapter 18, the group gathers together to discuss how to track Dracula down. It begins with Van Helsing listing Dracula’s powers. Dracula is able to “transform himself to wolf” as well as a bat (Stoker 181). After Van Helsin, Dr. Seward, Quincey, and Johnathan swears to track the vampire to the ends of the earth and cut off its head, Van Helsing offers a little insight on Dracula’s limitations. This little act of knowing the enemy answers the question of what is Dracula (Holte 41). After chapter 18, the focus of the novel shifts from Dracula’s mysterious powers to hunting him down. At the end, Stoker suggests that rationalism is the best weapon for combating the unknown elements. In doing so, he proves Dracula is not supernatural despite the fact that he lives in a castle and sticks to the behavior of medieval times but instead a mortal that bleeds and die like everyone else. This use of reason that is apparent in his novel not only counters the Gothic structure that is paramount in every Gothic novel but also negates it

Get Access