How Bram Stoker Uses Gothic Conventions to Create an Atmosphere of Suspense and Fear for the Reader

How Bram Stoker Uses Gothic Conventions to Create an Atmosphere of Suspense and Fear for the Reader

Dracula is one of the most well-know novels, it was written by Abraham

Stoker. At the time Dracula was released in 1897, people regarded it

as being a romantic horror, with some elements of fantasy and also it

was especially famous for it's gothic conventions.

In modern times the term 'gothic' can be regarded as being barbarous,

offensive and uncouth. Although many people may not regard it as being

scary it is still associated with the 'unknown'. In the late 18th and

early 19th century, gothic ways of living were very common in the

Eastern part of Europe, especially in the medieval times.

A convention can be described as a standard feature or an ingredient

of a particular sort of writing and in Dracula Bram stoker uses many

Gothic conventions to excite the reader. Bram Stoker uses many Gothic

conventions throughout his novel in forms of journeys and quests, the

use of diaries, letters and journals, sinister buildings and most

importantly strange creatures. Stoker also relies heavily on the

conventions of Gothic fiction, a genre that was extremely popular in

the early nineteenth century. Gothic fiction traditionally includes

elements such as gloomy castles, sublime landscapes, and innocent

maidens threatened by indescribable evil.

From background knowledge of Abraham Stoker we know that he was the

third of seven children, and he was violently ill as a child. When he

was sick, Stoker read many books and listened to the horror tales his

mother told him. These led Stoker to start writing ghost stories, even

as a child. This explains w...

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...ned out to be a very exciting and fascinating novel. The plot was well structured and was very suspenseful. So basically we find out that Bram stoker uses gothic conventions at the right times to create a certain level of fear as well as suspense. One may argue that when Bram Stoker shows Gothic conventions throughout the novel, it determines the changes in familial and social structures taking place throughout the early eighteenth century.

In his descriptions of the castle we find out that he uses many similes and personification to describe the atmosphere he generates. The book probed deeply into people's superstitions, fears, and beliefs of the supernatural, and how others are sceptic of them are sometimes proved wrong. In all, Dracula is a clever, exciting, and suspenseful novel that uses a ruthless villain to terrify you but forces you to read more.