One of the best things about Dracula is the way the author, Bram Stoker, can set up any kind of atmosphere in order to make the readers feel anyway he wants them to. There are countless parts in this book where Stoker makes the readers feel horrified, creeped out, and even have mixed emotions about certain characters.
The first place where Stoker sets up a chilling atmosphere is when Harker first gets to Dracula’s castle. Harker gets dropped off at the castle in the dark and is outside all alone. He is trying to figure out how to address the Count that he is there because there was no sign of a bell or knocker. Suddenly, Harker heard heavy steps approaching on the other side of the door. “Then there was the sound of rattling chains and the clanking of massive bolts drawn back” (17). This description of the sounds that Harker heard sends a chill down the reader’s spine,
…show more content…
They go to her coffin only to discover that “The coffin was empty!” (201). They seal the coffin shut so that she could not re-enter it, and they wait for her nearby. When she returns, she is holding a baby, and the men confront her. Lucy starts talking passionately to Holmwood but Van Helsing knew it was a trap so he quickly flashes a crucifix which makes “Lucy” cringe. They let Lucy back into her coffin, and later, Holmwood returns to set Lucy’s soul free. He drives a stake through her heart and he feels good about what he did. This whole scene is weird and creepy because before, none of them men wanted to mess with the supernatural or the un-dead. They decided to do that because they knew they had to help Lucy. Making an audience feel however you want them to is very challenging, but Stoker does a great job in Dracula. He can make one feel frightened, confused, or any other way just by describing something. The setting and atmosphere is very important, and one sees that is this
Since the 19th Century, Bram Stoker’s Dracula has entertained its readers taking them to heights of excitement in the climax
own will, which embodies the fear of Stoker. The corruption of science can be view in many parts in the novel, such as the scene when Dracula forces Mina to drink his blood as an act of rape, “Her face was ghastly, with a pallor… eyes were mad of terror.”(Stoker 301). Nevertheless, one can view it as an act of technological creation and is a characteristic of a scientist. In this act Mina Harker is turned into a medium of connection for his sound and enables him to extend his manipulation. Stoker represents the corruption of science through human experimentation since it is seen as a taboo. One can say she was converted into a telephone, which is how Dr. Seward describes her functions, “same power that compels her silence may compel her speech”
Anyone who has ever seen one of the several adaptations of Dracula as a movie will know that it was intended to be a horror story. Stoker goes to great lengths in order to create an atmosphere of terror and villainy, while hinting at exciting things to come. Straight from the beginning of the book, foreshadowing is utilized to hint at horrifying future events. As Jonathan Harker was about to depart for Castle Dracula, an old lady accosted him and said, "It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that to-night when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?" (Stoker, 4). However Harker leaves anyway, despite the warning. Thus the reader is fully aware that something awful is going to happen to him. This quote makes one's mind think of possible future events, thus creating imagery. Every writer aspires to create good imagery, and Bram Stoker is particularly good at doing so.
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 Dracula was. As the story unfolded, Jonathan realized he is not just a guest, but a prisoner as well. The horror in the novel not only focuses on the “vampiric nature” (Soyokaze), but also on the fear and threat of female sexual expression and aggression in such a conservative Victorian society.
Most authors use 4 utilities to make a story entertaining. They use the setting, mood, tone, and the archetypes to keep the author entertained. Cinderella by Jacob and WilHelm Grimm and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Marsha Hatfield were both scary because they showed how the tone and mood affected the story, themselves, and the readers at the same time. The horror genre is spooky and unlike other genres, because they are written to scare audiences. In order to do that authors and directors have to change settings, establish tones and moods, and use archetypes that are darker than all other genres. Multiple authors make similar decisions to create archetypes, setting, mood, and tones that uphold the horror genre.
Le Fanu uses gothic elements to intrigue and shock readers. This is clearly represented through vivid descriptions of isolated castles, abandoned churches, and mysterious woods. “… In the thick of the forest, overlooks the silent ruins of the town” (Le Faun Chapter I), “The castle is a ruin; the very village is deserted…” (Le Faun Chapter X). Le Faun uses this to create an eerie atmosphere. Through this, he manages to build suspense, forcing the readers to always be suspicious something is going to happen, but unable to determine how and when. This keeps the readers captivated. Similarly, by exploring the literature typified by ruin and mystery, Stoker explicitly exposes gothic tropes from Harker’s very first impression of the dilapidated castle. “The closed gates are of heavy old oak and iron, all eaten with rust” (Stoker Chapter II). As a result of this, Stoker is able to effectively convey the feelings of gloom, mystery and suspense. These are presented through the castle as it holds a lot of history, thus allowing Stoker to build up a haunting and ghostly atmosphere. This atmosphere is exaggerated through a sense of decaying which adds to the gothic convention in this context. “Hinges had fallen somewhat”, “wealth of dust’ and “dusty with age”, all indicating that the place is old, rusty and rather run-down (Stoker Chapter
Through the gothic writing of Stoker, there was a huge intimidation of Dracula coming forth from it. “Stoker spared no effort to present his demonic vampire as dramatically as possible” (Leatherdale 105-17). With this sinister presence of death, people start to panic. As a vampire hunter, it was Helsing’s job to help notify people on how to rid themselves of this demon. Stoker portrays survival in the form of teamwork between the men and women of the novel. These characters soon take survival into their own hands. “‘We must trace each of those boxes; and when we are ready, we must either capture or kill this monster in his lair; or we must, so to speak, sterilize the earth, so that no more he can seek safety in it’” (Stoker 373). At this point in the novel, the characters know about the existence of vampires. The consequences are also put on top priority. The men know of the consequences, yet still want to go after this demon. “By chasing Dracula, the men risk being sentenced to an immortal life as a vampire. This immortality is endless time lived in physical form” (Poquette 35). Knowing the risks of hunting a vampire, the characters ignore them to protect their loved ones. A vampire hunter is an important factor in the novel because without one, the other characters wouldn’t know what to do. Stoker chose right in including
Throughout many types of literature, violence exists to enhance the readers interest in order to add a sense of excitement or conflict to a novel. This statement withholds much truthfulness due to the fact that without violence in a piece of literature such as Dracula by Bram Stoker, the plot would not have the same impact if it was lacking violence. Dracula's power and evilness led to the violent happenings which began with the conflict of Jonathan's inner struggle, as compared to the conflict which blossomed later on with good versus evil.
