Fear is heavily instilled upon its readers in Frankenstein and Dracula. These gothic authors find many a way to create a dark, dreary mood and leave the reader feeling haunted yet very much intrigued. Their use of the supernatural allows for extreme emotions and situations. Fear and the sublime play heavily in Frankenstein, and evil is very much present in Dracula. The past comes to haunt the present throughout these novels. Through the author's use of adverse weather and dreary nights, the creatures of the night are as mysterious as ever.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley provides plenty of description that impacts the overall mood of the story, particularly those that create a dark, isolated effect. The reader receives a tour of isolated geography
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through the Swiss and French Alps, to the Rhine valley, Russia, and other mostly untouched places. Frankenstein first relates his tale to Walton whilst on a ship in the arctic. The framing of the story is isolated and cold, much like their surroundings. The creature is also seen to haunt him in isolated, sublime settings like the glacier, the outer islands of Ireland, and the vast arctic.
These locations show humans being dwarfed by an uncontrollable nature, leaving them helpless and alone.
The use of sublime and weather in Frankenstein is used to evoke serenity as well as a sense of terror. For example, Frankenstein describes his childhood Swiss home to Walton, where: “the sublime shapes of the mountains; the changes of the seasons; tempest and calm; the silence of winter; and the life and turbulence of our Alpine summers…admiration and delight” (Shelley 38). Prior to the creature, nature is seen as a more peaceful thing. Later on, a violent storm “sparks” Frankenstein's interest in the science of things. “The thunder burst at once with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens… I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak” (Shelley 42). This storm sparked Frankenstein's interest in science and the nature of things. It's also noticed that the storm happens at night. This night storm is the first of many to come at night, through Frankenstein's unusual actions. From this scene forward, the night brings darker actions. Like the night he awakens the
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creature. The dark, dreary weather mirrors Victor's internal conflicts. “It was a dreary night of November” (Shelley 58) that the monster is given life and Victor begins his downward struggle. From that evening out, the mornings are dismal and wet. As Victor returns to the place of his brother's death, night closes around him and a storm begins to approach. “While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered on with a hasty step” (Shelley 77). A flash of lightning displays the creature in the trees near him, creating a sense of horror once again. After the creature vanishes, the thunder stops, yet the rain continues on in the darkness. Despair is carried on throughout the novel until Victor returns to Chamounix and wanders through the valley. “These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving” (Shelley 99). When the setting is calm and relaxed, so is Victor. The power of the sublime was able to subdue the internal struggle within Victor, creating peace within the story. That is, until he travels to the summit of Montanvert. As Victor rests at the peak, the sun is shining and he describes his surroundings as magnificent and stupendous. Victor has found a sense of peace. However, he spots a man advancing toward him, and things begin to mist over and turn to rain as he follows the creature. Pages later, after the creature has told his story, it's long since dark and Victor weeps. Through the dark and dreary tones of writing used, Shelley creates an anxiety within the reader, thus affecting the plot. The effect of weather also carries through in Dracula. The change in weather and time impact the mood in Dracula and the feeling of isolation is also touched upon in the story.
As Shelley set Frankenstein in the colder regions of Switzerland and the arctic, Stoker lets his character travel to Transylvania. These far away places were untraveled by the average reader, and evoke a sense of mystery and detachment. The first noticeable change in weather is when Jonathan Harker nears Dracula's castle. The wilderness and gloom of the castle further classifies the novel as gothic. As the carriage carrying Harker draws nearer to Dracula, the air “grew colder and colder still” (Stoker 19) and darkness set upon them. Night versus day is a huge deal in Dracula as Dracula loses his supernatural abilities during the day. This is another sort of symbolism relating to Good versus Evil; Dracula being that evil. It is at night that Dracula welcomes Harker and it is only at night that he presents himself. It is during the night that Lucy is seduced to Dracula's resting place and is attacked. Renfield, the lunatic, acts up at night and escapes while unusually calm during the day. It is the night that the protagonists race to beat in order to kill the resting
Dracula. One of Dracula's supernatural powers is to control the weather. The weather creates a change in the mood. It's storming when Dracula arrives in England: “it was a great discord in the great harmony of nature's silence” (Stoker 76). The storm was symbolic of the havoc Dracula is about to wreak. The bad weather can be seen as the presence of evil, as it is always associated with Dracula. To contrast the darkness, after destroying Lucy's “undead” body and restoring her soul: “The air outside was sweet, the sun shone, and the birds sang…” (Stoker 193). This shows the justice and good in the character's doings. Dracula brings with him a mist that creates a sense of dread. “A mass of dank mist, which seemed to close on all things like a grey pall…” (Stoker 77). Dracula brought with him the mist, as well as the storm that propelled the ship that carried him. There is also a mist that creeps upon Mina as Dracula visits her. Dracula uses the mist to disguise himself. Mist is obscure, allowing things to be hidden within it, and giving Dracula an advantage. The use of bad weather and the vast darkness is nighttime leaves the mood darkened. These gothic novels create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, and an image of gloom at horror. Through the heavy description of the surroundings, readers are left feeling alone and with a sense of dread. Shelley makes great use of the sublime and isolation. Stoker uses the night's natural dreaded effect on human mind to further enhance the feeling of anxiety and evil. Both authors have an exceptional ability to produce dark tones and compelling moods. Works Cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1997. Print.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula includes themes of death, love, and sex. Stoker’s use of empiricism utilizes the idea that everything is happening “now”. The book offers clear insight into who is evil without explicitly saying it. Stoker’s interest in empiricism uses British womanhood as a way to distinguish between good and evil.
