‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker is an example of Gothic fiction. What characteristic features of Gothic fiction can you see in the novel? Does Stoker depart from any principles of Gothic fiction? How? Why? Discuss.
Understood as a genre in literature and film, Gothic fiction combines elements of fiction, horror, death and romance to paint a bright picture of the quirks of the era. The everlasting popularity of Gothic fiction feeds on our desire to indulge in innocent but hearty chunks of terror. Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, typical of the late Victorian era, displays numerous characteristics of this “radical romanticism”, terrifying and engrossing at once.
As a prominent feature of Gothic fiction is that it paints the word picture of the 18th and …show more content…
It proves that mortal creatures are capable of creating immortal inventions that will last for generations. Stoker emphasises that feature of the genre by letting Van Helsing and Seward help Lucy with fancy-at-that-times blood transfusions, or making the doctor travel with “the vehicle of the future” - train. Modern technology is there to show Victorian era’s love for conspicuous consumption and grandiose events, such as the Great Exhibition of …show more content…
Stoker escapes the mainstream of the genre because just as any other writer struggling to be elevated to the status of an artist, he knows he must jump into the unknown. Instead of keeping Dracula menacing but still restrained in the mysterious castle, Stoker lets him off to wander around Victorian streets, ready to absorb what the modern age has on offer. Vampirism becomes a real-world phenomenon, hanging over Victorian heads as a threat just as “real” as, say, epidemics or war. But then there is yet another threat to the mankind. As we seek control over ourselves, themselves and the world itself, we all fear what is beyond our control. We all fear what is beyond human power and understanding, feeding our need to stick to powerful political parties, religions, subcultures or sects. Although unaware into what the situation may escalate in few centuries, Stoker does appreciate this ominous threat. Dear technology, in the age of smartphones, will it be us who keep you under the thumb, or quite the
Understood as a genre in literature and film, Gothic fiction combines elements of fiction, horror, death and romance to paint a bright picture of the quirks of the era. The everlasting popularity of Gothic fiction feeds on our desire to indulge in innocent but hearty chunks of terror. Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, typical of the late Victorian era, displays numerous characteristics of this “radical romanticism”, terrifying and engrossing at once.
As a prominent feature of Gothic fiction is that it paints the word picture of the 18th and …show more content…
It proves that mortal creatures are capable of creating immortal inventions that will last for generations. Stoker emphasises that feature of the genre by letting Van Helsing and Seward help Lucy with fancy-at-that-times blood transfusions, or making the doctor travel with “the vehicle of the future” - train. Modern technology is there to show Victorian era’s love for conspicuous consumption and grandiose events, such as the Great Exhibition of …show more content…
Stoker escapes the mainstream of the genre because just as any other writer struggling to be elevated to the status of an artist, he knows he must jump into the unknown. Instead of keeping Dracula menacing but still restrained in the mysterious castle, Stoker lets him off to wander around Victorian streets, ready to absorb what the modern age has on offer. Vampirism becomes a real-world phenomenon, hanging over Victorian heads as a threat just as “real” as, say, epidemics or war. But then there is yet another threat to the mankind. As we seek control over ourselves, themselves and the world itself, we all fear what is beyond our control. We all fear what is beyond human power and understanding, feeding our need to stick to powerful political parties, religions, subcultures or sects. Although unaware into what the situation may escalate in few centuries, Stoker does appreciate this ominous threat. Dear technology, in the age of smartphones, will it be us who keep you under the thumb, or quite the