Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – first published in 1818 – surely had an influence on Bram Stoker 's 1898 novel Dracula. Both novels are important works of Gothic horror fiction, and both depict monstrous creatures that have become iconic over decades. Each work has similar themes and similar characters. No two are more alike than the titular characters – Doctor Victor Frankenstein and Count Dracula. Looking at the two novels from a psychoanalytic perspective, the parallels between the two are laid bare. The transformative arcs of Dracula and Victor Frankenstein are similar due to their obsession to fulfill inherent subconscious needs, their motivation to create, and their ultimate destruction at the hands of their creations. The most obvious comparison between the narrative arcs of Frankenstein and Dracula are their unconscious desires to fulfill basic human needs. With Dracula, this manifests in the driving demand for blood. In his essay “The little
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Frankenstein 's destruction is more subtle – his life is utterly ruined by his monster. The thing that Victor spent so much time and effort on ends up murdering all of his friends and loved ones, leaving Frankenstein a completely broken man. In fact, David Collings notes that “as the creature destroys more and more of the people in Victor 's circle...the two of them gradually move into the mode of direct rivalry” (292). Frankenstein is so driven to end his creation 's life by the end of the novel that “his obsession with and fear of the monster would amount to madness” (Collings 281). Dracula 's end is more literal – the vampire hunters stab him to end his life. But like Frankenstein, his downfall stems from one of his own creations. In Dracula 's case, it is Mina. Dracula had turned Mina into one of the undead, and Van Helsing is able to hypnotize her to gain information on his whereabouts. With Mina 's help, Dracula is ultimately
Frankenstein 's destruction is more subtle – his life is utterly ruined by his monster. The thing that Victor spent so much time and effort on ends up murdering all of his friends and loved ones, leaving Frankenstein a completely broken man. In fact, David Collings notes that “as the creature destroys more and more of the people in Victor 's circle...the two of them gradually move into the mode of direct rivalry” (292). Frankenstein is so driven to end his creation 's life by the end of the novel that “his obsession with and fear of the monster would amount to madness” (Collings 281). Dracula 's end is more literal – the vampire hunters stab him to end his life. But like Frankenstein, his downfall stems from one of his own creations. In Dracula 's case, it is Mina. Dracula had turned Mina into one of the undead, and Van Helsing is able to hypnotize her to gain information on his whereabouts. With Mina 's help, Dracula is ultimately