While the character of Renfield is ostensively extraneous to the central plot of Dracula, he fulfils an important role in Stoker’s exploration of the central themes of the novel. This paper will examine how Renfield character is intertwined with the three central themes of invasion, blood and otherness. Firstly, through Renfield’s inner struggle we learn that he is ‘not his own master’ (Stoker, 211). The theme of invasion is revealed by the controlling and occupying powers of Count Dracula. Secondly, the recurring theme ‘the Blood is the Life’ (Stoker, 121), is portrayed throughout the novel and has been interpreted through Stoker’s character Renfield. Then finally, a look at the social construction of the ‘other’ in Dracula and how, through Renfield, who is ‘unlike the normal lunatic’ (Stoker, 52), the Count emerges as the ‘other’ of all ‘others’.
There is much criticism of Dracula. There is so much symbolism depicted in the novel that many argue as to what exactly Bram Stoker was trying to get across to his audience. Some believe that his suppressed feelings of homosexuality were shows in the novel, as well as other things such as the fear of the anti-Victorian beliefs of that time. Broker did not survive to see how popular his novel became, so no one will ever truly know what bottled up feelings Stoker had while writing Dracula.
Over the course of cinematic history, many filmmakers have attempted to recreate the chilling, unprecedented world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Arguably very few have succeeded, for the majority of directors tend to avoid the pervasive sexuality inherent in the novel. It is a difficult task to achieve, considering the blatant imagery surrounding sex and vampirism, such as the reproduction following a vampiric encounter and the phallocentric nature of the violence committed both by and against these creatures: penetration is involved in their hunting, and one must impale them with a stake in order to destroy them. Readers are thereby forced to admit that Dracula is, in fact, a highly eroticized piece of literature, though whether or not Stoker himself was aware of this suggestiveness, we cannot be sure. The most successful effort at capturing that sexual energy on film has been Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie, Bram Stoker's Dracula. In fact, it has often been proposed that Coppola’s version is too carnally focused in comparison to the original work, which leads a viewer to wonder about the purpose in this overt sexualization. It can be concluded that adding copious amounts of eroticism to the film is directly related to Coppola’s strive to depict Count Dracula as more human rather than monster, and sexuality in his film serves as a balance so that the lines between good and evil are blurred. Evidence for this deduction is found in three scenes in particular: Jonathan’s seduction by Dracula’s vampiric wives, Lucy’s demonic transformation, and Mina and Van Helsing’s relationship during the climax of the story.
Bram Stoker (1847-1912), a fan and friend of the playwright Henry Irving, he wrote dramatic criticism and glowing reviews of Irving's work for the local papers and finally became business manager of Henry Irving's Lyceum Theatre. During these years he wrote his greatest novel, Dracula. Stoker wrote numerous novels, short stories, essays, and lectures, but Dracula is by far his most famous work and perhaps the most well known horror novel.
Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic tale of Gothicism. Traditionally, gothic tales only carried single theme of horror. Through Dracula, Stoker breaks this single theme barrier. The theme throughout Dracula is clearly displayed through the characters as they step from ignorance to realization in this tale of horror.
In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that display qualities of good verse evil. The Count Dracula is a mysterious character who appears as an odd gentleman but the longer the story goes on Dracula shows his true self. Dracula started infiltrating the lives of anyone who crossed his path and he was not stopping his destruction of others’ lives. Many people were affect by Dracula’s actions but there were two people that Dracula caused an impact on during his rampage. Dracula is an evil, cunning, and selfish character who harms the life of a young man and ruins the future of an innocent woman.
Immediately Van Helsing thinks it is Lucy, so he gets John Seward to go and check out Lucy’s tomb with him. When her coffin is opened they discover that there isn’t a body. Seward suggests that maybe there were body snatchers that took poor Lucy’s body. Needing more proof to convince John, Van Helsing went back a couple more times. Each time they went at night the body wasn’t there, and when they went during the day her body was in the coffin. With this being enough proof, Arthur, Quincey, John, and Professor Helsing developed a plan to kill Lucy once and for all. Before going through with the act Van Helsing asks Arthur “Answer me, oh my friend! Am I to proceed in my work?” (Stoker 303). This shows the selflessness that is a less appreciated quality of Van Helsing. He knew that mutilating Lucy’s bad would emotionally wound more than one person in the room. However, he did know that by not killing her would mean the lives of many others would be lost, along with a lot more pain and suffering. This act also shows bravery. Mutilating someone that you had cared for in front to people who had loved her for a long time would, without a doubt, be extremely hard.