Many times throughout history, one person has tried to prove themselves better than God or nature. Nature, however, always prevails in the end. The Romantics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries believed that nature was a glorious and powerful force that was one with God, and emphasized this point in their works. Two such romantics were the couple Percy and Mary Shelley, who through their works Ozymandias and Frankenstein, showed the disastrous consequences defying nature could have. Both authors had experienced loss; the loss of some of their children and later Mary’s loss of Percy in a boating accident. These experiences showed them how powerful nature was, and how pointless it was to defy it. Both Mary and Percy’s belief in this showed through in their writing. So, despite how different Frankenstein and Ozymandias seem at first, both works reveal a common lesson: One should never believe themselves to be above nature, and if one does it will never end well.
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is about a creature born in an unaccepting world. Shelley's idea of Gothicism changed the subgenre of horror, due to its dark look into nature. It became an influence on Tim Burton's movie Edward Scissorhands, moved by the sadness of the creature trying to fit into society, he creates a monster of his own. Mary Shelley and Tim Burton use literary and cinematic elements to show that isolation from society can destroy your relationship with others.
1. He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl who committed herself to his care.
A noticeable difference in the way movies have changed over the years is evident when comparing and contrasting two films of different eras which belong to the same genre and contain the same subject matter. Two vampire movies, Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula, present an interesting example of this type of study.
Frankenstein is a horror movie that tells the story of Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s experiment. In search for the fame and glory of playing to be god, he reaches a point where he is able to revive dead people. In this version of Frankenstein’s monster we see a selfish and careless scientist that created a creature with his intelligence. The way the character is shown reflects how ambitious someone can be to reach to be known in the world. This movie makes the people who are watching to feel empathy on the poor creature. This poor creature that did not want to live in a life where everyone is going to hate him for having a horrible aspect and not following rules that he has no idea about.
Over the years people have given new out looks on the original vampire, Dracula. He was a tall non-attractive looking man who would never come out during the day. Hollywood however has made new vampire stories such as Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries/The Originals that have new ideas of a vampire. These novels/books all have differences, but some still have key characteristics of the original vampire.
While Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been described as the “quintessence of evil creatures we meet in our everyday lives” and “the Darkness” in the hearts of men (Herbert, 2004, pp. 62), Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight
Mary Shelley’s world renowned book, “Frankenstein”, is a narrative of how Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant chemist, succeeds in creating a living being. Although Frankenstein’s creation is benevolent to begin with, he soon turns murderous after being mistreated by humans. His anger turns towards Frankenstein, as he was the one who brought him into the world that shuns him. The Monster then spends the rest of the story trying to make his creator’s life as miserable as his own. This novel is an excellent example of the Gothic Romantic style of literature, as it features some core Gothic Romantic elements such as remote and desolate settings, a metonymy of gloom and horror, and women in distress.
Evil features in both ‘Dracula’ and ‘Frankenstein’ but the personification of this evil is different in both novels. A feeling of menace and doom pervades ‘Dracula’ because of his supernatural powers. One feels that he has control of the evil and he has the power to manipulate the environment and people for his own ends. ‘Frankenstein’ centres on the creation of a monster made from parts of dead bodies and the fear created by the monster due to circumstance and the ignorance of society. Also, one feels a certain amount of apprehension that the monster is deserted by his creator and loses control without his support and guidance.
As time goes on, many things tend to change, and then they begin to inherit completely different images. Over the years, the character, created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s famous novel, has changed dramatically. The monster, regularly called “Frankenstein,” has been featured in numerous films, such as Frankenweenie and Edward Scissorhands. Although, the characters in today’s pop culture and the monster in the well-known 1800’s novel have similarities, they are actually very different. The many similarities and differences range from the character’s physical traits and psychological traits, the character’s persona, and the character’s place in the Gothic style.
That morning he is to leave, a crowd is awaiting him and muttering strange things. Harker says, "I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words" (Stoker 6) to address his confusion about what was going on around him. He Count Dracula, a hermit who lives on a cliff, detached from society, strikes at night to find anyone alone--whom he considers easy prey. A prime example of one of these victims is Lucy Westenra, who ends up outside in the middle of the night after she sleeps walks to the town square. When Mina Murray finds her, she describes the discovery, “There was undoubtedly something, long and black, bending over the half-reclining white figure.”
In gothic novels tragic figures are symbols of pain to the characters. Victor Frankenstein brings misfortune to his loved ones, which concludes to his overall tragedy. Ironically the monster in this novel is Frankenstein the creator not the creature. He has seven victims including himself and his fall is due to his ambition to be superior.
The first thing that influences the atmosphere and setting in Dracula is the country before Transylvania on how it looks and feels to Jonathan Harker. The country is not like any other happy, delightful town; it is dark and dreary. It sets the horror and darkness that will soon come in the story. Almost foreshadowing for what is yet to come. “Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals” (Stoker 4). The castles on the steep hills set how everything looks in that part of the country. Harker also talks about the darkness and fog in his journal. Therefore, it sets a dark, and gothic theme to it all.
The “Otherness” Dracula possesses reinforces our own norms and beliefs through his transgression that separates him from society and the polarity to Western norms and ideals makes him an effective device for extorting revulsion and horror. Stoker’s novel employs Gothic tradition, providing “the principle embodiments and evocations of cultural anxieties” from which the very Gothic mood and horror is produced, establishing the baseline used to distinguish the modern vampires, as part of vampire mythology within the Gothic (Botting Aftergothic 280). Differences Between Dracula and Twilight The similarities between the two novels are namely Gothic imagery and theme, but the Gothic mood predominates in Dracula over Twilight and it is this difference that makes Twilight not belong in the vampire canon. Horror is the element that Dracula possesses that Edward does not, and it is crucial in the interplay between transgression and limit.